Hide your Windows share from casual network browsers
The Daily Cup of Tech web site offers a nifty hint for Windows networkers out there: if you add a $ to the end of your Windows shared folder name, it won't appear when browsing the network.
So, how do you access this type of a share? If you go to Start→Run..., you can then type in the full UNC path to the share. So, for example, if the computer that I created the share on was called DCoT and the hidden share that I created was called Downloads$, in the run box I would enter: \\DCoT\Downloads$
Like the original post says, this isn't security, it's just a bit of obscurity. So when you want to share the MP3 folder on your office computer for the one co-worker you pal around with but don't want just anyone to stumble upon it, don't forget that dollar sign.
Source: Lifehacker: Top