Sharing Root of C drive on XP Pro

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mister Moe
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Mister Moe

Hello. I have taken great pains to build a network
between one XP computer and 2 Windows 98 machines. They
are connected via a hardwired router operating at 100
megabits using CAT5 cables. I have succeeded in
configuring my network to the point where all the
computers can see and communicate with each other except
for one glitch. The Windows 98 machines both allow me to
share the entire C drive, including the Windows, System,
and Program Files directories. When I try to share
Program Files, Windows, etc., from the XP machine to the
98's it says Access Denied on the 98 computers. Upon
some research I have learned sharing those files is
disabled because they are used by the system. I am
however, almost certain there is a way to manually
override this precaution and forcible share my entire C
drive over my network. Any thoughts?
 
"Mister Moe" said:
Hello. I have taken great pains to build a network
between one XP computer and 2 Windows 98 machines. They
are connected via a hardwired router operating at 100
megabits using CAT5 cables. I have succeeded in
configuring my network to the point where all the
computers can see and communicate with each other except
for one glitch. The Windows 98 machines both allow me to
share the entire C drive, including the Windows, System,
and Program Files directories. When I try to share
Program Files, Windows, etc., from the XP machine to the
98's it says Access Denied on the 98 computers. Upon
some research I have learned sharing those files is
disabled because they are used by the system. I am
however, almost certain there is a way to manually
override this precaution and forcible share my entire C
drive over my network. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but that's how Windows XP works when it's installed on an
NTFS disk partition using "Simple File Sharing". It doesn't allow
sharing the Documents and Settings, Program Files, or Windows folders.
I don't know why Microsoft designed it that way.

You can share subfolders within those folders, e.g. you can share
"C:\Program Files\Outlook Express" and access that folder from another
computer on the network.

If you have Windows XP Professional, you can permanently disable
Simple File Sharing, which removes those sharing restrictions:

1. Open My Computer and click Tools | Folder Options | View.
2. Scroll to the end of the advanced settings.
3. Un-check "Use simple file sharing (recommended).

If you have Windows XP Home Edition, there's no easy solution. The
safest thing is to share individual subfolders, as mentioned above.

You can re-install the operating system on a FAT or FAT32 disk
partition -- those disk formats don't have any sharing restrictions.
However, that would lose the benefits of NTFS, which is more reliable
and efficient and can use larger disks. You'd also need to re-install
all of your applications.

I've heard of two possible solutions for XP Home Edition on an NTFS
disk partition. Before I give them, I want to emphasize that:

1. They're un-supported, un-documented, and un-tested.

2. There's no guarantee that they'll work.

3. They might cause data loss or corruption.

4. Microsoft and your computer manufacturer probably won't offer
technical support if they cause problems.

5. Don't blame me if they cause problems. I warned you.

If you want to try them, at your own risk:

1. Back up all of your important data first so that you can restore it
in case of problems.

2. Run System Restore to create a restore point that you can go back
to in case of problems.

OK. With those danger signs flashing and alarm bells ringing, here
they are:

1. Start Windows XP in "Safe Mode with Networking" (which temporarily
disables "Simple File Sharing"), share the desired folder(s), set the
permissions, and reboot normally, or:

2. Follow the procedure shown here:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_home_sectab.htm
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
Thank you so much for your assistance. I can now share
everything just fine as I do use XP Pro. However,
whenever I try to access even just the computer name
itself from my 98 machines, it asks for a password. I
have tried everything I can think of, including
specifying one of my XP Pro user accounts as the login
name and using the accompanying password. THoughts?
-----Original Message-----
Click to expand...
 
"Mister Moe" said:
Thank you so much for your assistance. I can now share
everything just fine as I do use XP Pro. However,
whenever I try to access even just the computer name
itself from my 98 machines, it asks for a password. I
have tried everything I can think of, including
specifying one of my XP Pro user accounts as the login
name and using the accompanying password. THoughts?
Click to expand...

Is it asking for the IPC$ password? If so, Windows XP is trying to
validate the user name that wants to access its shared files. The
solution is to create a user account on the Windows XP machine with
the same user name and password that you use to log onto Windows 98.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
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