You Cannot Select the "Make This Folder Private" Option (307286)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
This article was previously published under Q307286

SYMPTOMS

You may be unable to select the Make this folder private option on the Sharing tab in the properties for a folder. The option may be unavailable.

CAUSE

This issue can occur for either of the following reasons:
  • The folder is not in your user profile (Drive_letter:\Documents and Settings\User_name, where Drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed and User_name is your user name). The Make this folder private option is available only for files in your user profile (the My Documents folder and its subfolders, and the Cookies, Desktop, Start Menu, or Favorites folders).
  • The Windows folder is located on a drive that is formatted with the FAT or FAT32 file systems. The Make this folder private option requires the NTFS file system.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue:
  1. If the folder you are trying to make private is not located in your profile (Drive_letter:\Documents and Settings\User_name, where Drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed and User_name is your user name), move it to your My Documents, My Music, or My Pictures folder and then select the Make this folder private option (if it is available).
  2. If the Make this folder private option is still unavailable in the My Documents folder, you may need to convert the Windows drive to NTFS as follows.

    WARNING: Converting the drive to NTFS removes your previous operating system backup. Do not convert to NTFS if you may later need to uninstall Windows XP. Also, do not convert drive C to NTFS if you dual-boot Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) on the same computer, and do not convert other drives to NTFS if you dual-boot Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me on the same computer and need access to the drive from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me.
    1. Click Start, and then click Run.
    2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
    3. In the command prompt window, type the following line, and then press ENTER

      convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs

      where drive_letter is the drive on which Windows XP is installed. For example, typing convert d: /fs:ntfs converts drive D to NTFS format.

    4. Press Y, and then press ENTER to continue if you agree to remove your previous operating system backup (if appropriate).
    5. Press Y, and then press ENTER to dismount the volume.
    6. Press Y, and then press ENTER to schedule the conversion for the next time the computer restarts.
    7. Restart your computer.
The Windows volume is converted to NTFS when your computer restarts, and the Make this folder private option should be available for folders in your profile.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

If you want to make a file in a private folder available to others, move it to the Shared Documents, Shared Pictures, or Shared Music folder.

For additional information about file sharing and permissions, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

304040 How to configure file sharing in Windows XP

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/27/2004
Keywords:kbenv kbprb kbui KB307286
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