Questions about my home network

[Jarulf]

Hi again,

Having got good help and answers on some previous questions here on LL, I thought I should give it a try again with some new "problems" I have.

1. Security paranoia?

I have a home network with a router to which I have connected computers (both wire and wireless) a printer and recently a hard disc (connected with Ethernet cable to the router). The hard disc is supposed to function both as a common storage area for pictures, music and such but also to facilitate transfer between computers (don't have to both be turned on at the same time, no need for sharing folders on them and so on).

Now, obviously anyone that manages to connect to the network will be able to get access to the hard disc. My network is set up in a good way security wise I would say. Encryption, WPA, is used, the password/key is a long string of numbers, characters and such of all sorts and so on. Now, the hard disc can ALSO have accounts with passwords set on itself for access. Is it over paranoia doing that? The thought is that sure, someone might get into the network, no big problem, at most they can use internet from it, but with the hard disc they will basically also get access to private files, so I added password to it. Should I really bother?

Related, can one access such a network from the internet? One can of course get access through physical Ethernet ports on the router and wireless (within a radius of the house) but can one through the internet connect to a router and get into the network?

2. How to handle passwords on network folders?
Now, if I use a password on the hard disc, I have to type it in when I want to access the hard disc. It will then be accessible until I turn off that particular computer and next time I start the computer I have to type it in again. Is there some way in Windows (we use XP on all computers currently) to have the password set automatically so that one don't have to type it in every time? If not, one will end up with quite simple passwords or it gets to annoying. For the wireless connection to the router one can for example type it in once and for all and have Windows use it automatically.

3. Windows folders forgetting its settings
Totally unrelated. I have set up Windows to remember the settings for appearance of each folder separately, however, it seems Windows will often forget these and change them. For most folders I like to have the "detailed list" set but suddenly a folder can have it changed to instead show the content as icons.

For some folders, the control panel and a folder on the desktop with shortcuts to games, I prefer to have the icons instead, almost every time I restart my computer they are changed to detailed lists instead.

Finally, is there some easy way to change the view setting for a folder and ALL subfolders (but not other folders on the computer) simultaneously? Sometimes when you copy around stuff, download things and so on you might end up with a whole bunch of folders each one set for example as showing icons. How to easily change those (and no others) to have detailed view instead? Now I have to manually do it for each and every folder. And if I am unlucky, when I copy them to another hard disc they might all change again. It is SO annoying.


Thanks in advance for any answers, tips or comments.

[Taem]

[...] can one access such a network from the internet? One can of course get access through physical Ethernet ports on the router and wireless (within a radius of the house) but can one through the internet connect to a router and get into the network?

*Raises Hand In Class* "I know the answer to this one!"
Yes, because your HD is connected to your router which is connected to the internet.

3. Windows folders forgetting its settings
Totally unrelated. I have set up Windows to remember the settings for appearance of each folder separately, however, it seems Windows will often forget these and change them. For most folders I like to have the "detailed list" set but suddenly a folder can have it changed to instead show the content as icons.

For some folders, the control panel and a folder on the desktop with shortcuts to games, I prefer to have the icons instead, almost every time I restart my computer they are changed to detailed lists instead.

Finally, is there some easy way to change the view setting for a folder and ALL subfolders (but not other folders on the computer) simultaneously? Sometimes when you copy around stuff, download things and so on you might end up with a whole bunch of folders each one set for example as showing icons. How to easily change those (and no others) to have detailed view instead? Now I have to manually do it for each and every folder. And if I am unlucky, when I copy them to another hard disc they might all change again. It is SO annoying.

Yes. Go to My Computer. Set your view settings. Go to TOOLS/FOLDER OPTIONS/VIEW. Check off however you want your folder settings then click APPLY TO ALL FOLDERS. Simple at that.

EDIT - I assume your using XP? If not, windows 2000 and ME shoud be similar however I have never used Vista!

[Pantalaimon]

*Raises Hand In Class* "I know the answer to this one!"
Yes, because your HD is connected to your router which is connected to the internet.

Yes I believe technically, but most routers have a good hardware firewall which will be "stealth" to port probes. So my JQP-average-user knowledge tells me your network is quite secure from an internet -> HD probe, having to A) figure out there's actually a connection at your IP, andB)crack the HD password.

