Workgroups, filesharing, etc

I'll tell you about my setup first. I have a linksys WRT45G router coming
from a cable modem. I have a desktop wired to the router which everyone uses.
I also have a laptop, which only I use, that connects wirelessly to the
router. Pretty simple right?

Here is what I would like to know:

Right now I have the computers on two seperate workgroups. I can go into the
desktop's shared folders and I can use the desktop's printer from my laptop.

If I put them on the same work group, what would that do? Most the sites I
found googling around the internet just told you how to do it. I want to know
what it does!

Also, I am wondering if I would be able to set the computers this way. I
want it so I can have full access to the desktop (I can look through every
folder) but the desktop can only look in the shared folders.

The laptop contains sensitive customer data which other family members
shouldn't have access to.

I'm going to look around this site a bit more and google a little bit but I
thank you all for your answers.

On Wed, 7 Dec 2005 23:07:02 -0800, StripedBassGuy wrote:

>I'll tell you about my setup first. I have a linksys WRT45G router coming
>from a cable modem. I have a desktop wired to the router which everyone uses.
>I also have a laptop, which only I use, that connects wirelessly to the
>router. Pretty simple right?
>
>Here is what I would like to know:
>
>Right now I have the computers on two seperate workgroups. I can go into the
>desktop's shared folders and I can use the desktop's printer from my laptop.
>
>If I put them on the same work group, what would that do? Most the sites I
>found googling around the internet just told you how to do it. I want to know
>what it does!
>
>Also, I am wondering if I would be able to set the computers this way. I
>want it so I can have full access to the desktop (I can look through every
>folder) but the desktop can only look in the shared folders.
>
>The laptop contains sensitive customer data which other family members
>shouldn't have access to.
>
>I'm going to look around this site a bit more and google a little bit but I
>thank you all for your answers.

Changing the workgroups does nothing, except arranging the
computers a bit differently in the network places. You can
create or remove workgroups as much as you like, it has no
effect on access rights.

For more information visit http://winhlp.com/ .

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

On Wed, 7 Dec 2005 23:07:02 -0800, "StripedBassGuy"
<StripedBassGuy@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>I'll tell you about my setup first. I have a linksys WRT45G router coming
>from a cable modem. I have a desktop wired to the router which everyone uses.
>I also have a laptop, which only I use, that connects wirelessly to the
>router. Pretty simple right?
>
>Here is what I would like to know:
>
>Right now I have the computers on two seperate workgroups. I can go into the
>desktop's shared folders and I can use the desktop's printer from my laptop.
>
>If I put them on the same work group, what would that do? Most the sites I
>found googling around the internet just told you how to do it. I want to know
>what it does!
>
>Also, I am wondering if I would be able to set the computers this way. I
>want it so I can have full access to the desktop (I can look through every
>folder) but the desktop can only look in the shared folders.
>
>The laptop contains sensitive customer data which other family members
>shouldn't have access to.
>
>I'm going to look around this site a bit more and google a little bit but I
>thank you all for your answers.

Workgroup membership affects just one thing: What computers are seen in the root
of Network Neighborhood. You can still access any other computer, you just
won't see it in Network Neighborhood. It's a form of Security By Obscurity,
really.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/security-by-obscurity.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/0...obscurity.html
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/07/windows-networking.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/0...etworking.html

--
Cheers,
Chuck, MS-MVP [Windows - Networking]
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.
My email is AT DOT
actual address pchuck mvps org.