Remove the Shared Documents folder from My Computer

A new feature of WinXP is being able to share documents between users through the icon “Shared Documents” in My Computer.

This feature can be disabled through the Group Policy if using WinXP Pro :

1. Start Menu -> Run… -> gpedit.msc
2. Go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Explorer
3. Find the option “Remove Shared Documents from My Computer”
4. Double click the option and set it to “Enabled”

The above policy is reflected in the following DWORD registry key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE can also be used) :

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Policies \Explorer]
NoSharedDocuments = 1 (No Folder = 1, Default = 0)

More Info MS KB286727

Another way to do this is going to this registry entry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Explorer \My Computer \NameSpace \DelegateFolders]

And delete this sub key (Remember to make a backup before deleting) :

{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}

Credits winsupersite.com