Remote Access?

[adlaijames]

Hi, I'm sharing a (password protected) wireless connection with a few other people and I just want to make sure I understand what that means for my privacy. When I right-click on any folder in My Documents and select properties from the drop down menu and then click on the Sharing tab, it says, under Network sharing and security, "As a security measure, Windows has disabled remote access to this computer. However, you can enable remote access and safely share files by running the Network Setup Wizard." There is no content in my Shared Documents folder and when I go to My Network Places, there is no mention of anything like a home network with file sharing enabled. Does all of this mean that no one else on the wireless can remotely access my computer? That the only way any one could get on and poke around is either through direct physical access to the computer or through a trojan virus? Thanks for your help! AJ

 

[Silverhazesurfer]

This depends on the version of Windows that you are running. For example:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753176(WS.10).aspx

While this article is a little advanced, there are some interesting bits. Such as:

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To enable network discovery

1. Start Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click the down arrow button next to Network Discovery.
3. To allow your computer to be found by other computers on the network, click Turn on network discovery.
4. To prevent your computer from being found by other computers on the network, click Turn off network discovery.
5. Click Apply.
6. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

Additional considerations

• To use the Ping tool you must enable File Sharing. Turning on Network Discovery does not enable the ports used by Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), the protocol used by Ping.
• If you have firewall software installed, it can affect your ability to use Ping or other diagnostic networking tools. To use Ping, ensure that your firewall software is configured to allow ICMP protocol packets.

I hope this helps.

 

[adlaijames]

Surfer,

Thanks for your reply!

I use the normal edition of Windows XP. Does that mean the links you provided to the file sharing on Vista, Windows 7 and the various Windows Servers aren't relevant?

Some more background info:

• My computer is password protected.
• The wireless is password protected (WPA Key)
• The modem is not connected to my computer. It's connected to a different computer (a Mac) and I'm able to access the wireless because I know the password.
• I don't recall ever having run the Wireless Network Setup Wizard on my computer. My computer just scanned the area, picked up the wireless signal and after typing in the password, I'm now able to use that connection to get on the internet.
• When I right-click on any folder in My Documents and select properties from the drop down menu and then click on the Sharing tab, it says, "As a security measure, Windows has disabled remote access to this computer. However, you can enable remote access and safely share files by running the Network Setup Wizard."
• My Windows Firewall has been turned OFF for some time. I recently turned it back on.
• The Shared Documents folders on my computer are all empty.
• The My Network Places window on my computer is blank (no icons).
• The Network Connections window shows an icon for the wireless connection that we use (simply called Wireless Network Connection), as well as a 1934 Connection and a Local Area Connection (that's always had a big red X through it).
• If I right-click on the My Computer icon in the start menu and click Disconnect Network Drive, it says "You have no network drives to disconnect."
• I have never invited anyone onto my computer with Remote Assistance.

I really appreciate your help. I'm a total novice at this stuff.

 

[Pradami5]

There are lots of programs where you can get into people's isp. If you search into google 'spy software' about 18,700,000 searches come up ! you can get into someone's computer without physically touching it!