Why Should I Disable Windows Shared Folders?
Shared Folders are folders on your computer that anyone can get to from another computer. Another word for this is file-sharing, yet it is different from peer-to-peer file-sharing programs. Whenever you do not carefully maintain file-sharing on your computer, you risk unintentionally sharing data on your machine with strangers. Shared folders without a password can be exploited to infect your computer with a virus. Shared Folders can also lead to violation of copyright laws, excessive network traffic, and other bad things.
Disabling Shared Folders in Windows Vista
To disable shared folders, open the Start Menu by clicking the Windows Logo, then click on Network.
At the top of this window click on Network and Sharing Center.
Next, click the down arrow to expand the options for File sharing. Select the bubble to Turn off file sharing, then click Apply to save the changes.
Disabling Shared Folders in Windows XP
To disable shared folders, start by opening your Control Panel from the Start menu.
If your Control Panel is in Category View (see below), click on Network and Internet Connections. If your Control Panel is not in Category View skip to the instructions for classic view.
In the screen that appears, click on Network Connections. Skip the next step.
If your Control Panel is in Classic View (see below) open the Network Connections control panel.
You should now see a window similar to the picture below. Right-click on the icon marked Local Area Connection and select Properties from the menu that appears.
In the window that appears, make sure that the box for File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks is unchecked. Click OK to complete the process.
