Member Avatar for yobobyo

winXP home sp1

i have one folder shared a comp across a home network, full read/write access across the network and from other user accounts. i once decided to make the folder private so other users could not see the files unless logged on as me. now i cant make the folder public like it was before. i initially made it private by going into control panel > user accounts > my account > create password
this created my password and asked it i wanted to make the files private, i checked yes.
now when i go back to remove my password, the folder is still private, no prompt poped up asking me to make the folder public. if i right click on the folder in explorer and go to teh sharing tab, the check box for "make this folder private" is greyed out, i cant change it from here.

any ideas on how to change the sharing settings? :)

see attached image for further explanation.

  • 6 Contributors
  • 7 Replies
  • 196 Views
  • 5 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Bob_180_Bob

Dani AI

Generated

Short diagnosis and context: — the checkbox you clicked originally doesn’t “hide” or encrypt files; it changes NTFS permissions for folders in your user profile so other local/network users can’t read them. That permission stays in place until it’s explicitly changed, so removing your account password won’t flip it back. Also, as and touched on, XP Home uses Simple File Sharing (you can’t turn that off as you can in Pro), and the private checkbox only applies to folders inside your profile and on NTFS volumes. See a plain explanation of these limits. (flylib.com)

Workarounds that actually fix it (in order of least risk to most): easiest and safest is to copy the files you want to share into the Shared Documents area (the All Users Documents/Shared Documents location) and share that folder — no security fiddling required. If you must restore the original folder to public, boot to Safe Mode, log on as the built‑in Administrator, open the folder’s Properties → Security → Advanced → Owner and take ownership, then add the Users/Everyone group and grant reasonable permissions; after that the Sharing tab will let you re‑share. Back up before changing ownership/ACLs. References that show where Shared Documents lives and how to take ownership are here. (superuser.com)

About your new‑account idea: yes, creating a new account and copying the files into that account or into Shared Documents works and is often the simplest route — copy, test while both accounts exist, then remove the old account only after you confirm everything works. Do not delete the old account until you have a verified backup; if any files were encrypted under the old user you will need the original encryption key to read them. Upgrading to XP Pro gives more fine‑grained control, but for XP Home the Safe‑Mode/Administrator ownership fix or using Shared Documents are the standard, low‑risk solutions. (flylib.com)

References: File/Folder privacy & Simple File Sharing explanation (Flylib) — Shared Documents / All Users mapping (Superuser) — Microsoft guidance on taking ownership (see KB references quoted in the Microsoft Q&A thread).

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for qweasd

you are using simple file sharing.. sorry can't help. you need to switch simple file sharing OFF, and work from there. much more secure and reliable - but NTFS required.

Member Avatar for DMR

you need to switch simple file sharing OFF...

Unfortunately, simple file sharing can't be turned off in XP Home; you only have that option in XP Pro. :(

Member Avatar for qweasd

right.. i missed the part where it said winxp home, though he mentioned first i see

then i can't help because i don't use windows xp home edition... it sucks.

Member Avatar for caperjack

right.. i missed the part where it said winxp home, though he mentioned first i see

then i can't help because i don't use windows xp home edition... it sucks.

Iv'e use PRO ,and bought new computer with Home and don't see much differents,at least not enough to pat the extra money for Pro

Member Avatar for yobobyo

thanks for the tips, ill see if I can upgrade to pro in te near future.

do you think it would work if i created a new account, transfered all the files, then deleted the old account?

any down sides to that solution?

Member Avatar for mail2manja

if i go to start button than go to run & i ll type \\server so dn at that stage it shd ask the user id & password

Member Avatar for Bob_180_Bob

Hi and welcome to Daniweb,
I have no idea what you are talking about but you have hijacked a very old thread (Nov 13th, 2004)
Start a new thread if you want help and give a lot of details.

commented: You have NO idea! +0
commented: I have no idea either +1
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.