Share a folder in Windows XP

  1. Open your Winodws Explorer
  2. Browse to the folder you want to share.
  3. Right-click on the folder and choose 'Sharing and Security'.

    Menu Sharing and Security

  4. The window 'Properties opens and the tab 'Sharing' is visible. If this is the first time you want to share a folder then you need to click on the warning 'If you understand the security risks but want to share files without running the wizard, click here.'


    Window Sharing and Security

  5. After clicking on this warning you need to confirm this action. Select 'Just enable file sharing' and click on OK.

    Window Warning Enable File Sharing

  6. The tab 'Sharing' is displayed again with additional options. Check the option 'Share this folder on the network'. Enter a name in the text field 'Share name' and finally check the option 'Allow network users to change my files'.

    Share This folder on the network

  7. You successfully shared your folder on the network:

    Sharing and Security Finish

  8. Click on 'OK' to close this window.
    You see in your Explorer that this folder is now shared:

    Explorer with shared folder

  9. If you want to access this shared folder from another computer then you type in the address bar of Windows Explorer or in a search window

    \\[Name of computer\[Name of share]

    In our example let's name the computer 'Mars' and our named share is 'Outlook'. Then you need to address the share with the following line:

    \\Mars\Outlook

  10. It's a good advice to create your users on all your computers with the same name and password. This way you can access easily the files on the other computer.