In Windows XP, it is very easy to disable/enable it using a Reg edit.
When you open Windows XP's My Computer System Folder you will usually see a set of folders at the top of the page under the group called Other Files Stored on This Computer. Even on a home PC shared among family members, I haven't found this useful. Certainly not on a work PC. To eliminate the Other Files Stored on This Computer folders you can use the following registry hack:
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer \MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders
DelegateFolders has a subkey : {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. Once you delete this subkey, all of the Shared Documents folders displayed on My Computer will be gone. Effect of hack is immediate. No reboot needed in XP.
Conversly if you add {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} in XP, you get the folders back.
Unfortunately this doesn't work in Server 2003, and it already has the key {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}.
Has anybody had luck finding how?
Thanks,
McoreD