Share Program Files

In article <00f001c34a2e$23825180$a401280a@phx.gbl>, "John"
<support@donrobertojewelers.com> wrote:

>Is there any way to access the Program Files folder
>(and/or its sub-folders) from another workstation in the
>Windows XP workgroup?
>
>We use a vertical application (Point of Sale) that stores
>its updates in a sub-folder of c:\Program Files\ on the
>primary XP computer. The secondary XP computers compare
>the files in this share to its own files, and update its
>files if they are different. We have quite a few retail
>locations and will jump through hoops to make this work.

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.

Another possible solution is to start up in "Safe Mode with
Networking" (which temporarily disables "Simple File Sharing"), share
the desired folder(s), set the necessary permissions, and reboot
normally. However, this is an "unsupported" configuration, which
means that:

1. It's not documented.

2. Microsoft doesn't recommend doing it and hasn't tested it.

3. Microsoft and your computer manufacturer probably won't offer
technical support if it causes problems.

4. While it seems to work OK in my own limited testing, I can't
guarantee that it won't cause problems.

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

1. Back up all of your important data (to another computer, Zip drive,
CD-R, etc) 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.

3. Start XP Home in "Safe Mode with Networking" as shown here:

A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;315222

4. Right click the desired folder, click Sharing and Security, and
share the folder.

5. Click the Permissions button to specify network access permissions,
and click the Security tab to specify NTFS file system permissions. A
user needs both types of permission in order to access the share. For
details of how to set permissions, see this web site:

Windows XP Professional File Sharing
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/...ring/index.htm
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

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