Using the 'Sharing' tab when I right click, I've created New Share names and permissions for several internal HDD's on my PC.

It seemed to work great, but after a restarting the PC the Share Names won't stick. The newly-created names are still selectable from the Share Name drop-down box, but even if I select them and press OK, when I right-click and open the window up again, the name is no longer selected.

For example, I tell my J: drive to be shared on the network using the Share Name TEMP VIDEO (permissions = everyone). I click OK, and the popup is gone. I right-click again and bring the box back, and the Share Name has reverted to J$ (with the Comment "Default share"). I click the Permissions button, and I get "This has been shared for administrative purposes. The permissions cannot be set."

All my HDD's (except Primary Master) are like this. How do I solve this one? And why is there a Dollar symbol after all the default share names (drive letter + dollar symbol)?

You can't rename and Administrative share. You can tell which are the admin shares as they have the $ after the drive letter.

Try creating a new share and naming it what you want and apply perm's to it. Then see if the name doesn't stick.

The dollar sign means the share is a hidden share. You can append a $ to the end of any share name so only someone that knows the exact UNC path to that share would be able to browse it.

"Computer security." — Oxymoron

"Try creating a new share and naming it what you want and apply perm's to it. Then see if the name doesn't stick."

That's exactly the problem.

I created new shares for each HDD (with appropriate permissions), but each HDD is locked as an administrative share, and nothing I do will change it permanantly.

For testing's sake, I just created a new one now. Nope, E: reverted back to E$ the moment I pressed OK.

Go to computer management/shared/shared folders and tell us what is listed.

Did you note that to the left of the administrative share you are looking at has a drop down box?

Click on it and see if your new share is listed?

Is there a hand under the drives icon in explorer?

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In computer management/shared/shared folders,
all my drives are listed twice. Once as the Shared Name I created, and again as their "Drive Letter + Dollar symbol."

example:

Video 1
E$
Video 2
F$
...etc

I can select my own created Shared Name from the drop-down box, but even if I click OK, it will remain the Administrative Share. (I even tried removing the administrative share. One reboot late, it's magically back, and still locked.

Despite all this, little hand icons are over all my HDD's in Windows Explorer.

Are you new to this? Seems to me you are getting bogged down in your perspective.

You are creating shares in addition to the administrative shares. Admisistrative shares can not be deleted without a reg hack.

This is proven by what shares are showing in shares and with the little hands under the shares. Your sharing is working.

You now need to move on to accessing the Video1, etc shares from the network.

Imagine the power if you knew how to internet search