Cannot share system folder

[prawindra]

Hi -
I set, on a Win XP Home computer, the complete C drive to
be shared (by an XP Pro Computer in the home network). This
works ok for most folders - but the folder PROGRAMME (this
is a German installation) does not permit ticking the boxes
which would permit sharing - it says it does so because
PROGRAMME is a system folder. However, the parent root
directory IS effectively shared.
How could I remedy this condition?
Please send answers also to the following e-mail-address:
prawindra at web.de (replace "at" and spaces with the @
sign).

 

[Ron Lowe]

Hi -
I set, on a Win XP Home computer, the complete C drive to
be shared (by an XP Pro Computer in the home network). This
works ok for most folders - but the folder PROGRAMME (this
is a German installation) does not permit ticking the boxes
which would permit sharing - it says it does so because
PROGRAMME is a system folder. However, the parent root
directory IS effectively shared.
How could I remedy this condition?
Please send answers also to the following e-mail-address:
prawindra at web.de (replace "at" and spaces with the @
sign).

This is the designed behaviour.

When you share a whole disk ( not reccomended );
which is formatted in NTFS;
on an XP system which has Simple File Sharing enabled,
it will use the NTFS permissions to block shared acess to certain folders.

In XP home, Simple File Sharing is enabled all the time.
And it 'shields' you from the big bad NTFS permissions ( security tab. )
So you can't change it.

If you come across an XP Home machine that does not block access
to these folders is most likely that the disk is FAT32, not NTFS.
FAT32 does not support file and folder permissions, so this
'feature' does not occour.

Possible workarounds?

1) You can share any individual sub-folders of the blocked folders.

2) You could try booting to safe mode, and from there gain access to the
NTFS permissions ( security tab ), and re-set them.
( initially, let the 'everyone' group have 'change' access. )
This would probably remain in force untill you let the Simple File
Sharing UI stomp all over the permissions again.( I've not tried this. )

3) You can re-format the machine to FAT32 ( backwards step. )

4) You can upgrade to XP Pro, and disable Simple File Sharing.
You then have full control of both Share and NTFS permissions.