View FTP as a Standard Windows Folder

Did you know that you can view your FTP (File Transfer Protocol) connections and files like a normal Windows folder?

You can map a computer network drive to your FTP account and view online files like you would a normal Windows folder instead of using an program like Filezilla or SmartFTP to receive and post files.

Since CyberNet already posted excellent instructions and pictures on how to map a network drive to FTP (primarily in Vista), I’ll post about how to do it in XP.

1. Important: First install this fix for Software Update for Web Folders (KB907306) from Microsoft. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
2. Double click on “My Computer” to open it.
3. At the top of the window, click on the “Tools” menu then select “Map Network Drive…”
4. You will be taken to the Setup Wizard. Select the “Sign up for online storage…” button at the bottom of the current window.
5. A new Wizard will pop up, choose “Next”.
6. The new screen should have an option highlighted to “Choose another network location”. Click “Next” again.
7. Enter your FTP server information such as “ftp://your-domain.com” as the network address.
8. Unclick “Logon Anonymously” and enter your account logon when asked for a username.
9. Create a name for the new drive, maybe something like “Work FTP” or whatever you would like and can remember.
10. To open your new network drive/FTP site, go to “My Network Places”. You will see a drive with the name you gave it in the previous step.
11. If prompted for your username and password, enter it again and click “Save Password”.

To access it again is simple!

1. Go to your Window “Start Menu” and click on “My Network Places”.
2. Double click on the object with the name that you entered previously in step #9.
3. You are now looking at your FTP account like it is a normal folder in Windows.