confused about sharing

In article . com,
"Anthona" wrote:
I have 2 computers with XP home thru a wan router connection. They see
each other and I can share some files ( not all )....IE..I can't share
my documents nor program files within that folder. I highlite it and
clik on the menu that appears, "Sharing and security". When I go there,
a box appears again and most if not all boxes are cleared and greyed.
It does say that it has to dragged to a shared folder. I don't get it.
Could someone clarify this for me? Thanks

That's how Windows XP works, by default, when it's installed on an
NTFS disk partition. It blocks access to the Program Files and
Windows folders and to individual users' folders within Documents and
Settings.

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

If you had Windows XP Professional, you could disable simple file
sharing, which would remove those sharing restrictions.

Since you have Windows XP Home Edition, that option isn't available
The safest thing is to share individual subfolders, as mentioned
above, or to move files into the Shared Documents folder, which is
accessible over the network.

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, but:

1. They're un-supported, un-documented, and un-tested by Microsoft.
2. There's no guarantee that they'll work.
3. They might cause data loss or corruption.

I haven't tried them, and I don't know whether they're safe. If you
want to try them, at your own risk:

1. Back up 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.

Here they a

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 he

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_home_sectab.htm

There's no problem with NTFS on one computer and FAT32 on another.
The computers can share files with each other regardless of what file
system either one uses.

With the above statement in mind, then would I need to attempt the
suggestion you offered that you couldn't guarantee? My laptop is the
one that came with NTFS, which is not used that often except on trips
and now because of wanting to move files.

I don't recommend attempting the two un-supported solutions. I just
mentioned them for completeness.

I don't know why you'd want to share the Program Files folder at all.
If you want to share documents that are stored on the desktop
computer, put them in the Shared Documents folder, not the My
Documents folder.
--
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 - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm