Unable to access Program Files or Windows folder on networked (home) PC's

I have a home network with several computers. File sharing is enabled. I'm unable to access the Program Files folder or the Windows folder on any other host. I'm sure that Microsoft has security policies in place to prevent tampering with these folders. My curiousity tells me there must be some way to change the attributes of these folders to allow access across the network.
Ideas and suggestions?
tgt

 

If you are running XP-pro and turn off simple file sharing, you can easily do what you speak of. XP-home or XP-pro with simple file sharing enabled and you need to use Steve's work-around.

If you do have Pro and do want details, post back.

 

I wouldnt recommend sharing the Windows or Program Files folders, or any of the folders in Documents and Settings. Doing this apart from being tricky to set up because they are treated as special system foldes by Windows, can cause other problems. That and if somebody makes a mistake in these folders or deletes the wrong things there, you may lose Windows.

If you wish to share My Documents in Documents and Settings, it is best to move the default My Docs folder to C:\My Documents first and if possible put any other data that has to be shared in a folder on C:\ also, but not inside any of the folders spoken at the start of this reply. Most program will allow you to open data from another locations and/or point the program to a new location for its data. You can also re-install the program and dont install it into Program Files when asked. Put it somewhere like c:\Appname.


So i am suggesting you shouldnt share folders like Prgram Files or Windows ,and none of the subfolders in them, or share folders in the profiles area c:\documents and settings. You should move the data you wish to share to a safer and easily found location under c:\ as long as the program that creates the data allows you to open data from anywhere or lets you change its data path in it's Options.

Hope this helps and more advice on carrying out these type of changes, like data moving can be given if you tell me what data you are trying to share that is in these folders. Mor einfo about what you want to share i mean.