When attempting to map WebDAV shares in Windows XP (both SP2 and SP3) via command line, many administrators encounter the frustrating "System error 67 - The network name cannot be found" message. This occurs despite successful connections through Network Places or modern Windows versions.

The Windows XP WebDAV client has several limitations that differ from newer Windows versions:

// Key limitations in XP's WebDAV implementation:
1. SSL/TLS handshake differences
2. Path normalization quirks
3. Authentication protocol restrictions
4. URL parsing inconsistencies

After extensive testing across multiple server configurations (Apache on Ubuntu and IIS on Windows Server 2003), these approaches show consistent success:

Registry Modification Approach

Create or modify these registry values:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters]
"UseBasicAuth"=dword:00000001
"AuthForwardServerList"=dword:00000001
"FileAttributesLimitInBytes"=dword:00040000

Alternative Connection Syntax

Try these command variations after implementing the registry changes:

net use z: "\\server.com@SSL\DavWWWRoot\path\to\folder" /user:DOMAIN\username
net use z: "\\server.com@SSL\path\to\folder" /persistent:yes
net use * "https://server.com/path" /user:username password

Enable detailed logging to identify the exact failure point:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters" /v DebugFlags /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
net stop webclient & net start webclient

Check Event Viewer (Application Log) for WebClient service messages after connection attempts.

If native mapping remains problematic, consider these alternatives:

@echo off
:: WebDAV connection script using third-party tools
"C:\Program Files\DAVExplorer\DAVExplorer.exe" -url https://server.com/path -user username -password p@ssw0rd -map Z:

Verify these server settings when troubleshooting XP clients:

# Apache mod_dav configuration example
<Directory "/var/www/dav">
    DAV On
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "WebDAV"
    AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/webdav.passwd
    Require valid-user
    BrowserMatch "Microsoft Data Access Internet Publishing Provider" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "MS FrontPage" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "^WebDrive" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "^WebDAVFS/1.[0123]" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "^gnome-vfs/1.0" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "^XML Spy" redirect-carefully
    BrowserMatch "^Dreamweaver-WebDAV-SCM1" redirect-carefully
</Directory>

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When attempting to map WebDav shares via command line in Windows XP (both SP2 and SP3), users frequently encounter:

C:\>net use z: https://mywebsite.com/software/
System error 67 has occurred.
The network name cannot be found.

Before diving deeper into client-side fixes, verify your WebDav servers are properly configured:

# Example Apache WebDav configuration (Ubuntu)
<Directory /var/www/webdav>
    Dav On
    Options Indexes
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "WebDAV"
    AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/webdav.password
    Require valid-user
</Directory>

Since Windows 7+ handles WebDav natively, XP requires these specific adjustments:

Registry Modifications

Add these registry tweaks and restart the WebClient service:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters]
"BasicAuthLevel"=dword:00000002
"UseBasicAuth"=dword:00000001
"FileAttributesLimitInBytes"=dword:0003ffff

When standard net use fails, try these syntax variations:

net use * https://server/path /user:DOMAIN\username password /persistent:yes
net use z: \\server.com@SSL\path /user:username
net use z: \\server.com@SSL:443\path

Enable detailed logging to identify the exact failure point:

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters /v DebugFlags /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f
net stop webclient & net start webclient

Check Event Viewer's Application logs for WebClient service messages.

For HTTPS connections, ensure XP trusts the certificate authority. Export the cert from Windows 7 (where it works) and import to XP:

certmgr.msc → Export as .CER → Copy to XP → certmgr.msc → Import

When native WebDav fails, consider these alternatives:

• WebDrive (commercial solution)
• NetDrive (freeware option)
• Dokan Library with custom mapper

If you can install PowerShell 2.0 on XP:

$cred = Get-Credential
New-PSDrive -Name Z -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\server@SSL\path" -Credential $cred -Persist