Arlen Holder wrote:
[...]

What I wish I understood better is why Windows treats them differently,
and, more importantly, why I can almost perfectly treat the WebDav share as
an X: drive, even though it doesn't literally show up as a "removable
drive" as shown in this screenshot I posted a few days ago when I started
this quest.
o "net use" http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8605173dir05.jpg

When you use 'net use' (or 'Map network drive' in File Explorer), you
are creating a Network Drive, not a plain 'Drive'.

Note that in your screenshot, all your 'Drive's are together in the
'Devices and drives' section of FE. Apparently Windows 10 FE has
'Drive', 'Removable Disk' and 'Local Disk' in this section. (8.1 just
has names and icons.) Anyway, the point is that in this section, all
things are *non*-'Network Drive's.

As said, the drive 'X:' you created via the 'net use' command is a
*Network* Drive and hence appears in the 'Network locations' section of
FE.

So there is a difference between a 'Removable Disk' (K: in your
screenshot) and a Network Drive (X: in your screenshot).

For a 'Removable Disk', you can do an 'Eject'.

For a Network Drive, you can do a 'Disconnect' or 'net use /delete'.

Notice, by way of contrast, that FTP shares do show up as literally a
"removable drive".
o DirectNetDrive http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=6340420dir012.jpg
o NetDrive v1.3.2.0 http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1383190dir014.jpg

Indeed. While these drives are *associated* with a network, they are
*not* Network Drives (i.e. do not appear in the 'Network locations'
section of FE), but are 'normal' drives, just as any drive in the
'Devices and drives' section of FE. So these drives are the same type as
your C: drive.

I hope this has unconfused things a bit! :-)

[..]