To share a folder or drive

Using Shared Folders

1.	Open Computer Management (Local)
2.	In the console tree, click Shares. Where? Computer Management > System Tools > Shared Folders > Shares
3.	On the Action menu, click New File Share.
4.	Follow the steps in Create Shared Folder. You will be prompted to select a folder or drive, type a new share name and description of the shared resource, and set permissions. After you provide this information, click Finish.

Note

•	To open Computer Management, click Start, and then click Control Panel. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
•	You must be a member of the Administrators or Power Users group to use Shared Folders.

Using Windows Explorer

Open Windows Explorer, and then locate the shared folder or drive to which you want to add a new share name.

If you are logged on to a domain, do the following:

1.	Right-click the shared folder or drive, and then click Sharing and Security.
2.	Click Share this folder.
3.	Set any other options that you want, and then click OK.

If you are not logged on to a domain or if you are running Windows XP Home Edition, do the following:

1.	Right-click the shared folder or drive, and then click Properties.
2.	On the Sharing tab, click Share this folder on the network.
3.	Set any other options that you want, and then click OK.

•	To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

Using a command line

Open Command Prompt

Type:

net share sharename=drive:path

Value	Description
net share	Creates, deletes, or displays shared resources.
sharename=drive:path	The network name of the shared resource and the absolute path of its location.

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To open command prompt, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.

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To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

net help share

Top of page

•	You can use Shared Folders to manage shared resources on both local and remote computers. Windows Explorer and the command line allow you to manage shared resources on your local computer only.
•	You can hide the shared resource from users by typing $ as the last character of the shared resource name. Users can map a drive to this shared resource, but they cannot see the shared resource when they browse to it in Windows Explorer or in My Computer, or when they use the net view command on the remote computer. For more information about this command, see Net view
•	You must have the appropriate permissions to complete this procedure.