How to prevent employee theft by copying hard drive

[gduns - with the Lord]

our IT person says, like I said before you can set up as user as a user. as user is not allower to copy, modify, or backup computer. however he can use the programs is access is set. You need to let the guy you already paid to to it to go back and do it right. he goofed.

I know this, because there are files on this computer I can see and use, but not modify, or copy.

All conputer Guru's are not competent. you may even be able to do this yourself.

only a poweruser, or an administrator can copy modify, or backup files.

[dlessnau]

I suspect, as you do, that he goofed. He did not protect anything with his user name setup. However, I wonder about the fact that when I did access the Holster program using the new user name, Holster would not work. It did work, using my user name.

That is why I was hoping to get some input from Bryan on this thread to tell me if Holster will work, if a second person is set up with a user account. Holster might have safeguards to stop this.

If that is the case, another guru said I could password protect the Holster song file. But maybe Holster would not work that way either.

So far, I have not heard from Bryan, so today I will try to reach him by phone and see if I am wasting my time with all of this.

[gduns - with the Lord]

if you saw what the guru did then you know there is a menu that lets you set the permission levels of a user. you can also set directory permissions. for directory permissions, you can go to my computer select the drive, select the directory, and select properties. a directory can be set for read only. you can deselect copy and modify. this will allow him to use hoster, and it will read the .kma files in that directory.

I think you will have to put your .hst (the playlist files) in another directory with full permissions. that will let him read/write to the playlists. otherwise the hoster cannot utilize the playlists properly.

Sorry if I didnt explain all this earlier, but I thought the "IT" person would know what he was doing.

[dlessnau]

What you say makes good sense. It seems like something I probably can do myself. The person that worked on my computer installed something called "Tweak" the let him do what ever he was doing. I don't think such a program is needed.

The part you mention about putting the hst files in another directory I don't understand. I know how to make a directory, but I don't know how to make Holster put the play lists into that directory, and use it.

I also would like to know, how you become aware that I made an addition to this thread, and answered it. Since it is my tread, I get an email when someone posts, but I don't think you do???

[gduns - with the Lord]

everyone that posts here gets e-mail.

putting the .hst files in another directory is for the playlist I rename mine to the name of the venue I am playing. Hoster makes the 001.hst, 002.hst etc those are the playlist files.

I rename mine like Bounty.hst. this is the playlist you load when you load a playlist.

[MTUSUPPORT]

Dlessnau,
I get a notification for every post in the forum. I didn't have any input on this thread, but I was reading it. GDUN's knows what he is doing with this stuff, I have never tried this so I am learning from what he is stating.

This is why I have not posted anything in this thread, it is a grey area for me.

[dlessnau]

OK Bryan.

GDUN:

I hate to be a bother, but I still don't know how put playlist in different folder no matter what you name it, and then make Holster save the list to that folder.

I do not save any playlists. At the end of the evening, I delete any remaining songs. However, Holster will then save the empty playlist.

Seems like I could always make a new playlist to start each evening, but when I went to shut down, Holster would try to put the file in the song folder, to which changing and copying rights are denied, and it would hang up.

[MTUSUPPORT]

Dlessnau,
The Folder where your Playlist files are automatically stored is located in the folder that you have set on the Import Tracks Tab. If you click on the Import Tracks Tab, Save To Folder button. Change this to a new location and your .hst files will then be stored in this location.

[gduns - with the Lord]

exactly.
and I save a playlist for the venue I am playing at because a lot of times I only have a few songs that I will sing. I keep them from show to show, so I dont have to reenter them.

[dlessnau]

OH HAPPY DAY! I think this is going to work. I will advise if I succeed with the fix.

[dlessnau]

I changed where the playlist is stored.

Then I made a user account with limited access and a password. I then booted up using the new user account. I was planning on going into the Holster Songs file and make it read only and deselect copy and modify.

However, before I did the above, I tried to open Holster. It will not open. A box come up that says:

The Microsoft Jet database engine cannot open the file c/Program Files/Micro Technology Unlimited/Hoster/databases/Bucket.mdb. It is already opned exclusively by another user, or you need permission to view it's data.

If you just try to proceed anyway, a box asks you to build the database. I tried to do that but it would not work either.

I then just tried to go into the Holster Song Folder by right clicking on the folder and selecting properties. It is already read only, but there is no place to deselect copy and modify.

Lost again. About to give up.

[gduns - with the Lord]

I am sorry, I am at work right now, and dont have access to hoster, I will try to take time tonight an figure out the setup for you. hang tight, if you will, I will get back to you.

