Resolved How to remove network listings (not Mapped drives)

(Sorry - the title should end with a '?')

First, I'll repeat what I said in the post title; I'm not trying to remove Mapped Network Drives. That's a simple task.

What I'm trying to do is remove old listings from workgroup folders in XP Pro.

If I open My Network Places > Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network then click the name of my (sole) workgroup, I can see the five computers that are up and running at the moment.

Now, if I click on Computer-One, say, its folder opens and I see a list of icons, representing previous accesses I've made to various folders on Computer-One. But almost all of them are months, if not years, old.

How to get rid of these? Right-clicking them gets a menu that doesn't include 'Delete'. It offers a 'Cut' but clicking that just dims the icon's color.

As a footnote I think I know how the listings might have got there to begin with. When setting up a new computer, in Tools > Folder Options > View, I'd leave checked "Automatically search for network folders and printers ". Now I routinely uncheck this option.

However, this doesn't tell me how to remove the old listings. Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks

 

What you're seeing is a list of shared folders. So they're still there and being shared.

Using your example:
Go to computer one and unshare the folder you don’t want displayed.

Sometimes might be hard to find the location of the shared folder.
What’s displayed is the share name given when first shared and not the actual location on hard drive.

There’s another step to find the location.

From computer shares are on (computer one) "“ open a command prompt and type: net share

Actual locations will be displayed.

 

Ephemarial, thanks.
I always use XP's Simple Filesharing. When I patch a new computer into my network I usually do a full share of the entire C folder. Occasionally, if a subfolder is 'stubborn' I do a full share of that folder also.

I'm wondering if I should go back to the networked computers and stop sharing each C drive. Maybe by turning off Simple Filesharing, then rebooting and turning it back on. What do you think? Would that clear those shares?

 

To clear current shares - turn off sharing on C AND turn off sharing on the folders you individually shared.

Then run the "net share" command to check what is left.

If it’s your home network AND everyone has access to all the computers I’d keep simple file sharing on.
It’s easier to maintain and don’t have to worry about setting permissions.

Even ignoring the obvious security issue it’s NEVER a good idea to share the entire drive.
Windows doesn’t like some folders shared – so go with the flow and only share what need to.

Unsharing C will leave any sub folders that were shared individually still shared.

If you turn simple file sharing off – then reapply it - you may run into an access denied problem.
If you do – simply unshare the folder – apply. Then reshare it.

 

Thanks ephemarial. Following those steps seems to have had the desired effect.

Re the method of sharing I've been using, ie, sharing C: in full while allowing other users to "change files ", I've never experienced any security issues. Mind you, I'm the only one using the network, so that's probably not surprising

Also, XP's behavior with respect to sharing is sometimes a little weird (though not up to the super-paranoid level of Vista).

Usually I only need to share C: in full to access all folders on that drive. But now and then the sharing process stalls over some non-threatening folder like 'Grandma's Recipes' and I have to reassure Windows that it's quite OK to share this folder on the network