How To Create User Accounts
Categories: Setup and Installation Networking and Remote Access
After you complete the installation of the HP MediaSmart Server and the Windows Home Server Connector software to your computer, you are ready to add user accounts for other family members in your household. The HP MediaSmart Server supports two types of user accounts: guest and individual.
Use the table below to determine which type of user account best suits your needs.
| Type of User Acct | Description | Folders | Remote Access | Photo Webshare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guest | Everyone uses the same account. There is typically no password, so no logon is required. | Everyone has Full access to all shared folders. | Cannot use with remote access. | Cannot use with Webshare. |
| Individual | Each family member has a unique user name and password. They logon to use home computers. | Each person can be set up with different shared folder access. | Available. Requires a strong password. | Available. Requires a strong password to be a Webshare Manager. |
This topic includes the following:
- Enabling the Guest Account
- Creating Individual User Accounts
Figure 1: Create User Accounts, Enabling the Guest Account
For additional information on user accounts, see the following help topics in the Windows Home Server help.
- Why do I need user accounts?
- Why should logon names match?
- Which user accounts password policy should I choose?
Enabling the Guest Account
If you want everyone to use the same logon account to access the HP MediaSmart Server, enable the guest account. If the guest account is enabled with no password, family members are not required to logon when they use home computers. Additionally, all family members can have Full access to all shared folders through the guest account.
| NOTE: | If you enable the guest account, everyone that connects to your home network has the same privileges. That may mean that they all have full access to shared folders and other resources on your server. To protect your home network from unwanted connections, see Securing your server from intruders below. |
| NOTE: | The guest account cannot be used to access the server from outside of the home using remote access and it cannot be used with HP Photo Webshare. |
To Enable the Guest Account
- At the computer, double-click the Windows Home Server icon
in the system tray. - Log on to the Windows Home Server Console.
- Go to task 2 of the Assistant and click the User Accounts tab at the top of the page.For additional information, see Opening and Closing the Assistant below. If you are not following the Assistant, click the User Accounts tab. The User Accounts Setup dialog displays.The User Accounts Setup dialog. Click Enable Guest .
Creating Individual User Accounts
If family members want to access information on your home network from an Internet café, coffee shop, or other location outside of your home, they need individual user accounts with strong passwords. At least one individual user account with a strong password is also required to create a Webshare Manager and to set up HP Photo Webshare. For additional information, see Task 4 of 6: Configure your HP Photo Webshare below. 
Figure 2: Create User Accounts, Creating Individual User Accounts
| NOTE: | When you create user accounts on the server, use logon names and passwords that match the logon names and passwords of existing user accounts on your home computers. Creating matching user accounts enables family members to automatically log on to the server when they log on to their home computer. |
If the user accounts and passwords do not match, you will be prompted to type a user name and password when you open the server’s shared folders.
If your computer does not have a password or if the computer uses a factory default user name, you can change these parameters to eliminate the need to enter your user name and password when you access a shared folder.
Do I need to create user accounts on each home computer?
Computer user accounts are created on each home computer that connects to the server. Likewise, if three family members share a home computer, each family member should have an individual user account on that computer.
For instance, if Mom and Dad share a computer, you will create user accounts for both of them on the computer that they share. If the children, Jill and Bobby, have their own computers, you can create one user account for each of them and only on the computer that they use.
Another option is to set up user accounts for all family members on all computers.Then, each family member can log on to any home computer and access the server seamlessly.
Create a User Account for a Home Computer Running Windows XP
- At the computer, click Start , Control Panel , and then User Accounts .
- Click Add to create a user account.-or-Click Change an Account to change a logon name or password for an existing account.A strong password is suggested to ensure security and is required to use remote access or HP Photo Webshare. A strong password must be at least 7 characters long and must fulfill three of the following four character criteria:
- Uppercase characters
- Lowercase characters
- Numbers
- Symbols (such as !, @, #, and so on.)
A password hint helps you remember your password. The password hint can be seen by anybody who clicks the link to display it. -
Create a User Account for a Home Computer Running Windows Vista
- At the computer, click Start and then Control Panel .
- Under User Accounts and Family Safety , select Add or remove user accounts .Add user accounts or make changes to existing user accounts.A strong password is suggested to ensure security. A strong password must be at least 7 characters long and must fulfill three of the following four character criteria:
- Uppercase characters
- Lowercase characters
- Numbers
- Symbols (such as !, @, #, and so on.)
A password hint helps you remember your password. The password hint can be seen by anybody who clicks the link to display it. -
To create user accounts on the server
- At the computer, double-click the Windows Home Server icon in the system tray.
- Log on to the Windows Home Server Console.
- Go to task 2 of the Assistant and click the User Accounts tab at the top of the page.For additional information, see Opening and Closing the Assistant on page 2-4. If you are not following the Assistant, click the User Accounts tab.The User Accounts Setup dialog displays.
- Click Set Policy to force a password strength for all user accounts and click OK . (optional)User accounts that are enabled for remote access in the Add User Account Wizard in step 6 below, require a strong password regardless of what is selected on the Set Policy page.
- Click OK on the User Accounts Setup dialog to begin creating user accounts.
- Click Add , and then complete the Add User Account Wizard .Use only the following characters for names:
- Uppercase letters—A, B, C, and so on.
- Lowercase letters—a, b, c, and so on.
- Numbers—0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Symbols—use only: dash - underscore _ period . space [ ]
-
- Check to enable remote access if the family member wants to access the home network from outside of the home of if they want to use HP Photo Webshare. Adding a new user
- Repeat for each user account that you want to add.
| >> | How To Manage Webshare Accounts |
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