Windows XP Professional supports two types of file sharing: simple and advanced. Simple file sharing works just like it does in Windows XP Home Edition. You have only two choices to make:

•Whether you share a folder on the network
•Whether users can change files in the shared folder

If you choose to deny users permission to change files, Windows XP Professional gives everyone Read access to the share. Otherwise, the operating system gives everyone Full Control of the share.

To Share a Folder Using Simple File Sharing

1.Create the folder you want to share. I like to create shared folders either in My Documents or on the desktop to keep them from hiding.

2.Right–click the folder and then click Sharing and Security. The Sharing tab of the Properties dialog box for the folder opens, as shown in Figure 1.

3.Click the Share this folder on the network check box. This makes the folder visible on the network.

4.Click the Allow network users to change my files check box if you want network users, including yourself, to be able to modify your stuff on the network.

Get Advanced

Simple file sharing is suitable for a family–oriented network or when your needs are straightforward. However, a home business won't get away with simple file sharing for long, particularly one with multiple users that requires secure documents.

In my case, I use my network for a mix of business and pleasure. I allow friends to use my network when they are visiting. And I have temporary employees whose access I want to restrict to certain parts of my network. That's why I switched to advanced file sharing and recommend that you do too, if your business shares these requirements.

To Turn on Advanced File Sharing

1.In Windows Explorer, click Tools, then click Folder Options.

2.On the View tab, in the Advanced Settings area, click to clear the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box.

http://www.microsoft.com/ windowsxp/using/networking/exp ert/honeycutt_august13.mspx

Answered by Reeta K , an ibibo Master, at 8:18 PM on August 28, 2008

I. Configure your computer for file sharing

You will only need to configure your computer for file sharing once. If the option for file sharing is already set up on your computer or if you wish to set up another shared folder on your computer, continue to the instructions to II. Disable Administrative Shares to check that file sharing is correctly set up on your computer.

1. Go to the Control Panel.
* In Windows 2000, click on the Start button and then select Settings > Control Panel.
* In Windows XP Pro, click on Start and then select the Control Panel.
2. Double-click on the Network Dial-Up Connections or the Network Connections icon. In Windows XP, if you do not see this icon, click on Switch to Classic View located on the left side of the window to see all Control Panel options.
3. In the new window that appears, right-click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties from the menu.

Local Area Connection Properties window
Note: The content of the Local Area Connection Properties window is the same for both Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro.

4. In the Local Area Connection Properties window, check that the General tab is selected. Under the This connection uses the following items: or the Components checked are used by this connection section, check that File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks is listed and make sure that its checkbox is checked. If it is listed, the computer is already configured for file sharing; click Cancel and skip to the next section - II. Disable administrative shares. If it is not listed, then:
* Click the Install button.
* Click once on Service to select that option.
* Click Add.
* Click once on File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks to select it and then click OK.
* Click Close.
* If the computer asks to restart, click No. You will restart your computer in the next step. Proceed to II. Disable administrative shares.

II. Disable Administrative shares

By default, administrative shares are automatically set up on Windows 2000 and XP Professional computers once file sharing is enabled. These are set up as "hidden" shares that share out your entire hard drive(s), your printers, and your Windows system folder, etc., and which can be accessed using the Administrator password. You may identify most of these shares by the $ sign at the end of the shared folder's name, for example: C$, ADMIN$, FAX$, PRINT$, NETLOGON. To keep your computer as secure as possible from viruses and other computer attacks, you should disable these administrative shares and make sure your Administrator account has a strong password.

To disable administrative shares, follow the instructions below:

1. Right-click on the following link: StopAutoShares.
2. Select Save Target as.
3. In the Save As window, select the Desktop as the location to save the file and then click Save.
4. On the desktop, double-click on StopAutoShares.reg (may appear without the .reg).
5. Click Yes to add this information to the registry and then click OK.
6. Restart your computer by clicking on the Start button and choosing Shut Down. In the window that appears, either click on Restart or make sure the Restart is selected and then click OK.
7. After the computer has restarted, log in with the same account and proceed to step III. Disable Simple File Sharing on Windows XP Pro.

