How To Share a Folder in Windows Vista

Windows Vista in its attempt to make things easier ends up making them complex. Sharing files and folders was a piece of cake in Windows XP and there was no way it could have been made easier. Microsoft decided to include a wizard in Windows Vista to share folders. The wizard adds complexity to the process. Lets find a simpler way to share folders in Windows Vista.

Step 1 : Open Folder Properties

First right click on the folder you would like to share and click on Properties.

Step 2 : Sharing Properties

In the Properties dialog box that opens up, click on the Sharing tab to open sharing properties. In the sharing properties, click on the Advanced Sharing button to open advanced sharing properties. Opening it will require administrative privileges, make sure you are logged in as Administrator.

Step 3 : Share the folder

Tick the “Share this folder” box. In the “Share name” enter the name to be shown on network locations.

Step 4 : Change Permissions

You can change the sharing permissions so that only a select group of people can access this folder. Click on Permissions button to open Permissions dialog box. You can add or remove users or groups and set whether to give them Read/Write permissions or not. Click OK to save the permissions. Also click on OK for sharing permissions dialog box to enable sharing for the folder.

This is an easier way than using the wizard which even sets a messed up share name for the shared folder.