Is it possible to share out a drive in its entirey within Windows XP Pro?

[ishtarbgl]

I have a very simply network. A router with two machines running windows xp
pro. Using simple file sharing I have shared each C drive on each machine.
However, there are certain folders such as users' profiles that I cannot get
to. Is there an easy way via Windows XP Pro to simply share a drive and
everything on it?

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I have a very simply network. A router with two machines running windows xp
pro. Using simple file sharing I have shared each C drive on each machine.
However, there are certain folders such as users' profiles that I cannot get
to. Is there an easy way via Windows XP Pro to simply share a drive and
everything on it?

Not very easy, because you would have to change access rights
everywhere, for every file and folder. You'd have to add the
rights for the user who wants to access (or for Everyone), and
you may want to do this in a way that leaves the possibility to
undo this system-wide change.

If you really want that, I would propose to create a new group
and add this to all folders and files, then add the users to
that group who should be allowed access. This would allow you
later to remove this group from the entire system again.

There is no guarantee that the system won't change or create new
objects that don't have your desired rights, so you might have
to repeat the procedure.

What do you want to achieve? The request is a bit unusual.
Normally the access rights are set sensibly, particularly inside
the operating system itself.

Hans-Georg

 

[ishtarbgl]

Thanks for the reply Hans-Georg. I was hoping to achieve an easy solution
that would simply grant rights over everything on a single drive. This
would allow me to navigate through the drive and not have to worry about
getting stuck somewhere. So if I want into someone's profile I can get
there. If it want into windows\system I can get there. Just those types of
things. I know there are more elegant ways of accomplishing this but I was
hoping for a sledge-hammer approach if that makes sense.

Anyway, I think I know partly what you are telling me needs to be done here.
Can I accomplish what you have mention below via simple file sharing?

Thanks again.

 

[Lance]

Mount the hidden drive share using the adminstrator's account by the
'net use' command. See Help and Support for details, but the basic
command would look like:

net use x: \\<compname>\c$ <adminpassword> /user:administrator
/persistent:no

To unmount the drive, use:
net use x: /delete

Lance
*****

ishtarbgl thought carefully and wrote on 9/26/2004 4:48 AM:

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

I have a very simply network. A router with two machines running windows xp
pro. Using simple file sharing I have shared each C drive on each machine.
However, there are certain folders such as users' profiles that I cannot get
to. Is there an easy way via Windows XP Pro to simply share a drive and
everything on it?

With simple file sharing enabled, XP Pro blocks access to the Program
Files and Windows folders and to individual users' folders within
Documents and Settings.

The solution is to disable simple file sharing, which removes those
restrictions and lets you share a drive and everything on it.
--
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

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Thanks for the reply Hans-Georg. I was hoping to achieve an easy solution
that would simply grant rights over everything on a single drive. This
would allow me to navigate through the drive and not have to worry about
getting stuck somewhere. So if I want into someone's profile I can get
there. If it want into windows\system I can get there. Just those types of
things. I know there are more elegant ways of accomplishing this but I was
hoping for a sledge-hammer approach if that makes sense.

Anyway, I think I know partly what you are telling me needs to be done here.
Can I accomplish what you have mention below via simple file sharing?

The easiest way to achieve full access is to log on with the
administrator username and password and use the invisible C$ (or
D$, E$, etc.) share. Not sure about XP Home here, but you could
try to map C$ on another computer, using Windows Explorer,
Tools, connect to a network drive, and see what happens.

Make sure you don't map the drive straightforwardly, but instead
change the user credentials to those of the administrator of the
target computer.

Hans-Georg