III. Disable Simple File Sharing on Windows XP Pro

If you have Windows XP Pro, follow these instructions to enable password-protected file sharing. If Simple File Sharing is not disabled, shared folders will not be password-protected - this will allow any users and network viruses easy access into your computer. If you have already disabled this feature on your computer, skip to the next section.

1. Click on the Start button, then select the Control Panel.

Answered by Sharad Singh , an ibibo Master, at 6:44 PM on August 28, 2008

Simple File Sharing (SFS) is always enabled and cannot be disabled in Windows XP Home Edition by default. In Windows XP Professional edition you can enable/disable it. Here are the steps:

Double click 'My computer'. On the upper tool bar, click 'Tools' and then 'Folder Options'. Choose 'View' tab. You can see 'Use simple file sharing' option as a last entry in this option page. Scroll down to it and put check/tick mark besides 'Use simple file sharing' option box. (If you want to remove it later, just uncheck the tick mark). Click 'Apply' and then 'OK' to continue. No system restart is required for this option to take effect. That's it.

Simple file sharing lets you share folders with everyone on your workgroup/network and make folders in your user profile private. But remember, you can't prevent specific groups/users from accessing your shared folders when this option is ON. You need to disable it in order to set folder permissions for specific users and groups.

Answered by A.R. , an ibibo Master, at 6:40 PM on August 22, 2008

Windows XP Professional supports two types of file sharing: simple and advanced. Simple file sharing works just like it does in Windows XP Home Edition. You have only two choices to make:

•Whether you share a folder on the network
•Whether users can change files in the shared folder

If you choose to deny users permission to change files, Windows XP Professional gives everyone Read access to the share. Otherwise, the operating system gives everyone Full Control of the share.

To Share a Folder Using Simple File Sharing

1.Create the folder you want to share. I like to create shared folders either in My Documents or on the desktop to keep them from hiding.

2.Right–click the folder and then click Sharing and Security. The Sharing tab of the Properties dialog box for the folder opens, as shown in Figure 1.

3.Click the Share this folder on the network check box. This makes the folder visible on the network.

4.Click the Allow network users to change my files check box if you want network users, including yourself, to be able to modify your stuff on the network.

Get Advanced

Simple file sharing is suitable for a family–oriented network or when your needs are straightforward. However, a home business won't get away with simple file sharing for long, particularly one with multiple users that requires secure documents.

In my case, I use my network for a mix of business and pleasure. I allow friends to use my network when they are visiting. And I have temporary employees whose access I want to restrict to certain parts of my network. That's why I switched to advanced file sharing and recommend that you do too, if your business shares these requirements.

To Turn on Advanced File Sharing

1.In Windows Explorer, click Tools, then click Folder Options.

2.On the View tab, in the Advanced Settings area, click to clear the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box.

For more visit :

http://www.microsoft.com/ windowsxp/using/networking/exp ert/honeycutt_august13.mspx

Answered by Ashish Yadav , an ibibo Wizard, at 6:31 PM on August 22, 2008

You can setup simple file sharing winxp as-
Simple File Sharing is always turned on in Windows XP Home Edition-based computers. By default, the Simple File Sharing UI is turned on in Windows XP Professional-based computers that are joined to a workgroup. Windows XP Professional-based computers that are joined to a domain use only the classic file sharing and security interface. When you use the Simple File Sharing UI (that is located in the folder's properties), both share and file permissions are configured.

To turn Simple File Sharing on in Windows XP Professional, follow these steps:
1. Double-click My Computer on the desktop.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab, and then select the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box to turn on Simple File Sharing. (Clear this check box to turn off this feature.)
To view a video about how to turn Simple File Sharing on or off, click the Play button (Play button) on the following Windows Media Player viewer:

http://support.micr osoft.com/servicedesks/ShowMeH ow/304040.asx

These thing given in steped as-
1. Open My Computer from the Start Menu or Windows XP Desktop. A new My Computer window will appear.
2. Open the Tools menu and choose the "Folder Options..." option from this menu. A new Folder Options window will appear.
3. Click on the View tab and locate the "Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended)" checkbox in the list of Advanced Settings.
4. To enable Simple File Sharing, ensure this checkbox is checked. To disable Simple File Sharing, ensure this checkbox is not checked. Click inside the checkbox to alternately enable and disable the option.
5. Click OK to close the Folder Options window. The settings for Simple File Sharing are now updated; no computer reboot is required.