Yes. Go to My Computer. Set your view settings. Go to TOOLS/FOLDER OPTIONS/VIEW. Check off however you want your folder settings then click APPLY TO ALL FOLDERS. Simple at that.

EDIT - I assume your using XP? If not, windows 2000 and ME shoud be similar however I have never used Vista!

I don't think it's quite that simple, MEAT:) I believe he's saying that he wants some folders (and all its subfolders) one way, but some another way; not setting a system-wide default. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that's what your method does.

I'd be interested in knowing if there is a way to do what he's asking, because it's a problem I run into a lot at work.

[Taem]

I believe he's saying that he wants some folders (and all its subfolders) one way, but some another way; not setting a system-wide default. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that's what your method does.

No you are correct. It is a global change for the way the folders are viewed.

[kandrathe]

Having got good help and answers on some previous questions here on LL, I thought I should give it a try again with some new "problems" I have.

1. Security paranoia?

There are some good tools on the net now to test your systems security. Use one that is legit though. I like Steve's site ShieldsUp! or Symantec's Sygate Test.

[--Pete]

Hi,

. . . I like Steve's site ShieldsUp! . . .

Thanks for that link, very useful site.

--Pete

[LochnarITB]

Hi,
Thanks for that link, very useful site.

--Pete

Yes, Steve Gibson and his GRC have been around for a long time. Going through everything linked through the simple menus of that simple page could easily take weeks. It would be hard to find anyone more dedicated to programming, the internet, and its security.

[Jarulf]

Thanks for the comments and inputs! Thinking about it, it is natural that the hard disc would be accessible directly from the outside (internet). I would have thought there would be some setting (default or not) on it, or on the router to not allow such connections though unless one specifically opens it up. Will se what I find.

I tried out Steves site and tested my computer and it turned out I got "perfect" results. Basically my computer did hardly even exist:)

As for settings of folders in Windows, yes, my wish was for a setting for a particular folder and all its sub folders but no other.

Seems no one has any idea about why the settings changes for folders over time (typically restarting the computer).

This leads to a followup question, WERE does Windows store such settings as the layout of a folder (or even the desktop) and how to show its content? I frequently end up having my laptop at work completely rearrange my icons when I have had it away and come back and connect to the intranet and it syncs. All icons end up scrambled on the left instead of carefully arranged arround the boarders. The support have said there is no way to synch such setings or to save and/or restore it manually for myself either. I have yet to figure out even were such information is stored. Anyone knows?

[kandrathe]

Thanks for the comments and inputs! Thinking about it, it is natural that the hard disc would be accessible directly from the outside (internet). I would have thought there would be some setting (default or not) on it, or on the router to not allow such connections though unless one specifically opens it up. Will se what I find.

I tried out Steves site and tested my computer and it turned out I got "perfect" results. Basically my computer did hardly even exist:)

As for settings of folders in Windows, yes, my wish was for a setting for a particular folder and all its sub folders but no other.

Seems no one has any idea about why the settings changes for folders over time (typically restarting the computer).

This leads to a follow up question, WERE does Windows store such settings as the layout of a folder (or even the desktop) and how to show its content? I frequently end up having my laptop at work completely rearrange my icons when I have had it away and come back and connect to the intranet and it syncs. All icons end up scrambled on the left instead of carefully arranged around the boarders. The support have said there is no way to synch such settings or to save and/or restore it manually for myself either. I have yet to figure out even were such information is stored. Anyone knows?

They would be stored somewhere in the registry. I press "Shift" when I make the change in view style and it sticks for that folder. I default all folders to list form, but for photos I like to see thumbnails.

This also might help. link

[Jarulf]

They would be stored somewhere in the registry. I press "Shift" when I make the change in view style and it sticks for that folder. I default all folders to list form, but for photos I like to see thumbnails.

This also might help. link

Thanks for the link. I think I might have found why it changes the settings at times. From the link:

Note By default, Windows stores the view settings and the customizations for only 400 folders at the same time.

Could it be that it "loses" the setting because more than 400 other folders for various reasons are accessed or used in-between? If I copy arround a lot of files or use programs that access lots of folders (like my photo program) it might hit that limit and lose the seting. Now I just need to up it to test (and find how to do that and see if the system doesn't get to slow if I do it or something).