Windows XP File Sharing

Simple Sharing Simple File Sharing is the method with which Windows XP Home Edition shares files. This is also the default sharing method in Windows XP Pro. Simple Sharing can be turned off in Windows XP Pro, but not in Windows XP Home. To share files and folders with Simple Sharing: Right-click on the folder to be shared and select Sharing and Security On the Sharing tab, click Share This Folder on the Network To give users read only access, uncheck Allow Network Users to Change My Files (Information Technology highly recommends unchecking this option) Click OK to exit Turning Off Simple Sharing (Windows XP Pro only) Windows XP Pro users will have more control over how files are shared by turning off Simple Sharing. To turn off Simple Sharing: Click Start, and then click My Computer From the Tools menu, select Folder Options On the View tab, clear the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box under the Advanced Settings section Click OK Once Simple Sharing is turned off, there are three main steps to sharing files: creating a user to connect to the share; sharing the folder; setting up share permissions. Creating a User to Connect to the Share Click on the Start Menu and select Control Panel Click on User Accounts Click Create a New Account Enter the desired username and click Next Select either Computer Administrator or Limited account type Click Create Account To set a password, click on the user account Click Change the Password Enter the password information and click Change Password Sharing Folders Right-click on the folder to be shared Select Sharing and Security On the Sharing tab, click Share This Folder Specify a name for the share in Share Name and specify the allowed number of users Setting up Share Permissions When Simple Sharing is turned off, permissions that are given to everyone apply only to users with a valid username and password on the machine, not everyone on the network. To set up a folder so that anyone with a username and password on this computer can read its contents but not edit them (CampusShare): Right-click on the folder to be shared and select Properties On the Sharing tab, click on the Permissions button Give everyone Full Control Hit OK to return to the properties dialog box On the Security tab, give everyone and users Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read access To set up a folder so that anyone with a username and password on this computer can deposit files in it, but not read or access them afterwards (DropBox): Right-click on the folder to be shared and select Properties On the Sharing tab, click on the Permissions button Give everyone Full Control Hit OK to return to the properties dialog box On the Security tab, give everyone and users List Folder Contents and Write access To set up a folder that only a specific username on this computer can access: Right-click on the folder to be shared and select Properties On the Sharing tab, click on the Permissions button Give everyone Full Control Hit OK to return to the properties dialog box On the Security tab, click on the add button if the user is not listed Enter your computer name followed by a slash and the name of the user, e.g. computernameSer. Your computer name is listed in the From this Location field Click OK On the Security tab, click once on the user Give the user Modify permissions (or the type of access you desire) Click OK and exit the dialog boxes. This will allow the user to log in from their own machine using the username and password specified on the machine containing the share. The user will then have permissions to read, write to, execute, and delete (Modify) the files contained in the share. Changing File Permissions The permissions of a directory can be applied to the sub-directories by checking the Replace Permissions on Subdirectories option. The permissions for several files or folders can be set at the same time by selecting them all and then right-clicking on one of them. However, everything selected must be of the same type, e.g. all folders. Note there can be multiple shares on the same drive or folder. The Sharing dialog box on a drive or folder that is already shared will include a button for New Share. Viewing Shares on Your Computer Right-click on My Computer and select Manage Select Shares under Computer Management -> System Tools -> Shared Folders This shows all of the shares on your computer. Shares that end with a $ are default Windows shares. Turning Sharing Off Right-click on My Computer and select Manage Select Shares under Computer Management -> System Tools -> Shared Folders Right-click on a share and select Stop Sharing on any shares you do not need Connecting to a Share The easiest way to connect to a share on another computer is to do a find or search for that computer. Note that the computer you are searching for must be turned on. Click on the Start Menu Right-click on My Network Places Select Search for Computers Enter the name of the computer you want to connect to Click Search In the Search Results window, double-click on the computer Double-click on the share you want to open Enter the username and password for the share if prompted Note: Some computers require a username and password to connect to a share. Windows 95/98/ME assumes that the username you log in to the computer with is your username for connecting to other computers. Windows NT/2000/XP allow you to specify a username when connecting to the share. To log in to Windows 95/98/ME with a different username: Click on the Start Menu and select Log Off On the log in screen, enter the username you want to use Click OK Browsing the Network Neighborhood Double-clicking on Network Neighborhood or My Network Places to find computers does not work reliably. Here are some suggestions that might improve your ability to browse: Renaming Your Computer and Changing Workgroups Click on the Start Menu Right-click on My Computer and select Properties On the Computer Name tab, click Change Enter a unique name for your computer Also on this tab, try changing workgroups You can enter anything you want as a workgroup name. Common workgroup names are student, mshome and gustavus Click OK on the Computer Name Changes window Click OK on the System Properties window These changes will take effect when you reboot your computer Because Browsing the Network Neighborhood is unreliable, Information Technology suggests that you do a find or search for a computer. If you are unable to do a find or search for computers, please contact the Computer Helpline for assistance.