How to connect to others "My Docs" files???

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stephen Porter
  • Start date Start date
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Stephen Porter

I know there is probably a simple answer to this, but I've not been
able to discover it so far.

When trying to set up a simple little peer-to-peer network at home
and at a friends home, I find everything works fine except when I try
to access other users "My Documents" folders via network shares.

I thought that any user with Administrator privileges could access
*any* folders on the network? Yet when I try to access my wife's
"My Documents" folder or--get this--even my OWN "My Documents" folder
on her machine I get an error message saying I don't have rights to
these folders. And they are not password protected. And I *do*
have an account on her machine with Administrator privileges. This
seems to be limited only to user-specific "My Docs" folders, the
"Local Service" folder, the "NetworkService" folder. Both the
"Default User" and "All Users" folders are accessible.

I'm thinking I *must* be missing something on this one.

TIA for any pointers.
 
Stephen said:
I know there is probably a simple answer to this, but I've not been
able to discover it so far.

When trying to set up a simple little peer-to-peer network at home
and at a friends home, I find everything works fine except when I try
to access other users "My Documents" folders via network shares.

I thought that any user with Administrator privileges could access
*any* folders on the network? Yet when I try to access my wife's
"My Documents" folder or--get this--even my OWN "My Documents" folder
on her machine I get an error message saying I don't have rights to
these folders. And they are not password protected. And I *do*
have an account on her machine with Administrator privileges. This
seems to be limited only to user-specific "My Docs" folders, the
"Local Service" folder, the "NetworkService" folder. Both the
"Default User" and "All Users" folders are accessible.

I'm thinking I *must* be missing something on this one.

TIA for any pointers.
Click to expand...

Accessing shared disks and folders on Windows XP is different than
what you're probably used to in Windows 95/98/Me, Stephen. For
example, administrative privileges have no role in accessing Windows
XP shares, and there are no passwords for shares.

By default, Windows XP doesn't allow networked access to the Program
Files or Windows folders or to individual users' "My Documents"
folders within Documents and Settings. 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" or "C:\Documents and
Settings\Username\Desktop" 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 all of 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.

Another possibility is to put documents that you want to access over
the network in the "Shared Documents" folder instead of in "My
Documents".
--
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 Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
Thanks, Steve. Well, that explains it. My wife's computer is XP
Home--I thought it was Pro, and so the option to disable simple file
sharing doesn't appear, so I'll either use the Shared Files folder or
share a sub-folder.






Accessing shared disks and folders on Windows XP is different than
what you're probably used to in Windows 95/98/Me, Stephen. For
example, administrative privileges have no role in accessing Windows
XP shares, and there are no passwords for shares.

By default, Windows XP doesn't allow networked access to the Program
Files or Windows folders or to individual users' "My Documents"
folders within Documents and Settings. 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" or "C:\Documents and
Settings\Username\Desktop" 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 all of 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
Click to expand...

--
 
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