File Sharing By User In Home Edition

[Max Bolingbroke]

Hi,

I've suddenly found that I need per-user sharing quite badly, but I've
got a network of XP Home hosts. I can't afford the extra cash to upgrade
the machine in question, and I know that the functionality is still in
the OS (but there is no GUI for it), so I've set in with the Windows
2000 resource kit to fiddle with the permissions manually.

rmtshare lets me grant permissions on the sharing - I give Everyone:Full
Control here, so the file-level permissions can do their thing.

Next, I give the local user Full Control on the directory using xcacls.
All good so far.

NOW, I browse to my share on my own machine and hey presto! I can rename
etc to my hearts content (where I couldn't before), but when I try
and do this from another PC using the Connect As option in Map Network
Drive to type in my credentials (in MACHINE\USER form) I can't do any of
that

The only reason I can think this might happen is that despite my
specifying the computer in the logon bit the server is using the name of
the computer I'm trying to connect with and hence failing the
authentication.. if this is the case, is there a way around? If it's
not, what is the real reason?

Thanks in advance!

Max Bolingbroke

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I've suddenly found that I need per-user sharing quite badly, but I've
got a network of XP Home hosts. I can't afford the extra cash to upgrade
the machine in question, and I know that the functionality is still in
the OS (but there is no GUI for it), so I've set in with the Windows
2000 resource kit to fiddle with the permissions manually.

Max,

I can't help you with trying that. The OS is not designed for
it, so you're on your own.

But perhaps you can do something else. Just use shares with
secret names and make them invisible on the network by adding a
$ sign to them.

Then you tell only the desired users the secret names.

I'm not perfectly sure whether this works on XP Home, but I
believe it does, and you can quickly test it.

Hans-Georg

 

[Max Bolingbroke]

Max,

I can't help you with trying that. The OS is not designed for
it, so you're on your own.

But perhaps you can do something else. Just use shares with
secret names and make them invisible on the network by adding a
$ sign to them.

Then you tell only the desired users the secret names.

I'm not perfectly sure whether this works on XP Home, but I
believe it does, and you can quickly test it.

Hans-Georg

Hi,

Thanks for the reply! I did think of that, but I really need the
security features

I think it is something to do with ForceGuest - I've turned it off using
regedit, which should mean that I can authenticate over the network like
I was on the local machine, as in Windows 2000, but no joy yet.

I'm working on a systematic approach with the two areforementioned tools
and SFS, and I'll post back here if I succeed.

Max Bolingbroke

 

[Max Bolingbroke]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply! I did think of that, but I really need the
security features

I think it is something to do with ForceGuest - I've turned it off using
regedit, which should mean that I can authenticate over the network like
I was on the local machine, as in Windows 2000, but no joy yet.

I'm working on a systematic approach with the two areforementioned tools
and SFS, and I'll post back here if I succeed.

Max Bolingbroke

OK: my approach HAS yielded results. I CAN setup file sharing manually
using the two tools (or by booting into safe mode as administrator -
then the full GUI shows up). The rub is that the account I need to give
NTLM permissions to in order for it to work is Guest

This is DESPITE having ForceGuest off, and I have equivalent accounts
set up on the two computers.. confusing. I'm going to look at the
authentication details it is dealing with at the packet level, to see
what is going on in more detail.

Max Bolingbroke

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

OK: my approach HAS yielded results. I CAN setup file sharing manually
using the two tools (or by booting into safe mode as administrator -
then the full GUI shows up). The rub is that the account I need to give
NTLM permissions to in order for it to work is Guest

This is DESPITE having ForceGuest off, and I have equivalent accounts
set up on the two computers.. confusing. I'm going to look at the
authentication details it is dealing with at the packet level, to see
what is going on in more detail.

Max,

you're trying to force XP Home to act like XP Pro, but you may
be running the risk that the time you waste on this is worth
more than a new XP Pro package in the next computer store. -)

Hans-Georg

 

[Max Bolingbroke]

Max,

you're trying to force XP Home to act like XP Pro, but you may
be running the risk that the time you waste on this is worth
more than a new XP Pro package in the next computer store. -)

Hans-Georg

Hi,

I think you're right I gave up, but I have got so close... I think
the problem is that XP Home is crippled so that it does not honour the
ForceGuest setting

Ah well, I shall have to save up my pennies for Pro..

Max Bolingbroke