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General discussion

Network and Sharing Center Public or Private

by zo9345 Jun 27, 2009 1:36AM PDT

Yes I have Vista and my laptop is connected wireless thru router
also have another pc wireless as well
In Network and Sharing center in vista it says Public or private option
I dont plan on sharing files or anything like that
Since I have a router and have no plans for sharing files
what option should I set this to Public or Private?

Discussion is locked

3 Posts

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(NT) Since it is your own (closed), network, Private is fine.

by John.Wilkinson Jun 27, 2009 2:33AM PDT

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Vista Public or Private

by zo9345 Jul 8, 2009 4:56AM PDT

I thought public was a safer choice?

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It is, but...

by John.Wilkinson Jul 8, 2009 12:10PM PDT

The main difference is whether or not you want other devices on the network to be able to see the device. At an airport while accessing a public hotspot, that can be risky. On your own network, behind a presumably password-protected router with a built-in firewall and using WAP/WPA2 encryption, the risk is negligible. Private is always safest, but Public ensures easier transfer of files between devices in the future, without changing settings on multiple devices, without posing a viable risk.

Hope this helps,
John

P.S. I received your PM, but prefer to respond to all questions here so that others may benefit from the information in the future.

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