Want to Share Just my Desktop!!!

Question

Hello everyone...
I am on a wired network... and i just want to share my desktop folder only not all the drives... and if its possible, the people who are tryin to connect the Desktop don't have to enter any password or something...
Regards
Tanz

Answer 1

The Shared Folder in the Users Folder, in the hard disk drive,
may be a better and more secure place to put items others
could have access to; since your actual desktop folder usually
is safeguarded by your account user password to limit access.
There are several ways to share access and files between Macs
and also between Mac & PC users. Some of them do require a
level of access set up in advance between specific computers
since to do otherwise may leave a computer too vulnerable.
While results from a search from where I am may vary from a
search performed elsewhere (some countries have internet
rules different than others) a general search via Google that I
just did using the following words in the order shown says a lot:
' Mac OS X 10.5 Help: shared file access ' (google search - results link)
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=MacOS+X+10.5+Help%3A+shared+file+access&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=Mac+OS +X+10.5+Help%3A+shared+fileaccess&gs_rfai=&fp=3f73b7d243bf661
Also: Learn about File Sharing in the following specific article(s)
• Mac 101: File Sharing
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1549
• Mac OS X 10.5 Help: Sharing Files on your Network
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/17131.html
Actual 'Screen Sharing' is another matter, such as Apple Remote Desktop.
• Add more power to 10.5's Screen Sharing - utilities - Mac OS X Hints:
http://www.macworld.com/article/131094/2007/12/screensharepower.html
• Tutorial: Screen Sharing in Leopard (10.5) How it works/how it doesn't:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10329122-263.html
{Since this probably is not needed, I included those two links above to show
them in contrast to setting up file sharing access through the Shared folder.}
The basic Shared folder can be set for other user's access without having
to compromise the security of your user account or the main Admin account.
As an Admin or owner, you have the permission or privilege level to set other
user access limitations in the computer; so it is not open to anyone out there.
So, it won't be super simple to accomplish since it retains security & integrity
if done correctly, of the computer, its system, and the user account data.
Another general Google search of certain words (noting regional access,
language, and country filters on the internet may change between what
I see in results, and what you may get by performing a search, there) on
these words, may yield a few different leads to instructional pages:
' Mac OS X 10.5 shared user folder ' (google search results - link)
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=MacOS+X+10.5+shared+user+folder&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=Mac+OS+X+10.5+ shared+userfolder&gs_rfai=&fp=3f73b7d243bf661
Some results in both Google search links are similar; the two direct to web
pages above may be more than adequate to set up sharing a folder/file.
However, sharing the Desktop folder, (by itself, is in your User folder, in the
Users folder in the hard drive) may not allow anyone the kind of access
most persons would want open to a network or to other users.
For matters about Securing your Mac, there are Apple Support documents
in PDF you can download for offline use, these are about 3MB in size. If
you need to know Admin and server level security settings, that's in depth.
Hopefully this is not too much info; though there are several options, the
basic setup will involve controlling access so it is not open to everyone.
And that is, if it's set up correctly.
{If you keep many items on the Desktop of your computer, that is not
recommended; there are a few reasons why, on that score alone.}
Good luck & happy computing!