Thank you very much for your reply.
All the computers on my network are running windows XP Pro.
Honestly, i have tried so many times to use the XP's file sharing permission features but without any lucks. That's why i was looking for other alternatives.
Say, we have 3 computers, compA, compB and compC. They are all running on XP Pro.
Please let me explain in a bit more detail(i hope you don't mind) how i set it up and do please check what i did wrong. For a trial and error purpose, i didn't touch anything on the fileserver. Instead, i tested it on compA and compB.
1. I unchecked the simple file sharing on these 3 comps in order that i can set security permission.
2. set up username and password on 3 comps ie. compA & compB. For example on compA, username: johns & it's got password, and on compB, michael is the username, and michelle on compC as username
3. On compA, i created a user by going to "computer management" -> add user "michael". There is a folder called "mydata" sitting on C:\mydata on compA. I made it shared on the network by going to "Sharing and Security" -> share this folder -> on the permission, there is everyone set with only read permission -> on the security, i add user by going to add -> change the object types to user -> i can't change the location so i use "compA" -> Advanced -> find now -> compA/michael. I did the same way for compA/michelle.
For security setting, i set michael with a full control and michelle with a limited control ie read only.
Then, after having done all that, i went to compB logging as michael and went to windows explore trying to find the folder thru network places. When i double clicked the folder, it actually let me in without asking any password. The problem was i couldn't change or save anything on the folder eventhough i set michael with full control on the security setting while everyone set with limited on the permission on compA. what's happening here? what happen to the full control i set on the security setting for michael?confused.
I hope i explained it well to you.
Thank you once again in advance and look forward to hearing from you