Use XP Registry Edits To Disable Network Access To Floppy/CD-ROM Drives

Floppy and CD-ROM drives are automatically shared as administrative shares on a network. That means admins and other users can access the drives, increasing security vulnerability. Learn how to disable network access by using XP registry edits.

1. Goto HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE-SOFTWARE-Microsoft-Windows NT-CurrentVersion-Winlogon.
2. To disable network access to the floppy disk drive, find AllocateFloppies and set the Value Data to 1.
3. To disable network access to the CD-ROM drive, find AllocateCDRoms and set the Value Data to 1.

Note: If you can't find AllocateFloppies and AllocateCDRoms values add a new string value to the Winlogon key, pull down the Edit menu and select the New | String Value command. When you see the New Value appear in the Winlogon key, you can name it using the names described in the previous section. Once you name a value, press [Enter] twice—once to activate the new name and once to open the Edit String dialog box. You can then add the appropriate warning messages in Value Data text box.