Turn Off File Sharing in Windows XP

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File sharing is great time saver at home and in the office but you're asking for disaster if you don't disable it on the road. Whenever you log on to the 'net at a hotspot you're joining an open network; but if you're laptop remains configured to allow Simple File Sharing you run the risk that some unscrupulous louse could gain access to your files and folders. I don't want that to happen to me and I'm sure you don't want it to happen to you. So, here's how you can keep all your stuff to yourself.

Closing the File-Sharing Door in XP Pro

If you're running XP Pro you've got available to you a very simple and effective method of disallowing Simple File Sharing. Here's all you need to do:

  1. Choose Start => My Computer => Tools => Folder Options. As if by magic, the Folder Options dialog box will now open.
  2. Click the View tab.
  3. Click Advanced Settings.
  4. Clear the Simple File Sharing check box.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Click OK and the Folder Options dialog box closes.
  7. Close out the My Computer window.

There's a good possibility that you'll want to re-enable Simple File Sharing when you get back to your home or office. Just follow the same steps and, when you get to step 4, put a check mark in the empty box. What could be easier? Okay, Okay, I get the idea...there's a lot of things that're easier.

Shutting Down Simple File-Sharing in XP Home

If I knew then what I know now I'd be looking down my nose at all you XP Home users from my lofty perch atop the XP Pro plateau. But I'm not doing that; am I? No - I'm down here in the XP Home canyon with the rest of you. We who, when presented with the choice between the Pro and Home versions, decided that XP Home should sufficiently meet our needs do not have a global method of disallowing Simple File Sharing available to us. We have to go through our folders or files and use the "Make Private" option on an individual basis. Since I'm a lazy lima bean I've only eliminated Simple File Sharing for a few folders. For each file or folder you want to protect you can perform the following steps:

  1. Right-click the file or folder you want to protect.
  2. Choose Properties.
  3. Click the Sharing tab.
  4. Put a check mark in the Make this Folder Private check box.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. Click OK.

To reverse the process, and make the file or folder open to sharing, just follow the same steps but, in step 4, clear the check mark out of the "Make this Folder Private" check box.