What does $ mean

[Guest]

I'm not sure where to post this but my question is what does the dollar sign
mean. I've read a few articles and I saw this ($) as shared. What does the
dollar sign mean.

 

[Ray Costanzo [MVP]]

If you name a share with $ on the end, it's a hidden share. But it's only
that - hidden. It does not offer additional security or anything. If you
"net view" a server, you will not see shares with $ on their names.

Ray at work

 

[Steve Parry [MVP]]

I'm not sure where to post this but my question is what does the
dollar sign mean. I've read a few articles and I saw this ($) as
shared. What does the dollar sign mean.

searching the Windows helpfile for "hidden share" brings

"
Securing shared drives
In Windows 2000, all drives on your computer, such as drive C or D, are
automatically shared using the name drive letter$, such as C$ or D$.
These drives are not shown with the hand icon that indicates sharing in
My Computer or Windows Explorer, and they are also hidden when users
connect to your computer remotely.

However, any user can gain access to your computer over a network or the
Internet if the user knows your computer name, and the user name and
password of a user who is a member of the Administrators, Backup
Operators, or Server Operators group. A user who gains access to your
drive over the network or Internet can view all folders and files on
that drive, even those that are protected using NTFS permissions,
provided the NTFS permissions allow access to members of the
Administrators, Backup Operators, or Server Operators group.

To keep your drives secure, you should:

Create a difficult password for the Administrator account. Many people
leave this password blank, which leaves the computer vulnerable to
security breaches because any user can log on as the Administrator using
a blank password. It is also a good idea to rename the Administrator
account using the Local Users and Groups snap-in.

If for some reason you must leave your Administrator password blank, you
can disable sharing by doing one of the following:

Disable the Server service. Disabling this service removes the ability
to share folders on your computer. No user will be able to connect to
any drive or folder on your computer. However, you can still access
shared folders on other computers. When you disable the Server service,
under Startup, be sure to click Manual or Disabled or else the service
will start the next time the computer is restarted.

Uninstall File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks. This option
appears when you view the properties of any connection in Network and
Dial-up Connections. Click the Uninstall button to remove this
component; clearing the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
check box will not work.

Note
To stop sharing a drive temporarily, right-click it, click Sharing, and
then click Do not share this folder. However, keep in mind that Windows
2000 will share the drive again once the computer is restarted.
"

 

[Oli Restorick [MVP]]

A little-known fact about this is that it's actually the client that does
the hiding. The $ sign is just a signal to the client not to show the
drive. So, if you have tools available to enumerate shares on a server, you
can still find out hidden share names.

Oli

 

[Ray Costanzo [MVP]]

Huh. Well, that now explains how those share enumeraters work that I've
come across that show hidden shares. :] Thanks.

Ray at work