new question from an old dad

hillbillie

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Nov 23, 2006
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hello everyone,

this is my first post, so if i'm not making sense, be kind :)
I am pretty new to the computer world, i just recently made a home network, i have been reading how a home file server is a good thing, so i had one of my first computers made into one(a local kid helped me set it up) it is a pentium III 550 with 384mb of memory. it is running pretty good, but here is the question:

I have several folders that i want to have my family to have access to, it is better to just share out the folder or the entire drive, since there are alot of folders?

i am using windows xp professional on the file server.

thanks for reading and helping
 
It's preferable to not share out the entire drive. Not a real problem in a home environment, but still, not the way to do it.

Make a single folder like "Data" and share that out. You can move all of your other shared folders as subfolders under that.

Make sure to check/adjust any security on the subfolders as needed.
 
I have a setup much like yours.
I used a small drive for the OS and shared out folders on a second drive.
It works great.
I used windows 2K for this and was able to lock out or share everything however I wanted.
 
The young person that i paid to do this had shared out the entire hard drive. so today i was following the advice from here when i noticed something that was in my clock area, (lower right) it was a red "R" when i looked it said that there was one active connection from an ip that was not the one i have from the cable company. I looked and there was a program called Radmin, when i looked at google it said itwas an administrator program, what is that?
 
Radmin is remote console program. Are you sure the kid that helped you didn't install this? If he did not, then you need to uninstall the application asap and get a decent firewall. If he did I'd be asking him why he compromised your network with an app like that. Perhaps there is a legitimate reason but the fact you dont know what it is or how it go there is suspect to say the least. You said you created a network but mentioned an IP by your ISP. Are you not behind a consumer router? If you have a SOHO router your IP wouldnt be a public IP assigned by your provider. It would be a local private segment IP

If you have multiple computers on your LAN and have a broadband connection then there isn't a good argument against spending the 25 bucks or so to get a SOHO router. Either wired or wireless. You can use a proxy/nat software solution on a host machine but that still exposes that host machine.
 
the technician that i get my internet through says that i have a static ip. from what i read that means that it never changes. he gave me the ip and this is not what is in the box when i click on the R. I did call the teenager who set this up for me to ask if he installed it.
when looking at the setup here, i have a Arris modem, the cable going to the computer. The kid was given money to get a router or something from best buy that will connect the other computer to this one, he is supposed to set it up tomorrow.

I apologize for my ignorance in this technology forum, but i just had to ask these questions.
 
No need to apologize, all of us started somewhere. I would definately get some sort of router. It helps in keeping your network secure from outside connections.
 
the technician that i get my internet through says that i have a static ip. from what i read that means that it never changes. he gave me the ip and this is not what is in the box when i click on the R. I did call the teenager who set this up for me to ask if he installed it.

So what was the answer?

He probably did install it just in case you have an issue he could assist you remotely. (This is a valid reason), but let him give you that answer. Without that router or firewall software that PC should not be directly connected to the internet. Basicaly the router should plug into your cable modem and then all PC's plug into the router.
 
I ended up buying a router from a local company, and paid a real technician to install it. When I asked he said it was a backdoor if something happened to my computer. I asked the tech if this were true, he stated that if something happened that he could not even get in, so I had the tech uninstall the program.
 
As for sharing, I have a number of shared folders rather than sharing a single drive. I do that to avoid confusion; my wife is mostly only interested in accessing the pictures we have for her digital scrapbooking, and by having a share specifically for pictures she is taken directly there rather than having to click through a few directories to get to it.
 
I ended up buying a router from a local company, and paid a real technician to install it. When I asked he said it was a backdoor if something happened to my computer. I asked the tech if this were true, he stated that if something happened that he could not even get in, so I had the tech uninstall the program.

While this is all true in a general sense, if the "young person" had installed the router he could set the router up so the "back door" would work. At certin levels of "Something haoppened" the tech is right.. i.e. if the router has an issue, or the PC has certin issues he might not be able to access the PC. Most techs I know will install this type of software, but wont have it running all the time. They will make it something you need to initiate from your end and then get access.
 
sounds like he tried to compromise your network!

kick his ass.

As one guy pointed out have one shared folder and place all folder you want to share in that folder.

Setup a network drive by mapping it (give it a higher drive letter eg Z: ) and you now have new drive Z: with all your shared folders in it!

want to keep some shares hidden?

just call it a name with a $ at the end eg HiddenShare$ Map it to another network drive and bingo a share that only you can see! Other people browsing the network will not be able to see this share.
 
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