Create A Hidden Share In Vista

When you create a shared folder it is visible to all other users. In other words, when a user browses the network in Windows Vista, they will be able to see that you have a shared folder created on your computer. Here is a quick and easy way of making a folder hidden so user will not be able to see it when they browse the network.

1. Right click the folder in Windows Explorer and click Properties.
2. Click the Sharing tab.
3. Click the Advanced Sharing button.
4. Click the Share this folder option.
5. Type in a name for the shared folder. Append a “$” character to the end of the share name.
6. Click OK.

By appending a dollar sign to the end of the share name, you create a hidden share. In other words, the folder is accessible to users on the network if they know it exists. It will not be visible when users browse the network. To access the folder, users have to type in the path and the share name. For example, \\MyComputer\SharedFolder$. If you omit the dollar sign character at the end of the share name when typing in the path, the resource will not be found.

[tags]share folder, windows vista, vista help[/tags]