Disabling Peer-To-Peer Network Functionality with WFWG

• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.1

The following article contains information on the use of Windows for Workgroups with third-party products or configurations that have not been tested and are not supported by Microsoft.

If the steps or procedures described in this article do not function properly, contact the manufacturer of the third-party product for more information or use a supported configuration.

SUMMARY

Although Microsoft Windows for Workgroups is designed to provide peer-to- peer networking functions (such as local file sharing and local printer sharing), you may occasionally need to disable the ability to share local resources, or you may need to disable network functionality completely.

NOTE: This article applies to version 3.1 of Microsoft Windows for Workgroups. It does not apply to later versions of the product. Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 allows you to do this during installation and through Network Setup.

This article contains procedures to disable various features and capabilities of Windows for Workgroups. You can re-enable a feature by reversing the procedure.

MORE INFORMATION

To Disable Sharing Local Resources

To disable the ability to share local resources (both files and printers), while maintaining the ability to connect to other network servers, follow these steps:

1. Clear the Enable Sharing box in the Network Settings dialog box of Control Panel.

2. Use a text editor (such as Notepad) to add the following entry to the [network] section of the SYSTEM.INI file located in the Windows directory:

         [network]
         NoSharingControl=1
   

To Disable Sharing Local Files

To disable the ability to share resources (files) from the File Manager, use a text editor to modify the WINFILE.INI file in the Windows directory, and add the following section heading and entry:

   [restrictions]
   NoShareCommands=1

To Disable Sharing Local Printers

To disable the ability to share local print resources from Print Manager, use a text editor to modify the WIN.INI file in the Windows directory. Add the following line to the [Spooler] section of the file:

   NoShareCommands=1

To Disable All Network Functionality

To disable network functionality completely, including the ability to share local resources, use a text editor to modify the [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file located in the Windows directory. Change the "network.drv=" entry from:

   network.drv=wfwnet.drv

   network.drv=