Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, Second Edition

Standard File Sharing

If you need more security and flexibility than Simple file sharing affords—or if your computer is part of a corporate domain—then the time has come to tackle Standard file sharing.

The process of sharing a folder is much the same as it is in Simple file sharing, except that there’s an additional step: specifying who else on the network can access the share, and what they’re allowed to do with it.

Note

Before you can create Standard file shares, you must disable Windows XP’s Simple file sharing feature, as described in Section 20.5

Step 1: Turn on Sharing

After you’ve located the icon of the drive, folder, or printer you want to share, proceed like this:

1. Right-click the disk or folder icon. From the shortcut menu, choose Sharing and Security.

   The Sharing tab of the Properties dialog box opens (see Figure 20-11). If you’ve ever seen this dialog box when using Simple file sharing, you’ll notice that it looks quite a bit different now.

2. Turn on “Share this folder.”

   The other options in the dialog box become active.

3. Type a name for the shared disk or folder.

   This is the name other people will see when they open their My Network Places windows. Windows XP proposes the name of the folder as the share name, which is fine, but you can change it to anything you like.

   If you want to limit the number of network users that can access the shared file or folder simultaneously—to avoid slowing down your PC, for example—click “Allow this number of users” radio button, ...