Issues with DOS and Read Only on XP

[Vlade_24]

I have a problem with a third party program that is running on a small network and uses DOS.

My setup:
3 Computers
1 Windows 2000 Pro.
1 Windows XP Pro.
1 Windows 98SE
We are also running on a Domain, so each person has his/her account to access the network.

The program's data is all in the Windows XP Pro computer, and i have been having problems accessing the data folders from the other 2 computers. I contacted the program vendor, and he specified to me that the data folders should NOT have "Read-Only" enabled, but on Windows XP you cannot remove the "Read-Only" on the parent folder, only on child objects, that i know of.

The only way i have found out that the users could access the data folder is to add each user as a Local Administrator on the Windows XP computer (where the data resides) and for security issues i cannot leave the users with administrative access on any computer. I am looking for any viable solution for this.

I tried the following:
First i tried sharing the drive with Full Control in Sharing/Security with a test account, it didnt work.

Next i tried sharing only the data folders with Full Control in Sharing/Security with a test account, it didnt work either.
*Tried same thing adding the test account locally as "Power User" , it didnt work.

Then i left the data folders shared with Read/Write only in Sharing/Security, and added the test account as Local Administrator, this worked.

I also tried various forms of Local access (User, Power User, etc.) only one that worked is Local Admin.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[snowmonkey]

You said that you running it on a domain !! which computer is acting as domain server ?? Windows 2000 and XP pro can't have domain server status ? then which machine is domain server ? If you have had domain server then you could specify every users rights on the domain server and set permission on the file server (Windows XP machine)..... since you don't have that, the only option is file sharing which does not have too many option, and to do that you need simple local account.

If you really want to set proper permission or any file then you need Server not Desktop operating system.

cheers

[Vlade_24]

Oops sorry, forgot to add, that these computers are on a small network because they are stand alone with one 5 port hub, but that hub is connected to a larger network from the company i work for. (25+ systems, 3 servers, 2 Windows Server 2000 one application server, the other file server, 1 NT4 that runs the DHCP etc).

The users that use these 3 computers, have the proper permissions and access to the network and domain. The problem dosent appear to be with network/domain access, because i tried to see if the program worked with my account (wich has admin access) from one of the client PC's for the program and i had no problem with it, but when i used a normal user's account, the program didnt work.

Like i said before only way that a normal user could access the program without problems was by adding the user as Local Administrator on the XP system (the one with the data folders), then they could use the program from any of the client computers.

*When i referr to client computers, i only mean it for the program.
This program only installs some files so that it can open a GUI on the client PC, its shortcuts point to the XP machine, and its data folders.