How to manage Data sharing in Window XP?

Turning on and turning off Simple File Sharing

Note Windows XP Home Edition-based computers always have Simple File Sharing enabled.

By default, the Simple File Sharing UI is turned on in Windows XP Professional-based computers that are joined to a workgroup. Windows XP Professional-based computers that are joined to a domain use only the classic file sharing and security interface. When you use the Simple File Sharing UI (that is located in the folder's properties), both share and file permissions are configured.

If you turn off Simple File Sharing, you have more control over the permissions to individual users. However, you must have advanced knowledge of NTFS and share permissions to help keep your folders and files more secure. If you turn off Simple File Sharing, the Shared Documents feature is not turned off. 

To turn Simple File Sharing on or off in Windows XP Professional, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer on the desktop.
   
   
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
   
   
3. Click the View tab, and then select the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box to turn on Simple File Sharing. (Clear this check box to turn off this feature.)
   
   

Managing levels of access to shares and to files

You can use Simple File Sharing to configure five levels of access to shares and files:

• Level 1: My Documents (Private)
• Level 2: My Documents (Default)
• Level 3: Files in shared documents available to local users
• Level 4: Shared Files on the Network (Readable by Everyone)
• Level 5: Shared Files on the Network (Readable and Writable by Everyone)

Notes

• By default, files that are stored in "My Documents" are at Level 2.
• Levels 1, 2, and 3 folders are available only to a user who is logging on locally. Users who log on locally include a user who logs on to a Windows XP Professional-based computer from a Remote Desktop (RDP) session.
• Levels 4 and 5 folders are available to users who log on locally and remote users from the network.

The following table describes the permissions:

Access Level	Everyone (NTFS/File)	Owner	System	Administrators	Everyone (Share)
Level 1	Not available	Full Control	Full Control	Not available	Not available
Level 2	Not available	Full Control	Full Control	Full Control	Not available
Level 3	Read	Full Control	Full Control	Full Control	Not available
Level 4	Read	Full Control	Full Control	Full Control	Read
Level 5	Change	Full Control	Full Control	Full Control	Full Control

Level 1: My Documents (Private)

Level 2 (Default): My Documents (Default)

Level 3: Files in shared documents available to local users

Level 4: Shared on the Network (Read-Only)

Level 5: Shared on the network (Read and Write)

All the levels that this article describes are mutually exclusive. Private folders (Level 1) cannot be shared unless they are no longer private. Shared folders (Level 4 and 5) cannot be made private until they are unshared. 

If you create a folder in the Shared Documents folder (Level 3), share it on the network, and then allow network users to change your files (Level 5), the permissions for Level 5 are effective for the folder, the files in that folder, and the subfolders. The other files and folders in the Shared Documents folder remain configured at Level 3. 

Note The only exception is if you have a folder (SampleSubFolder) that is shared at Level 4 inside a folder (SampleFolder) that is shared at Level 5. Remote users have the correct access level to each shared folder. Locally logged-on users have writable (Level 5) permissions to the parent (SampleFolder) and child (SampleSubFolder) folders. 

Note If you are not comfortable with the information that is presented in this section, ask someone for help or contact support. For information about how to contact support, visit the Microsoft Help and Support contact information Web site: 

Contact Us

Guidelines

We recommend that you only share folders on the network that remote users on other computers must access. We recommend that you do not share the root of the system drive. When you do this, your computer is more vulnerable to malicious remote users. The Sharing tab of the drive's Properties dialog box contains a warning when you try to share a root folder (for example, C:\). To continue, you must click the If you understand the risk but still want to share the root of the drive, click here link. Only computer administrators can share the root of the drive.

Files on a read-only device such as a CD-ROM shared at Level 4 or 5 are available only if the CD-ROM is in the CD drive. Any CD-ROM that is in the CD drive is available to all users on the network. 

A file's permission may differ from the parent folder if one of the following conditions is true:

• You use the move command at a command prompt to move a file into the folder from a folder on the same drive that has different permissions.
• You use a script to move the file into the folder from a folder on the same drive that has different permissions.
• You run Cacls.exe at a command prompt or a script to change file permissions.
• Files existed on the hard disk before you installed Windows XP.
• You changed a file's permissions while Simple File Sharing was turned off on Windows XP Professional.

Note NTFS permissions are not maintained on file move operations when you use Windows Explorer with Simple File Sharing turned on. 

If you turn on and turn off Simple File Sharing, the permissions on files are not changed. The NTFS and share permissions do not change until you change the permissions in the interface. If you set the permissions with Simple File Sharing enabled, only Access Control Entries (ACEs) on files that are used for Simple File Sharing are affected. The following ACEs in the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) of the files or folders are affected by the Simple File Sharing interface:

• Owner
• Administrators
• Everyone
• System

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