I use 1 NIC for 2 network connections. The fist connection is a private network with a static IP for my local home net. The second connection is a public network which uses a DSL modem connected to the switch to open a pppoe connection to the internet. I'd like to be able to activate file sharing on the private LAN, while deactivating it for the pppoe connection. As long as the pppoe connection is disconnected, file sharing in the private LAN works just fine, but as soon as I connect to the internet, file sharing is deactivated globally due to the public connection. When I try to reactivate file sharing, Vista offers me 2 alternatives: change all public connections to private connections activate file sharing for all public connections is there no way to activate file sharing for the private connections, while having it disabled for the public ones?!? I'd really appreciate every hint on how to have a secure public connection simultaneously to an open private connection very much! Currently I have to disconnect the pppoe connection whenever I need to exchange files on my home LAN, which is VERY inconvenient...

Hi, If you have concern on security by changing both to private connections, you have add one more network adapter and use the Internet Connection Sharing feature. Regards,Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Hi, thanks for your answer! Actually I do not even want to share the internet connection of this Vista machine with someone else on the LAN, as the other machines will start their own pppoe connection if needed. I just want to deactivate file sharing for the pppoe connection which happens to be established via the same physical NIC and Ethernet cable as the connection to the private LAN. As far as I understood the connection settings, setting the pppoe connection to private could allow other clients of the same ISP or even arbitrary hosts on the WWW to access my shares [depending on the reliability and sensibility of the filter rules of the ISP]. Does your answer imply that it is not possible in Windows Vista to configure different connections differently, as long as the use the same hardware? Cheers,

Make a new folder. Copy all your files in the new folder.Right click on the folder.Click on sharing and security.There are two options local sharing and security and network sharing and security.To share the folder and files with other users of the computer drag it to the shared documents folder.In the network sharing and security by default windows has disabled remoe access to this computer, however if you wish people on the network access the folder then you have to run the network setup wizard.

thank you for bumping my request I don't want to share the files on the local machine with different users, I want to share them via the same NIC on a different network, but windows seems to be unable to set different security settings for different networks, when they run on the same hardware.