How to disable simple file sharing and how to set permissions on a shared folder in Windows XP

This article is intended for people who use a computer that is part of a network or for people who have a single computer that has more than one user account.

By default, simple file sharing is enabled on most Windows XP-based computers. If simple file sharing is enabled, everyone in your workgroup has access to your shared folders. If simple file sharing is disabled, members of your workgroup cannot access your shared folders until you choose to share particular folders or drives with those users or groups that you select.

If simple file sharing is enabled, the simple file sharing user interface is displayed instead of the Security and Sharing tabs. By default, this new user interface is implemented in both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional if you are working in a workgroup. If you disable simple file sharing, the classic Security and Sharing tabs appear, and you can specify which users and groups have access to shared folders on your computer.

Note You cannot disable simple file sharing in Windows XP Home Edition.

To have us disable simple file sharing for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you would rather do this yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me

To disable simple file sharing, click the following Fix this problem link. In the File Download dialog box that appears, click Run, and then follow the steps in this wizard.

Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50053

Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD, and then you can run it on the computer that has the problem.

Did this fix the problem?

• Check whether the problem is fixed. If it is not fixed, you can contact support.
• We would appreciate your feedback. To provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution, please leave a comment in the "Fix it for me" blog (http://blogs.technet.com/fixit4me/) . Or, send us an e-mail (mailto:fixit4me@microsoft.com?Subject=KB307874 - Disable simple file sharing fix) message.

Let me fix it myself

To disable simple file sharing yourself, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. In the Advanced Settings section, click to clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
5. Click OK.

Did this fix the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If it is not fixed, you can contact support.

To share a folder or a drive with specific users or groups

Note To share folders and drives, you must be logged on as a member of one of the following groups:

• Administrators
• Server Operators
• Power Users

To share a folder or a drive with specific users or groups, follow these steps:

1. Right-click Start, click Explore, and then locate the folder or drive that you want to share.
2. Right-click the folder or drive, and then click Sharing and Security.
3. On the Sharing tab, click Share this folder.
   
   Notes
   • If the folder is already shared, click New Share, and then type the new share name.
   • If the Sharing tab is not visible, see the "Troubleshooting" section.
4. To change the share name of the shared folder or drive, type a new name in the Share name box. Other users see the new share name when they connect to this shared folder or drive. The actual name of the folder or drive does not change.
   
   Note To hide the shared folder, type $ as the last character of the share name. When you do this, other users cannot see this shared folder when they search by using My Computer or Windows Explorer. However, they can still navigate to the shared folder.
5. To add a comment about the shared folder or drive, type the text in the Comment box.
6. To limit the number of people who can connect to the shared folder or drive at the same time, click Allow this number of users under User limit, and then select or type the number of users.
   
   Note In Windows XP Professional, the number of users is limited to 10 or fewer.
7. To set share permissions on the shared folder or drive, click Permissions. Click Add or Remove to add or remove groups or users, and then select the check boxes to allow or deny permissions for the users or groups.
8. To configure settings for offline access, click Caching.
9. Click OK.

Note To allow specific users to access the shared folder after simple file sharing is disabled, you should configure both the NTFS permissions on the Security tab and the share permissions on the Sharing tab of the shared folder. NTFS permissions can be set on a partition only by using the NTFS file system. If you remove Every Group from the NTFS permissions, you cannot access the shared folder over the network.

To manage all shared folders from one location

This method is intended for advanced computer users. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, you might want to ask someone whom you know for help, or contact Support. For information about how to do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site: You can use the Shared Folders snap-in to work with your shared folders. This snap-in lets you create and manage shared folders, view a list of all the users who are connected to a shared folder over a network, disconnect one of or all the users, view a list of files that are opened by remote users, and close one of or all the open files. To start the Shared Folders snap-in, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then right-click My Computer.
2. Click Manage, and then click Shared Folders under System Tools.

Troubleshooting

If the Sharing tab is not visible

Use the Services snap-in to start the Server service. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services.
   
   Note If Control Panel opens in Classic View, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Services.
3. Right-click the Server service, and then click Start.

If none of these methods helped you, you may want to ask someone whom you know for help, or you may want to contact your Internet service provider (ISP) or network administrator for help. You can also use the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find other solutions to your problem. Some services that the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site provides include the following:

• Searchable Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1) : Search technical support information and self-help tools for Microsoft products.
• Solution Centers (http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub) : View product-specific frequently asked questions (FAQs) and support highlights.
• Microsoft Customer Support Newsgroups (http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx) : Contact counterparts, peers, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs).
• Other Support Options (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=csshome) : Use the Web to ask a question, to contact Microsoft Customer Support Services, or to provide feedback.

If you continue to have problems after you use these Microsoft Web sites, or if you cannot find a solution to the problem on the Microsoft Support Services Web site, click the following link to contact Support.