permissions anomaly in XP noted by W2K user

  • Thread starter Thread starter JohnB
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J

JohnB

I have been helping my friend establish permissions on his XP Pro computer.
He has no domain. Rather, he has a workgroup of two computers. The other
computer is W2K Pro.

He is concerned about security, because he has introduced a wireless router
and doesn't want his residential neighbors to view his folders in either
computer. My friend has other reasons for avoiding encryption, as a
solution.

With my experience in NT and W2K, I fully expected to easily implement file
permissions through his NTFS structure. Under XP Pro, however, I saw no way
to do this. Furthermore, I saw no way to establish security under share
permissions, either!

Having looked at the "help" reference material in his XP computer, I read
that the permission structures I am accustomed to seem to be available only
in a DOMAIN environment. We have no other need for a server, and wish to
avoid any domain implementation. The Help screen's advice for establishing
permissions in a WORKGROUP environment were consistent with our failed
attempts to implement security.

Am I overlooking something? I am surprised that XP Pro cannot match W2K
Pro's permission resources.

Thanks for any advice.

John
 
Go to the Folder Options and in the View tab
at the bottom shut off Simple file sharing mode.
Then things will be as you are familiar from W2k
for both NTFS and Share level permissions.
 
My friend has taken his WXP Pro computer home, and I have only been able to
view a WXP Home computer since you offered your reply to my posting. I
expect my friend to view his XP Pro computer later today, and I have
forwarded your advice to him. I will speak with him by telephone.

In viewing the XP Home computer (with administrator-level access), I notice
no such check-box under My Computer, Tools, Folder Options, View Tab. The
XP Home scenario looks the same as that permissions scenario I observed on
the XP Pro computer, which is minimalist and decimated. Is XP Home deprived
of the option of which you speak?

I have an excellent comparison of XP Home and XP Pro, by Paul Thurrott, that
dates back to December, 2001. Regrettably, that comparison does not seem to
be posted anymore at site http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/
Nevertheless, there is no mention in that essay of a difference whereby Pro
can opt for non-simple file sharing, while Home has no such option.

Am I, therefore, overlooking something in the Home platform?

Thanks,
John
 
Home is hard coded to only support Simple file sharing,
and so that checkbox is not in Home. Home can only have
access to the NTFS security dialog when in an F8 Safe Mode
boot.
 
to upgrade XP Home to Pro just purchase an Windows XP Professional Upgrade.
Boot from the CD and select Upgrade install.
 
In
JohnB said:
Is there an upgrade path from Windows XP Home to Windows XP
Professional?
Click to expand...

Yes. There is no special upgrade version just for this, but the
regular XP Professional Upgrade works fine (although it doesn't
say so on the box).

But are you sure you want to do this? Are you aware that XP Home
and Professional are identical except that Professional includes
a few features (mostly related to security and networking)
missing from Home? Most home users don't need and would never use
these extra features and will see no benefits by upgrading.
 
Good advise, but if he comes from a W2k Pro environment
rather than Win9x he will most likely find Home too limited.
 
But are you sure you want to do this? Are you aware that XP Home
and Professional are identical except that Professional includes
a few features (mostly related to security and networking)
missing from Home? Most home users don't need and would never use
these extra features and will see no benefits by upgrading.
Click to expand...
The security issue is a big deal. That is exactly what I'm looking for.
Thanks.
 
I have looked again at an XP Home computer. My hope is to avoid the hassle
and expense of upgrading my friend's computer to XP Pro. I would be
successful if only I could provide some sort of security on the folders he
"shares." Let's just say he and two other small business owners have one
wireless router and one DSL line. There are other business owners in close
proximity. My friend is not concerned in an urgent manner, but we both want
to prevent unauthorized viewers from seeing his files.

My first approach was to implement NTFS file permissions, so that only named
users under his OS could have access, whether sitting at his computer, or
accessing over a network. Since XP Home can't provide such security, I
looked into "share permissions." It seems these are not available, either.
I guess XP Home is utterly unsecure, as an operating system, except through
the "front door" (logon).

The only "security" I observed, under "share security," was to
allow/disallow networked users from modifying files within the host
computer. There is no provision for granting various levels of access to
different users.

Can you confirm this impression?
Am I overlooking something?
We don't want to use encryption.

I haven't visited my friend's site physically, but I have asked him to sit
at his neighbor's computer, and test-"hack" into his own XP Home computer.
He hasn't gotten back to me on his results, yet.

Thanks,
John
 
John,

XP Home is simplified for the consumer market.
If one used NTFS as the filesystem then it does have the
full compliment of security as does XP Pro, but it is used
differently.
Home is permanently in Simple sharing mode.
This means that network accesses to shared files are all
mapped to the Guest account. If one access a share that
Home shares out, then the NTFS level checks that are
important are the grants to the Guest account, even if
one has authenticated as account "username"
This mapping to the Guest account makes all sharing from
a Home version system "of one flavor" since everything
ends up checking against grants to the same account.

Roger
 
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