Lesson 4: Supporting Simple File Sharing


Simple File Sharing, as its name implies, is a simplified sharing model that allows users to easily share folders and files with other local users on the same computer or with users in a workgroup without configuring NTFS permissions and standard shared folders. Simple File Sharing is the only option on computers running Windows XP Home Edition. On computers running Windows XP Professional that are members of a workgroup, you can use Simple File Sharing, or you can disable Simple File Sharing and use NTFS permissions and shared folders. On computers running Windows XP Professional that are members of a domain, Simple File Sharing is not available. As a DST, you will encounter Simple File Sharing on home computers and on small networks.

After this lesson, you will be able to

  • Share folders using Simple File Sharing.

  • Troubleshoot Simple File Sharing.

Estimated lesson time: 15 minutes

Understanding Simple File Sharing

When you create a home office network with Windows XP, Simple File Sharing is enabled by default. This is exactly what it sounds like: a simple way for home users to share files on a network. When Simple File Sharing is enabled, users can share files easily and in just one step.

With Simple File Sharing, users can do the following:

  • Share folders with everyone on the network

  • Allow users who access the folder to view the files, edit the files, or both

  • Make folders in his or her user profile private

Simple File Sharing does not permit users to do the following:

  • Prevent specific users and groups from accessing folders

  • Assign folder permissions to specific users and groups

  • View the Security tab of a shared folder’s Properties dialog box

Enabling and Disabling Simple File Sharing

To enable or disable Simple File Sharing or to see whether Simple File Sharing is in use, follow these steps:

  1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, select Appearance And Themes and then select Folder Options.

  3. Select the View tab, and under Advanced Settings, scroll down the list of choices to the last option.

  4. Simple File Sharing is enabled if the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box is selected. To disable it, clear the check box. For the purposes of this section, verify that it is selected. Click OK.

Sharing a File on the Network

After you have verified that Simple File Sharing is enabled, sharing a folder on the network is easy. Just follow these steps:

  1. Using Windows Explorer, locate the folder you want to share, right-click it, and choose Sharing And Security.

  2. In the Properties dialog box, select the Share This Folder On The Network check box, which is shown in Figure 5-21. Notice that a share name is automatically assigned. This is the name that the users will see when they browse the network for this shared folder. Change the name if desired; if the share must be readable to earlier operating systems such as MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, the share name must be 12 characters or fewer.

    click to expand
    Figure 5-21: Share a file in one step when Simple File Sharing is enabled.

  3. To allow others to make changes to the files in the shared folder, select the Allow Network Users To Change My Files check box and then click OK.

When sharing a folder on a network in this manner, you give permission for everyone on the network to access and read the files in the folder. With Simple File Sharing, you cannot choose who can and cannot access a folder. When you also choose to allow users to make changes to the files in the shared folder, you allow them to write to (or make changes to) those files.

Exam Tip

Remember the limitations of Simple File Sharing when you are exploring a situation on the exam. Simple File Sharing is really an all-or-none proposition; the object is shared with everyone on the network or not shared at all.

Sharing a File with Other Users on the Same Computer

The Sharing tab of a folder’s Properties dialog box also provides an option for sharing a folder with other users on the same computer. Such a share is called a local share. In the Local Sharing And Security dialog box, click the Shared Documents link (you can also open the Shared Documents folder from the My Computer window). Share a folder with other users on the same computer by dragging the folder to the Shared Documents folder. Anyone who is logged on to the workgroup or the local computer can access the Shared Documents folder. The folder is stored at C:\Documents And Settings\All Users\Documents folder, as shown in Figure 5-22. Sharing a folder in this manner works only for workgroups, however—not domains.

click to expand
Figure 5-22: You can use the Shared Documents folder to share files on a computer or in a workgroup.

Making a Folder Private

You can also use the Sharing tab of a folder’s Properties dialog box to make a folder private. When you make a folder private, only the owner of the folder can access its contents. You can make folders private only if they are in the user’s personal user profile (and only if the disk is formatted with NTFS). As you learned in Chapter 3, “Supporting Local Users and Groups,” a user profile defines customized desktop environments. Personal user profile folders include My Documents and its subfolders Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites.

Note

Simple File Sharing works on volumes formatted to use the FAT or NTFS file system. However, you can make a folder private only if the volume is formatted with NTFS.

