So you are trying to do a sync or just view files on a WebDAV share that you just mapped as a disk in Windows but you noticed it is going slow like a turtle, or even gave you weird errors when you first tried to map it as a drive.  You report the issue to your IT department or systems administrator(s) that manage and operate the Unix or Linux based server that you are connecting to and they tell you that they have received no complaints and other clients are connecting things are running extremely fast as normal.

Well the issue is more then likely on the client side of the Windows system you are connecting to the WebDAV server with and I have some possible solutions available for you.  Note this would more then likely need to be done on any Windows server or client connecting to a WebDAV share.  If you are using the net use command to map the drive you will probably still need to follow these instructions.  If you are not able to change the settings have your systems administrator make the change for you.

Step 1

1. Open Control Panel and click on Folder Options.
2. Click on the View tab.
3. Check Always show icons, never thumbnails.
4. Insure that Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives is checked.
5. Click Apply and then click OK.

Step 2

1. Open Control Panel and click on Internet Options.
2. Click on the Connections tab.
3. Click on LAN settings.
4. Insure that Automatically detect settings is unchecked.
5. Click OK to close the LAN Settings Window.
6. Click Apply in the Internet Options (Internet Properties) window, and then click OK.

After completing the steps above you might find that your WebDAV operations are operating at a faster pace and more responsive to your commands even if you disconnect and remap it.  Some possible causes for the slowdowns are probably due to Windows trying to generate thumbnails for all the items listed on the network drive, creating a Thumbs.db file and trying to use proxy or other settings that might be interfering or slowing down regular WebDAV operations.