There seems to be more confusion instead of less when it comes to using Explorer View and the various features it supports and why it breaks. I have attempted to summarize the information from a few sources including the whitepaper by Steve Sheppard published in 2006

The files and folders represented in SharePoint do not actually exist as individual items on a file system. They are just representations of file data and properties stored in the SharePoint database. It is only through the complex interactions of a large number of technologies that we can manipulate them as if they were actual files and folders. At a high level, that stack of technologies and their various relationships can be envisioned like this:

Windows WebDAV Client details

The WebDAV support in Microsoft Windows XP is a client only. Microsoft Windows Server 2003 provides both a WebDAV client (the Web Client Service) and a WebDAV server (the WebDAV extension in Internet Information Services 6.0). The client feature is not available on Microsoft Windows 2000. Some of the obvious benefits of building WebDAV client capabilities into the operating system are that it. Provides you with an integrated way to access the Web folders provided by Internet Information Services (IIS) and SharePoint.

• Manages files and folders via WebDAV using Windows Explorer.
• Supports the mapping of drives to a Web folder using Windows Explorer, My Network Places, the Net Use command, or the WNET APIs documented in MSDN.

Because the Web Client Service was built together with the rest of these operating systems, the look and feel of the resources it provides reflect those of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. This is why the icons and the context menu choices on an Explorer View page are similar to those of Windows Explorer when it is using the Web Client Service and WebDAV as the underlying communication mechanism.

Before trying to manage which protocol Explorer View will use, you should first understand the features of each protocol. To that end, we have provided a short list of their features:

Protocol feature comparison chart

After reviewing the features above, you should have a better understanding of the capabilities of each protocol and some idea of why you might want to use one over the other.

DavWWWRoot is a special keyword that alerts the WebDAV client that you are referring to the root of a WebDAV server. A simple validation of this can be obtained by linking a drive to the root of the SharePoint server. An example of using this keyword would be:

Net Use * http://www.dimension-si.com/DavWWWRoot

The Two Faces of Explorer View

Because there are two different protocols for accessing data via the SharePoint Explorer View, you may experience two different levels of functionality when accessing the same data. Now that you understand the capabilities of each of these protocols, you can easily tell which is in use by examining a functioning Explorer View page.

Explorer View using the WebDAV Protocol

The screenshot below is of an Explorer View page rendered using the WebDAV protocol. You will notice two things:

· The folders have the same 3D appearance you typically see in Windows XP.

· The panes on the Explorer Bar and the context menu have a robust set of options that match those in Windows Explorer.

Screenshot of the Explorer View using WebDAV

We have implied that the Web Client Service is more tightly integrated with Windows, therefore, it should come as no surprise that the appearance of the Explorer View when using WebDAV matches that of Windows Explorer.

Explorer View using the FPRPC protocol

After looking at the screenshot of the Explorer View using the WebDAV protocol and comparing it to the screenshot below of the Explorer View rendered using the FPRPC protocol, you can easily see the differences:

• The folders have the older, flat appearance of Windows 98.
• The Explorer Bar and the context menu are missing many of the options available when you render the Explorer View using WebDAV.

Screenshot of the Explorer View Using the FPRPC

As we discussed previously, the FPRPC components were built prior to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, and they were designed for a different purpose than the Web Client Service. This explains the difference in the appearance of the icons and context menus.

Reference: Download details- Whitepaper - Understanding and Troubleshooting

-Ivan