Troubleshooting Simple File Sharing

There are only a few problems that you will run into when troubleshooting shares that are configured with Simple File Sharing, and they deal with user access to the shared resource. Assuming that all network connections are functional, all computers and hubs are working properly, and Simple File Sharing is in use, Table 5-12 details some common problems and their solutions.

Table 5-12: Troubleshooting Simple File Sharing

Scenario/Report

Cause/Solution

A Windows Me user reports that he cannot access a shared folder.

If the share name is longer than 12 characters, computers running Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or earlier Microsoft operating systems cannot access the folder. Rename the share.

An owner of a file reports that users can access the file but cannot make changes. The owner wants users to be able to make changes.

On the Sharing tab of the shared folder, select the Allow Network Users To Change My Files check box.

The owner of a file dragged the file to the Shared Documents folder and logged off the computer. When others log on, no one can access or even view the Shared Documents folders.

Users are logging on to a domain. Users must log on to the workgroup to access the file.

A user wants to share a file and assign specific permissions from the Security tab. However, the Security tab is not available.

With Simple File Sharing, the Security tab is not available. This is by design.

Practice: Work with Simple File Sharing

In this practice, you will share a document locally by using the Shared Documents folder and make a folder private. You will also share a document on the network using Simple File Sharing.

Note

These practices require that you enable Simple File Sharing on your computer. Exercise 2 requires that you have a volume formatted with NTFS.

Exercise 1: Share a Document by Using the Shared Documents Folder

start example
  1. Right-click the desktop, point to New, and select Text Document. Type Shared Document for the name of the document and then press Enter.

  2. Right-click Shared Document on the desktop and then select Cut.

  3. From the Start menu, select My Computer.

  4. In the My Computer window, open the Shared Documents folder.

  5. In the Shared Documents folder, from the Edit menu, select Paste.

end example

Exercise 2: Make a Folder Private

start example
  1. From the Start menu, select My Documents.

  2. In My Documents, on the File Menu, select New, and then select Folder. Type Private for the name of the new folder.

  3. Right-click the Private folder and select Properties.

  4. In the Private Properties dialog box, on the Sharing tab, in the Local Sharing And Security section, select the Make This Folder Private check box. Click OK.

end example

Exercise 3: Share Folders in a Workgroup by Using Simple File Sharing

start example
  1. Log on to Windows XP using an account with administrator privileges.

  2. From the Start menu, select My Documents.

  3. In My Documents, from the File menu, point to New and then select Folder.

  4. Type Documents for Network as the name of the folder and then press Enter.

  5. Right-click the new folder, and select Sharing And Security.

  6. In the Documents For Network Properties dialog box, on the Sharing tab, in the Network Sharing And Security section, select the Share This Folder On The Network check box. Also select the Allow Network Users To Change My Files check box and then click OK.

  7. If you see a Sharing message box, click Yes.

end example

Lesson Review

The following question is intended to reinforce key information presented in this lesson. If you are unable to answer the question, review the lesson materials and try the question again. You can find answers to the question in the “Questions and Answers” section at the end of this chapter.

  1. You receive a call from a user who manages a small business network. The business has 10 computers on a network, all running Windows XP Professional and all members of the same workgroup. One of the computers has several folders on it that the manager shares on the network, but there are certain folders that the manager does not want anyone else to access—not even other users on the same computer. The manager right-clicks the folder and selects Properties. You ask her to switch to the Sharing tab and select the Make This Folder Private check box. She says the option is there, but she cannot select it. The option is dimmed. What is the likely problem?

Lesson Summary

  • Simple File Sharing is a simplified sharing model that allows users to easily share folders and files with other local users on the same computer or with users in a workgroup without having to worry about configuring NTFS permissions and standard shared folders.

  • Windows XP Home Edition supports only Simple File Sharing. Windows XP Professional supports Simple File Sharing in a workgroup setting, but not when a computer is a member of a domain.

  • By using Simple File Sharing, you can share folders and files with other local users on the same computer by placing the folders and files in the Shared Documents folder. You can share folders with network users using the Sharing tab of a folder’s Properties dialog box.

  • On volumes that are formatted with NTFS, you can also make folders private, which prevents access by other users on the same computer and users on the network.




MCDST Self-Paced Training Exam 70-271(c) Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Micro[... ]ystem
MCDST Self-Paced Training Exam 70-271(c) Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Micro[... ]ystem
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 195

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