Home or Pro?

[Brett]

I will purchasing an HP notebook soon. I want to use wireless access at
hotspots and dial-up at home. Security is a top priority, mainly to lock
out any one if the notebook is ever stolen. Which version of XP should I
choose and why?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[Bill Crocker]

I will purchasing an HP notebook soon. I want to use wireless
access at
hotspots and dial-up at home. Security is a top priority,
mainly to lock
out any one if the notebook is ever stolen. Which version of
XP should I choose and why?

Thanks,
Brett

WinXP Pro will allow you to encrypt your drives/folders/files.
Home version will not.

Bill Crocker

 

[Will Denny]

Hi Brett

From your scenario, I would suggest that you invest in XP Pro. XP Home Edition will not give you the appropriate options that you need.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

As security is important to you, you should probably go with WinXP
Pro. Its Encrypting File System, if properly implemented, will secure
your information in the event the laptop is stolen. (Without EFS,
there is _no_ security if the computer is out of your possession.) Of
course, you can also easily permanently lock yourself out of your
files, so plan carefully.

Best Practices for the Encrypting File System
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;223316&Product=winxp

The two versions are _identical_ when it comes to performance,
stability, and device driver and software application compatibility,
but are intended to meet different functionality, networking,
security, and ease-of-use needs, in different environments. The most
significant differences are that WinXP Pro allows up to 10
simultaneous inbound network connections while WinXP Home only allows
only 5, WinXP Pro is designed to join a Microsoft domain while WinXP
Home cannot, and only WinXP Pro supports file encryption and IIS.

Windows XP Comparison Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Which Edition Is Right for You
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

Windows XP Home Edition vs. Professional Edition
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp

"Which is better?" That depends entirely upon the uses to which
you put your computer, the network environment in which you'll operate
it, your specific security needs, and your level of computer
knowledge.



Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Trent Curry]

Bruce Chambers wrote:

[...]

WinXP Pro is designed to join a Microsoft domain while WinXP
Home cannot

I find that kinda interesting, as win95/98/ME (win9x) could log into an
NT domain, but XP Home cannot?

 

[Brett]

With XP Pro, will using a password for entering into Windows (after a
restart) and a password on the screensaver be enough? Or do I have to
disable all cookies and enter passwords every time I visit a website? I'd
like to avoid the latter scenario.

Thanks,
Brett

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

From Microsoft's Encyclopedia of Networking:

"Other systems, such as computers running Windows 95 and Windows
98, can also participate in domain security on Windows NT and Windows
2000 networks but are not considered full members of the domain
because they have no computer accounts within the domain directory
database."

It's the same for WinXP Home. Although it doesn't allow the same
sort of seamless access provided by Win9x, domain resources can be
manually accessed by properly authenticated users on WinXP Home
machines


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

Bruce Chambers wrote:

[...]

WinXP Pro is designed to join a Microsoft domain while WinXP
Home cannot

I find that kinda interesting, as win95/98/ME (win9x) could log into an
NT domain, but XP Home cannot?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

That should be enough for standard, day-to-day file security,
assuming the laptop remains under your control at all times. You
should also use the NTFS file system so you can take advantage of
WinXP's built-in security capabilities.

Cookies should be "trusted" on a strictly case-by-case basis, and
never allow them to send information back to the server.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Brett]

Will Windows and screensaver passwords be good enough if I want the laptop
restricted in case it is stolen?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[Jim Macklin]

If the data on the hard drive is important, consider
encrypting the drive and use a secure password. Make sure
you have the password saved somewhere secure, like your bank
vault box.

You can password protect the BIOS so the computer won't boot
without the correct password, but if the computer thief has
time he can wipe the BIOS. If the BIOS and the hard drive
are password protected you'll have more security. You can
also get removable harddrives and carry the drive in a
secure belt pouch so if the computer is stolen they don't
get the drive.


| Will Windows and screensaver passwords be good enough if I
want the laptop
| restricted in case it is stolen?
|
| Thanks,
| Brett
|
message
| | > Greetings --
| >
| > That should be enough for standard, day-to-day file
security,
| > assuming the laptop remains under your control at all
times. You
| > should also use the NTFS file system so you can take
advantage of
| > WinXP's built-in security capabilities.
| >
| > Cookies should be "trusted" on a strictly
case-by-case basis, and
| > never allow them to send information back to the server.
| >
| > Bruce Chambers
| >
| > --
| > Help us help you:
| >
| >
| >
| > You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't
ever count on
| > having both at once. -- RAH
| >
| >
| > | > > With XP Pro, will using a password for entering into
Windows (after
| > a
| > > restart) and a password on the screensaver be enough?
Or do I have
| > to
| > > disable all cookies and enter passwords every time I
visit a
| > website? I'd
| > > like to avoid the latter scenario.
| > >
| > > Thanks,
| > > Brett
| > >
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

No, not at all. It's very easy to find and download password
crackers or a Linux-based CD image that can boot a computer and
bypass/reset all of the passwords. There is no true security without
physical security.


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Alex Nichol]

As security is important to you, you should probably go with WinXP
Pro. Its Encrypting File System, if properly implemented, will secure
your information in the event the laptop is stolen. (Without EFS,
there is _no_ security if the computer is out of your possession.) Of
course, you can also easily permanently lock yourself out of your
files, so plan carefully.

It seems to me that EFS has a problem in this situation. Files
encrypted with it are open to the user whose files they are as soon as
he logs in. So they are no more secure than the password used for that
- which frankly is not very secure if a laptop gets stolen. I'd
suggest rather a third party encryption system, with the password made
strong and *not* held in any way on the machine

 

[Brett]

It seems to me that EFS has a problem in this situation. Files
encrypted with it are open to the user whose files they are as soon as
he logs in. So they are no more secure than the password used for that
- which frankly is not very secure if a laptop gets stolen. I'd
suggest rather a third party encryption system, with the password made
strong and *not* held in any way on the machine

What type of third party are you talking about?

What is EFS? Something that replaced NTFS?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[Alex Nichol]

What type of third party are you talking about?

Well - PGP - Pretty Good Privacy would be one (you would have to keep
its 'private key' on a floppy or something separate from the machine).
But it's not an area where I have expertise

What is EFS? Something that replaced NTFS?

A subsystem of NTFS, that is in XP Pro, but not Home .. Encrypting File
System. It does a an encrypt of files that you have marked to be
secured, and when the owner is logged in will decrypt them on the fly as
they are used - hence the point about it being no more secure than the
logon is. If you lose the encryption 'certificates' stored in that
logon though they become totally unusable