password protection of folders in xp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tim Redmond
  • Start date Start date
T

Tim Redmond

I wish to connect my laptop, which has winxp home to the office network. My
office desktop has W98. I can control access from the network to folders on
this computer by setting a password. I can find no way to restrict access
from the network to my laptop with winxp. Is password protection not
available in WXP Home?
Tim Redmond
Nairobi
 
If you are running XP Home:

HOW TO: Set the My Documents Folder as "Private" in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;298399

You Cannot Select the "Make This Folder Private" Option
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307286

"The Make this folder private" option requires the NTFS file system.

CONVERTING FAT32 to NTFS
in Windows XP
(by Alex Nichol, MS-MVP)
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm


--
Nicholas

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I wish to connect my laptop, which has winxp home to the office network. My
| office desktop has W98. I can control access from the network to folders on
| this computer by setting a password. I can find no way to restrict access
| from the network to my laptop with winxp. Is password protection not
| available in WXP Home?
| Tim Redmond
| Nairobi
|
|
 
are you using simple file sharing? try to disable it and you may want to
disable guest account too.

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This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.
 
Thanks: I am not sure if I explained myself clearly. I want to share from
my laptop with win xp to my desktop without others on the network having
access to my laptop. (I use laptop for backup through synchronization:
normally I do this simply using a crossover cable. Now I want to put both
my laptop and desktop on the network and allow only my desktop to have
access to my laptop. I think I need password protected access to do this,
but cannot see this anywhere in win xp - it seems to me to be "all or
nothing"

Tim
 
Tim,

XP home does not support password protection of folders/files. It
automatically defaults all other users on other computers as "Guest" when
they access the XP machine and Guest has no password option on the default
XP menus..

There is a backdoor method to do it however as long as you do not mind
having a password on the Guest account:
1] Enable the Guest account then do Start-run and enter "control
userpasswords2" without the quotes
2] A menu pops up allowing you to set a password for the guest account.
Once set up you can also edit it in the users menu if you are logged on as
an administrator.
3] Once Guest has a password all network computers accessing the XP machine
need the password.

This is not perfect - all shared folders have to use the same password but
it is the best you can do.

When finished complain to microsoft - it is outrageous that they should
promote XP home as suitable for home networking and then disable simple
security measures - most home users want to share music & pictures with the
family but protect personal letters / bank files etc. from their kids and
passwords are the easiest way to do this for the man in street.
 
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