I have an iMac that I purchased about 6 months ago; OS X 10.9.5. I just noticed on the Finder window in the left-hand column which lists Favorites, Devices, etc. that there is one for Shared. I've not seen this before. And two computers are listed there. I have not done this. Has someone else nearby tried to link with my computer? How could this have happened? I have tried to delete them, but nothing happens. How do I get rid of them? Very puzzled.
Unrequested Shared Computers
- Thread starter mpeekco
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Think they are just WiFi computers within range picking up the signal. Make sure you have opted for WPA2 Personal security and use a 13 digit alphabetical, caps and numerical password.
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I believe Harry is correct. If you don't use this function you can just turn off File Sharing in Preferences > Sharing by unticking File Sharing. If you do use this function then Harry's advice is very sound.
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It really has nothing whatsoever to do with your computer nor does it have anything to do with anyone trying to hack into your computer.
It has to do with someone else enabling sharing on their computer allowing you to see what they have shared.
Turning 'File Sharing' off on your computer will not prevent your computer from seeing other computers that have 'File Sharing' turned on.
If you don't want to see other computers listed in Finder under Shared, you are going to have to find out who the owners of those computers are and get those individuals to turn File Sharing off on their computers.
Or you can open Finder - Preferences - Sidebar and uncheck everything under the Sharing section.
It has to do with someone else enabling sharing on their computer allowing you to see what they have shared.
Turning 'File Sharing' off on your computer will not prevent your computer from seeing other computers that have 'File Sharing' turned on.
If you don't want to see other computers listed in Finder under Shared, you are going to have to find out who the owners of those computers are and get those individuals to turn File Sharing off on their computers.
Or you can open Finder - Preferences - Sidebar and uncheck everything under the Sharing section.
Many thanks to all who responded. By going to Finder - Preferences - Sidebar, I was able to get rid of those two computers that showed up and made me feel invaded. I'm very glad to know that it had nothing to do with hacking. Thanks for the peace of mind.
I think what you did only caused other machines on your network to not be displayed on your side bar. The machines still have the exact same connectivity and still exist on your network. If you don't like that situation, you should find out why they are on your network and/or inhibit it.
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Turning file sharing off will however prevent others on the same network from accessing any information in your computers' Public Folder. To access more they need to login with your admin password.
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Seeing those shares are not a threat to you. Your computer is just letting you know what all is potentially available to you on your network. It is a threat for them if they have not set up appropriate options to limit who has access to their files. If you try to connect to them you may find you can not without a user name and password - or I would hope you can not!
When I am at work and try to connect to a share with my Macbook Air, I have to input my admin user name and password because this is my personal laptop and not a registered computer on the network. I prefer it that way for personal reasons and since I am the network admin I can do that. I keep sharing off on my Macs because I am frequently on various networks. If you don't need it, turn it off.
Lisa
When I am at work and try to connect to a share with my Macbook Air, I have to input my admin user name and password because this is my personal laptop and not a registered computer on the network. I prefer it that way for personal reasons and since I am the network admin I can do that. I keep sharing off on my Macs because I am frequently on various networks. If you don't need it, turn it off.
Lisa
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