File Sharing Question

[sedalbis]

Hey,
I have successfully set up all the computers/laptops in my home for file/printer sharing and it is all working a treat (streaming onto the PS3 also which is great)

My question:
Do the settings I have chosen on the computers apply only to my home network (my router) or will they be the same for every network/router I connect to?

I ask this because I am happy with these settings for my home network, but if I were to go to a coffee shop for example, I would not want people being able to see my files.

Please could you advise me regarding both XP and Vista as the different computers in my home have different operating systems (I found file sharing on XP a little harder to set up).

Thanks very much in advance

 

[SeanT]

Unless you forward the relevant ports through your router, people won't be accessing the files on your internal network from outside, particularly as you have one public IP address and several private IP addresses, and such your router performs network address translation between what's on the internet and on your own little network.

 

[sedalbis]

Unless you forward the relevant ports through your router, people won't be accessing the files on your internal network from outside, particularly as you have one public IP address and several private IP addresses, and such your router performs network address translation between what's on the internet and on your own little network.

No I don't mean the settings on my router. I mean the file sharing settings on my computers. Do they only apply to the network I have set them up on, or will they apply to every network I connect to?

 

[mickevh]

Whatever "shares" you computers are advertising will be seen on anyone else on any other network you connect to.

There's a couple of way's you can deal with this when away from home:

One way is to disable the "File and printer sharing for Microsoft networks" on you LAN card when away from home. But that's a pain to remember.

Probably a better approach is to disable the "Guest" account on your PC's and set up a proper regime of "permissions" on you shared folders so that anyone wishing to access them has to provide a userid a password to get access to your files. Read all about it in Windows Help. ("User Accounts" and "Sharing and Security" would be a good start.)

An ensure your have a Firewall enabled (the built in WIndows one should be fine) to keep out all those nasty network spreadable viruses.