Permissions & NTFS

[Michael]

Hey guys,

My friend recently installed windows xp pro on her computer using the FAT32
system. Now trying to protect some folders and hard disk partition from
being accessed by other users. The way I was told to do this is to unclick
the simple file sharing option. Then I got a security tab. And did what I
want from there. Anyhow, when we do that on her computer it does not give
us the security tab. Is that because her file system is not in NTFS? Keep
in mind her hard drive is about 4 years old. Also she says she tried NTFS
before and got some installation error. Does not remember it clearly
something along lines, can't find file, re insert disk with ntfs files. Any
ideas or suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Todd Shillam]

FAT (File Allocated Table) does not support the same security as NTFS (NT
File System); hence, you are correct. To enable the security tab that you
wrote about, you need to format your drive(s) to NTFS. Fortunately, you can
easily convert to NTFS with a little trial and error--just do Web search and
you don't need to re-install anything too.

Best regards,

Todd

Hey guys,

My friend recently installed windows xp pro on her computer using the FAT32
system. Now trying to protect some folders and hard disk partition from
being accessed by other users. The way I was told to do this is to unclick
the simple file sharing option. Then I got a security tab. And did what I
want from there. Anyhow, when we do that on her computer it does not give
us the security tab. Is that because her file system is not in NTFS? Keep
in mind her hard drive is about 4 years old. Also she says she tried NTFS
before and got some installation error. Does not remember it clearly
something along lines, can't find file, re insert disk with ntfs files. Any
ideas or suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Rodney]

BTW : You may want to look into the command line
utility 'convert' ( try convert /? at the command prompt )

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

And before you convert, see http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm for an
excellent article by MVP Alex Nichol on converting from FAT32 to NTFS.
Also, the Security tab is not enabled by default on XP Home or Pro.

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options, View and uncheck
Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a drive, folder or
file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see a Security
tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user name or user
group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under My Documents
"private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and selecting
Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other folders, you need
to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in Administrator
account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in Properties, and you
can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes the Security
tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and
Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;307874