Connecting to your iDisk from Windows Explorer

Prepare your Windows-based PC

Prepare your Windows-based PC to connect to your iDisk:

• Make sure that you have downloaded and installed all security and software updates for your computer. To learn more about updating Windows, see this Microsoft article: How to keep your Windows computer up-to-date.
• If necessary, install the Windows Software Update for Web Folders.
• If you are using Windows Vista, download and install this update as well.

After installing the updates, you may wish to restart your computer before moving forward with the rest of these instructions. Additionally, if you need to install any critical updates for Windows, you should re-visit the Windows update site to see if there are any further updates required.

Set up your iDisk using Windows XP

Use one of the following methods to set up the iDisk:

Method 1

1. Click the Start menu and choose Network Connections > My Network Places.
2. In the window that opens, click "Add a network place" to open the Add Network Place wizard. 
3. On the next screen, click "Choose another network location."
4. When prompted for the URL for your iDisk, type the following URL address (replace "YourMemberName" with your own member name):
   
   http://idisk.me.com/YourMemberName/
    
5. Enter your MobileMe member name and password then click OK. (Optional: Select the "Remember my password" checkbox to save your password).
6. Name your connection.
7. Click Next, and then Finish. 

Method 2

1. Click the Start menu and select My Computer or open My Computer from your desktop.
2. In the window that opens, choose Tools > Map Network Drive.
3. (Optional) Select a drive letter from the Drive: menu. Windows will automatically assign a letter if you do not select one.
4. Type the following URL in the folder field:
   
   http://idisk.me.com/YourMemberName/
    
5. If you would like Windows to set up a permanent connection, select the "Reconnect at login" checkbox.
6. Click "Connect using a different user name" in the same window.
7. Enter your MobileMe member name and password, then click OK.
8. Click Finish.

You should now be able to open your iDisk from My Network Places on your computer. If you would like to disconnect from your iDisk at any time, right-click the iDisk icon and choose Disconnect.

Set up your iDisk using Windows Vista

1. From the Start menu, choose Computer. 
2. In the window that opens, click "Map network drive" on the toolbar. If you do not see the toolbar, press the Alt key on your keyboard to display the File menu, and then click Tools and choose Map Network Drive. 
3. Type the following URL in the folder field:
   
   http://idisk.me.com/YourMemberName


4. Click "Connect using a different user name" in the same window. 
5. Enter your MobileMe member name and password, then click OK. 
6. If you would like to connect to your iDisk every time you log in to your computer, select the "Reconnect at login" checkbox.
7. Click Finish.

You can now open your iDisk in the Computer window via the Start Menu. If you would like to disconnect from your iDisk at any time, right-click the iDisk icon and choose Disconnect.

Troubleshoot setup issues

If your iDisk does not work as expected in the Windows Explorer, the steps below can help you resolve your issue.

Restart

• Simply restarting your PC may clear any issues related to the iDisk.

Check your password

• Confirm that your password is correct by going to http://www.me.com and logging in. If you receive an authentication alert, click the "Forgot password?" link to reset your password. After checking your password, try re-entering it when connecting to your iDisk from Windows Explorer.
• Make sure that your username is entered in all lowercase letters and without the @me.com (or @mac.com).

Rebuild the connection to iDisk

• Delete the existing network place or mapped network drive from your computer. This will not affect the data stored on your remote iDisk. Then, follow the steps above in the Setting Up Your iDisk section again.

Alter the iDisk URL

• If Windows is unable to connect to the URL above, try rebuilding the connection to the iDisk and alter the URL slightly by adding or removing a forward slash at the end. For example, if you were using http://idisk.me.com/YourMemberName, try http://idisk.me.com/YourMemberName/ instead.

Check proxy server

• If you use a proxy server to connect to the Internet, you may need to ask your network administrator or Internet service provider (ISP) whether the proxy server supports WebDAV connections. WebDAV is the protocol that allows your computer to interact with the iDisk. Sometimes a proxy server may be using outdated software that does not allow WebDAV connections. If your proxy does not support WebDAV connections, the network administrator or ISP may be able to give you information to enter in your network preferences that would enable you to bypass the proxy server when connecting to the Me.com domain.
  
  Note: Many proxy servers are compatible with WebDAV.

Connection speed

• iDisk performs better when you have a fast Internet connection. A broadband connection will be noticeably faster than a dial-up connection when uploading or downloading files.
• If your connection speed is causing the issue, there are steps you can take to improve performance. For example, quit open web browsers, email applications, or other applications that also share your Internet connection when you try to connect to your iDisk.
• You may wish to investigate options for upgrading your Internet connection. Broadband connections often have far slower upload speeds than download speeds, so you may also wish to speak with your ISP about the possibility of increasing the upload speed of your connection. Various Internet sites offer Web-based tools to test your Internet connection speed, so you can benchmark your connection.