Question: Hiding my computer on domain

I would like for my Windows XP Pro laptop to be able to join a Windows
domain, but not have the laptop show up in the computer list in network
neighborhood.

So far, I haven't been able to find instructions (that work) on how to do
this.

I did find a few posts that talk about modifying a setting in the registry,
but that method did not work for me.

The machine is not sharing any files. I'd like to remove it from the list
of machines just to make sure that it is less of a target for a hack
attempt.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a solution for this?

Tony

"Tony" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:cfohn2$(E-Mail Removed)...
>I would like for my Windows XP Pro laptop to be able to join a Windows
>domain, but not have the laptop show up in the computer list in network
>neighborhood.
>
> So far, I haven't been able to find instructions (that work) on how to do
> this.
>
> I did find a few posts that talk about modifying a setting in the
> registry, but that method did not work for me.
>
> The machine is not sharing any files. I'd like to remove it from the list
> of machines just to make sure that it is less of a target for a hack
> attempt.
>
> Can anyone point me in the direction of a solution for this?
>
> Tony
>


The server service advertises your PC name to the browser system.

If you are not sharing anything, then you can shut down the Server service.

Start | Run | Services.msc
Dbl-click Server service;
Stop the service, and set the Startup Type to Disabled.

A less drastic way is to let the server service run,
but stop the advertising:

Go to a command prompt, and issue the command:
net config server /hidden:yes

This will stop the periodic ( 12 mins ) browser announcements.
The machine will drop off the browse list after it misses a couple of
announcements.

Note that any shortcuts which are in other PC's 'My Network places' won't
dissapear.
You need to delete them manually.
But they won't re-appear.


--
Best Regards,
Ron Lowe
MS-MVP Windows Networking

Doing so from the command line will disable the server service auto tuning
feature. Better to navigate to;
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServe r\Parameters
create a Reg_Binary value named
"Hidden"
set it's value to 1


--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"Ron Lowe" wrote:
| The server service advertises your PC name to the browser system.
|
| If you are not sharing anything, then you can shut down the Server
service.
|
| Start | Run | Services.msc
| Dbl-click Server service;
| Stop the service, and set the Startup Type to Disabled.
|
| A less drastic way is to let the server service run,
| but stop the advertising:
|
| Go to a command prompt, and issue the command:
| net config server /hidden:yes
|
| This will stop the periodic ( 12 mins ) browser announcements.
| The machine will drop off the browse list after it misses a couple of
| announcements.
|
| Note that any shortcuts which are in other PC's 'My Network places' won't
| dissapear.
| You need to delete them manually.
| But they won't re-appear.
|
|
| --
| Best Regards,
| Ron Lowe
| MS-MVP Windows Networking
|
|

You can unbind File and Printer Sharing from the network adapter in the
network connection Properties.

Browser announcement period is 15 min. If the host doesn't confirm its
network presence in 15 min, the master browser will attempt to contact it 3
times with 12 min interval, then delete the host from the browser list.