Answered by Nagendra , an ibibo Master, at 6:23 PM on August 22, 2008

hello zaidahemad,
Choose the Sharing Tab
Double check that the "make this folder private" option is not checked
Click ok and close the properties window and now drag the folder you would liek to share to the "Shared Documents" folder located on the left hand menu.

Now right click on the Shared Files folder and select properties, choose the sharing tab
Check the box beisde the dialog "Share this folder on the network"
Click Apply
Now all computer connected to your workgroup or domian can access the folder, that you wanted to share.

Now for confirmation there should be a little hand holding your folder, you are sharing.

this is taken from source www.selfseo.com

Answered by Venkata , an ibibo Specialist, at 6:21 PM on August 22, 2008

Simple File Sharing is a feature introduced in Microsoft Windows XP. Simple File Sharing removes some file sharing security options available in other versions of Windows. This helps Windows XP administrators quickly set up folder shares.

Simple File Sharing (SFS) is always enabled and cannot be disabled in Windows XP Home Edition.

The below step-by-step instructions explain how to enable :

Open My Computer from the Start Menu or Windows XP Desktop. A new My Computer window will appear.
Open the Tools menu and choose the "Folder Options..." option from this menu. A new Folder Options window will appear.
Click on the View tab and locate the "Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended)" checkbox in the list of Advanced Settings.
To enable Simple File Sharing, ensure this checkbox is checked. To disable Simple File Sharing, ensure this checkbox is not checked. Click inside the checkbox to alternately enable and disable the option.
Click OK to close the Folder Options window. The settings for Simple File Sharing are now updated; no computer reboot is required.

Answered by Hem@nt .... , an ibibo Master, at 5:30 PM on August 22, 2008

Well Zaida, Windows XP lets you share a computer's disks and folders with other computers on the network, using a method called Simple File Sharing. And it really is simple. If a disk or folder is shared, everyone on the network can access it. There are no user permissions and no passwords. Because sharing in this way is so wide open, Windows XP tries to protect you from some potential security risks.

Note: Windows XP Professional has a much more powerful way to
control file sharing. For full details, see our article on Windows XP Professional File Sharing.

Right click the disk or folder that you want to share and select Sharing and Security.

The disk or folder that you share, along with all of the folders that it contains, will be accessible by other network users. If you're sharing an entire disk, Windows XP gives a warning.

The implication of the warning is that it's better to share a specific folder, since only that folder (and its subfolders) will be accessible by others, and the rest of the disk will be inaccessible. Click where indicated if you want to go ahead and share the entire disk. This screen doesn't appear if you're sharing a folder.

The first time that you set up sharing, Windows XP displays a warning, urging you to use the Network Setup Wizard for safety. Click where indicated to either run the Wizard or to do it yourself.

What great secret does the Wizard know that XP thinks you don't? The Wizard automatically enables the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) to prevent other Internet users from accessing your shared disks and folders. If you have Service Pack 2 installed, the built-in Windows Firewall should already be running automatically, unless you turned it off.

XP displays another warning. If you want the firewall enabled, select Use the wizard to enable file sharing. Otherwise, select Just enable file sharing.

For more details and screen shots , Please visit the source site :

http://www.practicallynetworke d.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

Answered by Alok Gupta , an ibibo Guru, at 4:56 PM on August 22, 2008

well, Not all that long ago it was unusual to find a computer in a home environment and small offices had one machine that was shared by the staff. Now, multiple computers are common both in the home and office along with portables which connect in any number of ways from docking stations to wireless setups. It's only natural that this proliferation would give rise to the need for sharing files and printers, not only on a single local machine but on a series of networked computers. This page doesn't cover every nuance of Simple File Sharing (SFS), but if you want to share folders, files, and a printer and connect to the Local Area Network (LAN), this should get you started.

Source: http://www.theeldergeek.com/qu ick_guide_to_simple_file_shari ng.htm

Answered by Satya ~ , an ibibo Master, at 4:55 PM on August 22, 2008