"Service name is invalid" error on net start

I am trying to create a local share of a directory on a dedicated Windows 2003 server that I'm renting, but when I type the command "net share ..." I get the following error:

"The service name is invalid."

The detailed error message says "You tried to start a service that is not configured on this sytem."

Why would basic net share functionality be disabled on my machine? Is there a service I need to start? Is there another way to create a local share? (That is, I need to create a directory that looks like a network share to an application on this same machine.)

Net Start is the command to start a service, nothing to do with file sharing. If you trying to share a file form teh command prompt you want to use Net Share, for example:

net share DataShare=c:\Data

Will share c:\data as DataShare.