The most frequent cause of security incidents in Windows systems is shares (i.e., shared folders) that are improperly set up. When you share a folder, it is potentially available to any Internet user, or, worse yet, viruses and worms that look for share access that does not require passwords. If possible, avoid sharing altogether. In Windows 95/98/Me systems, you can turn off sharing by following the following simple steps:

Go from Start to the Control Panel.
In the Control Panel double click on Network.
Once the Network dialog box comes up, double click on the File and Print Sharing Box
In the Properties dialog box that comes up, click on "Not Shared" or make sure the option to share files with others is not enabled.
Click on Apply, then OK.