protecting shared folders

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sam
  • Start date Start date
you may need to disable simple file sharing and guest account.

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How is disabling the Guest account and simple file
sharing going to allow me to password protect my shared
folders? Will this work? It doesn't sound like this is
going to allow me to do this. If I disable the Guest
account, I'm probably not going to need to create
individual user accounts that matches the other machines,
but I don't know how this is going to help me. I'm
confused...
 
"Robert L [MS-MVP]" said:
Sam said:
How can I password protect shared folders on XP Home?
Click to expand...

you may need to disable simple file sharing and guest account.
Click to expand...

That won't help, Robert and Sam, because:

1. Windows XP doesn't have passwords for shared folders.
2. XP Home doesn't support disabling simple file sharing.
3. Disabling the Guest account in Control Panel | User Accounts has no
effect on networked access to shared folders.

There's really no good way to do what you want, Sam. In my opinion,
sharing folders over a network in XP Home is very badly designed.
Here are some kludgy ways to control access to your shared folders:

1. Create a hidden share and only tell selected people about it. I've
written a web page with details:

Windows XP Simple File Sharing
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/filesharing.htm

2. Assign a password to the "Guest" account. When other people try
to access your computer, they'll be prompted to enter the password:

a. Click Start | Run.
b. Type "control userpasswords2" in the box and click OK.
c. Under "Users for this computer", click Guest.
d. Click Reset Password, enter a password, and click OK.

3. Create a compressed folder and define a password for it. Everyone
who accesses the folder, from the local computer or from the network,
must specify the password to access the files in the compressed
folder. This Microsoft Knowledge Base article has details:

HOW TO: Use Compressed (Zipped) Folders in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306531
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-----Original Message-----
How can I password protect shared folders on XP Home?
.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure this works on Windows XP Home but I know it
works on Windows XP Pro. But you may want to try it out
any way (But I can't guarantee all these options will be
in Home version).

Go into "Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Local
Security Policy".

Once in Local Security Policy click the "+" next
to "Local Policies" and then click "Security Options". In
the right pane a whole list of options will be available.
Find and right mouse click the option "Network access:
Sharing and Security model for local accounts". Select
Properties and you will get two options, 1)
(Default) "Guest Only - Local users authenticate as
Guest" or 2) "Classic - Local users authenticate as
themselves". (Like I said, I'm not sure this is in Home
version but I know it's in Pro.) Click apply and exit
everything.

Now find your shared folder and open its "Sharing and
Security" options. You'll notice the options have now
changed, instead of looking like Windows XP's sharing and
security options; it now looks like Windows 2000's
sharing and security options.

Click the "Permissions" button. In the permissions box
remove everything listed (all of them). Once everything
on the list is removed click the add button. The "Select
Users or Group" box will open; click the "Advanced"
button. An advanced window will open, click the "Find
Now" button and a list of users will open up in the box
below. Find "Authenticated Users" in the list, high light
it and click "Ok" and then "Ok" again. Keep clicking "Ok"
until you have closed all the boxes.

Now here's what that just did. Only people that have an
account on the "shared" computer can access that folder
over the network.

Now here's the cool part, if you have two computers and
you have an account on both that uses the same user name
and password, then you can access that shared folder with
out a problem. (But you must be accessing it through your
account.) But if you or someone else is on another
computer under a different account, then it will ask for
a user name and password before it allows you in. If you
know the user name and password, you'll have no problems.
If you don't, it won't let you in.

But be warned, anyone who has an account on the "shared"
computer will be an authenticated user.

And I would like to repeat, I'm not completely sure if
you can do this in Windows XP Home.
 
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