When using hot spots you must ensure that you are protecting your laptop and contents from unauthorized access. One important but often overlooked item is file and printer sharing. When this is enabled it can allow unauthorized persons to access your laptop. Make it a practice to disable file and printer sharing before using any hot spot.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 Minutes
Here's How:
- Go to Start - Control Panel. Click on Control Panel to open it.
- Once the Control Panel is open, click on Network and Internet Connections.
- Now select Network Connections from the choices available. You will now see the types of connections that your laptop has available to connect to the Internet with.
- Choose the Network Connection that you will be using to access the hot spot - ordnarily this will be the LAN/High Speed Connection and not your Dial Up Account.
- Right click on the connection type and select Properties from the drop down menu.
- The Local Area Connection Properties display all clients and protocols running on your laptop, as well indicating File and Printer Sharing status.
- Remove the check from the box next to File and Printer Sharing to de-select that option.
- Click OK and once that window closes - restart your laptop. File and Printer Sharing is now disabled.
Tips:
- Always disable File & Printer Sharing before using a hot spot.
- Check to make sure your laptop has File & Printer Sharing disabled if you are using a company owned laptop.