[MTUSUPPORT]

Dlessnau,
You need to make sure that you have access to this folder also under this User. It must have Write Permisions on this folder. Or you will get this error message.

[dlessnau]

I don't know how to give the folder write permissions, but will take a look at it while I am logged on as the user and see what I shall see.

It looks to me, that the key to the whole issue is the Holster Song folder. If there was a way to make it so it could not be copied or modified without a password, the problem would be solved.

ADMIN NOTE: The KMA files are really what is needed to be protected, not the Songs.mdb database, as that can be rebuild given the KMA files.

If I get Holster to work by fixing write permissions, while in user account, the file can still be copied just by pluging in an external harddrive and draging the folder to it.

ADMIN NOTE: I'm not the final word on this, but if you have your KMA songs on a hard drive, and that can be removed and copyed, then all your work on creating a new User with limited permissions is to no value. All they have to do is put the hard drive on a second computer and copy the KMA files.

BTW: As the old saying goes, "say what you like about me, just spell my name right." It is H O S T E R , not HOLSTER.

[gduns - with the Lord]

go to my computer, click the hard drive, find the folder, and right click it. pick sharing (when logged on as administrator) you can set up the folder to share as you wish to.

[dlessnau]

When I do as you say, the only thing under sharing is where it tells me if I want to share it with other users of this computer, I should drag it to the shared document folder.


It then says, if I want to make the folder private so only I have access, I should select the following check box.

The box is greyed out.

There is nothing anywhere to deselect copying and modifying.

Maybe, I need XP Pro like the computer whiz said.

[dlessnau]

Bryan:

Please note that this thread has had 349 views in 30 days since it started. There is an interest in protecting the song file from being copied, as no one wants to give thousands of dollars worth of songs to someone for free, and have that person take over your job.

So if there is any way to stop the copying of the Holster Song file, other than by encrypting, I think that solution should be on your list of things to do. I for sure can't protect that file.

Maybe gduns will solve the puzzle.

[George]

DLESSNAU SAID:

Then I made a user account with limited access and a password. I then booted up using the new user account. I was planning on going into the Holster Songs file and make it read only and deselect copy and modify.

However, before I did the above, I tried to open Holster. It will not open. A box come up that says:

The Microsoft Jet database engine cannot open the file c/Program Files/Micro Technology Unlimited/Hoster/databases/Bucket.mdb. It is already opned exclusively by another user, or you need permission to view it's data.

Now this is reaslly going to be wild, but based on the above, would it work to make Hoster a "user" of the shared folder where the songs are stored???

Come on, Gduns, make that one work. I'm not tech, but it seems plausible that Hoster could gain access to the songlist folder as a user..

George

[gduns - with the Lord]

I can do it on windows 2000 just as I described. But I just tried it on xp pro, and got the same results you did. I will work on it a while, And get back with you when I have a solution.

[mikedomi]

dlessnau you said to Bryan
(Please note that this thread has had 349 views in 30 days since it started. There is an interest in protecting the song file from being copied,)

but 99.9% of the post are between 3 of you so if you really look at this
that is about off the top of my head not even a 1/2 of a percent
I truly think if more people wanted this.
this thread would have allot more post in it
most of us are looking to make sure we don't get screwed by this
once again ill say this
NO ONE LIKED WHEN SOUNDCHOICE DID MEDIA CLOCK SO PLEASE DONT ASK HOSTER TO BE LIKE SOUNDCHOICE

and you talk admin in to encrypting the songs to meet YOUR NEEDS AND A FEW OTHERS
I understand your need but 1 ??? please
hod did you stop them from copying your disc ???

ADMIN NOTE: The below paragraph is STRICTLY MIKE'S personal desires. It DOES NOT represent even 1% of the Hoster market. It is NOT standard, and will NOT be considered as even within the NORMAL distribution of Hoster User's needs. Sorry Mike, you need to realize you are way outside the normal users desires here.

a lot of us have 3 or more copies of hoster and cant afford
3 250 gig harddrives so we move it to the computer we are going to use that night
here is the break down
1 laptop
2 lunch box
3 rack mount

if you encrypt the songs then no one can do this
and the more noise you make about it the more attenion you bring that it can be done

maybe you need your kJ/DJ on a contract out lining your needs dos and don't so you will have some kind of legal recourse if it does happen

ps most people loss there kj job to another kJ not because of there song selection but because of there showmen ship
ive seen kj with 30.000 song loss there job to kj with 5000 song and pack the place 3 nights a week

i dont have a problem with what you want to do but sometime when you get a ball rolling you cant stop it

and i have had some one ask me if i new are you really a kj
or do you work for one of the disc manufactor because we know that they get in here and post things like this

all have a good night mike