Sharing a Folder

To enable other network users to access files that reside on your hard drive, you must designate a folder on the drive as a shared folder. Note that you can also share an entire drive, if you so desire. If you share an entire drive, other network users can access all the files and folders on the drive. If you share a folder, network users can access only those files that reside in the folder you share. (If the folder you share contains other folders, network users can access files in those folders, too.)

Warning 

Don't share an entire hard drive, unless you want to grant everyone on the network the freedom to sneak a peek at every file on your hard drive. Instead, you should share just the folder or folders containing the specific documents that you want others to be able to access. For example, if you store all your Word documents in the My Documents folder, you can share your My Documents folder so that other network users can access your Word documents.

Sharing a folder in Windows XP

To share a folder on a Windows XP computer, follow these steps:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

   The My Computer window comes to center stage.

2. Select the folder that you want to share.

   Click the icon for the drive that contains the folder you want to share, and then find the folder itself and click it.

3. Choose the File Sharing and Security command.

   The Properties dialog box for the folder that you want to share appears. Notice that the sharing options are grayed out.

4. Select the Share This Folder on the Network option.

   After you select this option, the rest of the sharing options come alive, as shown in Figure 3-4.

   
   Figure 3-4: The Sharing options come to life when you select the Share This Folder on the Network check box (in Windows XP).

   Tip 

   If you prefer, you can skip Steps 2 through 4. Instead, just right-click the folder you want to share and then choose Sharing and Security from the pop-up menu that appears.

5. Change the share name if you don't like the name that Windows proposes.

   The share name is the name that other network users use to access the shared folder. You can give it any name you want, but the name can be no more than 12 characters long. Uppercase and lowercase letters are treated the same in a share name, so the name My Documents is the same as MY DOCUMENTS.

   Tip 

   Windows proposes a share name for you, based on the actual folder name. If the folder name has 12 or fewer characters, the proposed share name is the same as the folder name. If the folder name is longer than 12 characters, however, Windows abbreviates it. For example, the name Multimedia Files becomes MULTIMEDIA F.

   If the name that Windows chooses doesn't make sense or seems cryptic, you can change the share name to something better. For example, I would probably use MEDIA FILES rather than MULTIMEDIA F.

6. If you want to allow other network users to change the files in this folder, select the Allow Network Users to Change My Files check box.

   If you leave this option deselected, other network users can open your files, but they can't save any changes they make.

7. Click OK.

   The Properties dialog box vanishes, and a hand is added to the icon for the folder to show that the folder is shared.

If you change your mind and decide that you want to stop sharing a folder, double-click the My Computer icon, select the folder or drive that you want to stop sharing, and choose the File Sharing command to summon the Properties dialog box. Deselect the Share This Folder on the Network check box and then click OK.

Sharing a folder in Windows Vista

To share a folder in Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Choose Start Computer.

   The Computer folder comes to center stage.

2. Select the folder that you want to share.

   Click the icon for the drive that contains the folder you want to share, and then find the folder itself and click it.

3. Click the Sharing button on the toolbar.

   The File Sharing dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-5.

   
   Figure 3-5: The File Sharing dialog box (in Windows Vista).

4. Click the arrow in the drop-down list and choose Everyone, and then click Add.

   This action designates that anyone on your network can access the shared folder.

   If you prefer, you can limit access to just certain users. To do so, select each person you want to grant access to and then click Add.

5. Select the level of access you want to grant each user.

   You can choose from three levels of access:

   • Reader: A reader can open files but can't modify or create new files or folders.

   • Contributor: A contributor can add files to the share but can change or delete only her own files.

   • Co-owner: A co-owner has full access to the shared folder. He can create, change, or delete any file in the folder.

6. Click Share.

   The dialog box shown in Figure 3-6 is displayed to confirm that the folder has been shared.

Figure 3-6: The folder has been shared.