Removing the Files Stored on This Computer group from My Computer in Windows XP

If you're the only person who uses a particular computer running Windows XP, you may want to remove the Files Stored on This Computer group. This tip explains how you can delete the group in three simple steps.

When you open My Computer in its default configuration on a Windows XP machine, you'll find a group titled Files Stored on This Computer. This group contains the Shared Documents link, as well as links to folders for all user accounts created on the computer. This feature is designed to provide multiple users on the same computer with the ability to easily share files.

However, if you're the only one using that computer, you may want to remove the Files Stored on This Computer group from My Computer. There's no conventional way to delete this group, so in order to delete Files Stored on This Computer, you must edit the registry. Here's how:

1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
   MyComputer\NameSpace\DelegateFolders.
3. Right-click the subkey {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee} and select the Delete command.

When you do so, the Shared Documents folders in My Computer will be removed.