Block or Disable Port 80?

reply to post by Ex_CT2


Sorry for sounding the way I did. There really isn't any other way to do it. You have to take administrator control of the pc. This is how Windows Pro versions or higher and networking works. They are designed so that multiple users can share a machine. End users should have only normal user accounts and privileges, so that the admin account of the pc can lock it down locally. Without a domain controller the next best thing is administrators local policy.

It's common to see businesses grow to the point where they need to redo everything as the user base is beyond administrating just a handful of PC's. Then they need to hire a network admin. A company with many users without a domain controller server is a nightmare to a tech person. Not to mention the security of the network as a whole. Upgrading a network and buying software and licenses is costly I know, but if you got something like 50-100 users on a network without a DC you're just asking for trouble. There is linux and everyone thinks that open source is free. Well it's not really free in a business standpoint. There is licenses you have to buy into if it's used in a business network, but the pricing isn't going to skin you like Microsoft will. Going with Microsoft a business could easily drop 20k on software, licensing, user cal packs, server and hardware and hiring a admin to boot.

reply to post by sean


Thanks, Sean. I wasn't really all that insulted, and I do appreciate your input.

We only have about 30 users; but it is a pain in the butt. Thing is, the owner is a bit of a cheapskate—which is how I happen to have been recruited when he decided to save money by dropping his on-contract IT guy. I had already started doing some of the admin stuff myself, because things were always in a half-assed condition.

Anyway, what I ended up doing was just remove the DNS servers from the Network Connections configuration as I mentioned somewhere up above. The user tries to get online, it craps out, and he moves on to more productive activities. I know that's not a solution—but it works for now.

I guess I'll start putting together a plan and a budget at some point, and have a talk with the owner....