You cannot connect to a document library in Windows SharePoint Services by using Windows shell commands or by using Explorer View (841215)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2002
    • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2002 SP1
    • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1
Important This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

You may find that you cannot access a document library on a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Web site from a client computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later versions, the 64-bit version of Windows XP or later versions, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later versions if you use a connection method that uses Windows shell components or by using Explorer View. For example, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
  • If you try to map a drive to a document library by using the net use command, you are prompted to type your user name and password. After you type your user name and password, you receive the following error message:
    System error 5 has occurred.

    Access is denied.
  • If you try to view a document library by using Explorer View, you are prompted several times to type your user name and password. If you click Cancel, Explorer View displays Web folders.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the following conditions are true:
  • You connect to the server that is running Windows SharePoint Services from a client computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later.
  • The server is configured to use Basic authentication.
For security purposes, Windows XP SP2 disables Basic authentication in the Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) Redirector. Both Explorer View in Windows SharePoint Services and the Windows shell commands that are associated with Windows SharePoint Services use WebDAV redirector technology.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, enable Basic authentication on the client computer. To do this, add the UseBasicAuth registry entry to the following registry subkey, and then set the entry to a non-zero value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters

To enable Basic authentication on the client computer, follow these steps.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
  3. Locate and then click the following registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters

  4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
  5. Type UseBasicAuth, and then press ENTER.
  6. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
  7. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.

    Note Basic authentication is enabled if the UseBasicAuth registry entry is set to a non-zero value. Basic authentication is disabled if the UseBasicAuth registry entry is not present or if the UseBasicAuth registry entry is set to 0 (zero).
  8. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

MORE INFORMATION

WebDAV is an extension of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and includes the use of Basic authentication. Basic authentication is one form of user authentication where a user is identified to the server. When the server is configured to use Basic authentication, the client computer transmits the users' credentials to the server. If the channel is not encrypted, such as in typical HTTP traffic, a malicious user on another computer on the network can possibly intercept the user name and password of that user. The DAV redirector does not support encrypted HTTP, such as HTTPS or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and transmits the users' credentials without encryption if the server supports Basic authentication.

Because a user's credentials can be sent in clear text and can be possibly compromised, Windows XP SP2 includes functionality that permits you to enable or to disable the use of Basic authentication by the DAV redirector. By default, Basic authentication is disabled in Windows XP SP2. When Basic authentication is disabled, either the client computer uses a different authentication method (if the server supports a different authentication method), or the request fails.

For more information about Windows SharePoint Services, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/sharepoint/default.mspx

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/12/2006
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB841215 kbAudITPRO
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.