Connecting to Box.net With NetDrive

Here is quick post describing how to connect to Box.net (box.com now) using an application called NetDrive. This is the process I used for Windows XP, though it should work for Windows 7 as well. You can download the application from here: http://netdrive.net/

Of course it goes without saying that you need to sign up for a Box.net account if you don't already have one. You can sign up for an account here: http://box.com

There are a few tutorials on connecting your Box.net account as a drive in Windows. Here are some examples:

http://techie-buzz.com/tech-news/mount-boxnet-account-in-windows-explorer.html

http://smallvoid.com/article/winnt-webdav-network-drive.html

I have had trouble trying to use the Windows WebDav implementation on XP, so this application was a breath of fresh air. It is very straightforward, though there is a gotcha that I haven't seen documented on any other site. So here are the steps:

1. Download and install NetDrive
2. Open the application
3. Create a "New Folder" under Site
4. Select your new folder
5. Click "New Site" and fill in the information on the right side of the screen
6. I named mine "Box.net" (I know, not very original)
7. For the site URL, use: "https://www.box.com/dav" (notice the https prefix, and the .com instead of .net)
8. Enter port 443
9. Select "Server Type" as "WebDav"
10. Choose a drive letter for your mount point
11. Enter your "Account" login ID
12. Enter your "Password" using your Box.net password
13. Select your "Automatic login..." preferences
14. Click "Save"

Now you are almost done. Here is the secret sauce that makes this work:

1. Select the "Site" you just created
2. Click on the "Advanced" button
3. Set your "Encoding" to UTF-8
4. Click the "Use HTTPS" checkbox
5. Enter 443 for the "Host : Port" (if it's not already filled in)
6. Enter your login information again (if it's not already filled in)

That is it! Now you can mount your Box.net cloud drive whenever you like. I find the performance better than other methods as well (ie - I set it up using Windows 7 native WebDav - WebFolders - support). You can now access your cloud drive any time you like.