Hi, I've scoured the internet for the last few days trying to figure this out but I can't find anything. Basically I have a home network set up that is sharing files just dandy, but I want to change it so that only some computers on the network have access to some shared files. Its basically custom permissions 101, basic stuff, except when I try to adjust the permissions (Sharing-->AdvancedSharing-->Permissions-->Add) I can only adjust the permissions for users on the local computer, not for remote computers ("computers" aren't even listed in the "Object Types"). It seems easy to do with Windows Server 2000, but can it be done with Vista Business 64 (or any version for that fact?! Or Windows 7? Or something?). Very frustrating! Please help

You can't apply server concepts to peer to peer networking. Permissions are only for user accounts. Sounds like you have the guest account enabled and that is how other users are connecting. You would disable the guest account. You would create users on your pc with the same names and passwords as exists on the other pcs. They you would have the ability to manage access.

Without an active directory you can't easily manage groups of remote computers. Might consider ftp/sftp or other means to authenticate users instead of ntfs permissions. See this for how to. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304040 Playing to the angels Les Paul (1915-2009)

Hi! Thanks both of your for your help. Its too bad that it isn't as easy as I think it should be. So basically without stupid complicated things (ie ftp or duplicate user names) one a folder is set to be shared on the network, anyone on the network can read/write to it and thats that? Too bad. Thanks though!

duplicate names? I think you have missed the point. You have to have a local account to control local access. When a user logs onto a "remote" pc then that account can authenciate to the networked pc and be given access to the file shares at what level you wish to control. Not complicated. Totally normal for peer to peer sharing. I would never advise a home networker to use Active Directory just for the cost of the server product let alone the complexity to properly configure it.

Oh, Ok. I will have to try that. Do you know of any tutorials for this? The two computers that I want to be able to share the files between actually already have the same username on them. So is it just a matter of changing the permissions so that "everyone" does not have write privilages and only that one particular username does? Do I need to set up passwords or anything, or is it all just taken care of? Thanks! Hopefully this works - excited!

Correct "everyone" can be restricted or removed. You need at minimum two accounts. One with full privleges and one with limited or you will lock yourself out. You should always have a backup admin account. You can have account1 on pc1 have one password and account1 on pc2 have a different account but this effects connection [authenication] not file access.