Web Folders is the Microsoft term for an internet connectivity method called WebDAV, though you will see it called simply a “Network Location” in Vista and Windows 7, or a “Network Place” in Windows XP.

WebDAV stands for “Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning”. It allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers from Windows PCs and Macs. WebDAV is the term used in Mac OS X.

In the case of My Docs Online the “remote web server” is your My Docs Online account folders and files, which can also be accessed via our other interfaces (through our web site at www.mydocsonline.com, and via tools like our Transporter).

Why use Web Folders? Two main reasons:

First, it’s an easy way to store, retrieve, and share files “in the internet cloud” while seeing the remote files and folders on your PC pretty much as if they were on your PC’s harddrive.

Second, Office applications (notably Word and Excel) can use File Locking via Web Folders to make sure two people don’t edit the same document at the same time.

If you and a colleague, for instance, both try to open and edit the same spreadsheet at roughly the same time, the first one to open the file can do so, and the second one will get a warning that another user has the file open for update, and all the second user will be able to get is a “Read-Only” copy of the file (until the first user closes it).

What about security?

In the case of My Docs Online, access to an account via Web Folders is secured using a Login ID and password. Also, security-conscious users set up their web folder to automatically use SSL encryption.

How do I get started?

Choose your operating system from the list below for specific setup instructions:

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