Information Services

File & Print Sharing

Can I share files and printers on ResNet?

Yes, please read the information below about file shares and what is and isn't allowed on the network. Also, please review the Kalamazoo College File Sharing Policy regarding the sharing of copyrighted material on our network.


What is a Network Share?

You can specially mark any folder on your computer's hard disk as 'a share' which can allow other computers on the network to link to it and see its contents. At a remote computer you can see and either read-only or read and write to that share depending on how the share has been set up; it can be used exactly as if it were a local folder or drive on that machine.

Important: Network shares must always be password protected otherwise they immediately open the computer up to virus infection and propagation. Shares without passwords can be accessed by anybody and hence offer no privacy. When assigning a password to a share - make it a long one, say 7 or more characters. There are password cracking programs which can deal swiftly with short passwords.

Windows XP Home Edition does not have the ability to password protect shares, please remove any shares that you have created under Windows XP home, then follow the instructions below to remove the factory set "Shared Documents" folder.


Removing access to the Shared Documents folder in Windows XP

Why do this...

the Shared Documents folder on any Windows XP computer connected to the network is setup so that data can be read, written and deleted by any other computers on the network. This allows other virus uinfected computers to store virus infected files there, or infect documents and programs. Malicious users may damage files and store unwanted data there. These settings have usually been set to ease home networking, however on large networks with many users, like ours, this is not safe or secure.

How do I remove the Shared Documents share from my computer?

Please Note: In Windows XP many system changes require that you be logged into an account with Administrator privileges. In Windows XP Home this is called the Owner account, in Windows XP Professional the Administrator account. However you may have changed the name of the account during/after installation. Make sure you log into this account to change the settings below.

To stop anyone looking at your data in Shared Documents from the network you will need to stop sharing it.

The steps below outline how to stop any access to the data in the Shared Documents folder from the network:

  • From the Start Menu select My Computer
  • Right click Shared Documents and select Sharing and Security...

either the simple or advanced file sharing option will apply to your PC

(Windows XP - simple file sharing)

  • Select the Sharing tab
  • In Network sharing and security remove the tick from Share this folder on the network
  • Click OK
  • Then close the My Computer window

(Windows XP - advanced file sharing)

  • Select the Sharing tab
  • Select Do not share this folder
  • Click OK
  • Close the My Computer window

Here as several additional tip on File sharing:

File Sharing

  • Do not use file sharing unless you have a reason to do so.
  • Share only the specific directory where you have the files to be shared.
  • Avoid sharing the directories containing your operating system or other important files.

Printer Sharing

  • Printers can be shared on the network.
  • Print jobs from other computers will put a burden on the computer with the printer.
  • Sharing your printer will increase your costs for paper and ink.