Limitation on Windows XP Home and XP Pro

[Martinco]

Many of us are running networks in our day to day attempt to make a couple of bucks.
Well, here is something to keep in mind ! Windows XP Home installed on a computer used as a data server can only handle 5 logged on users at a time. ( Not only onto Pastel or any other multi user accounting package you are running , but all other data basis served by the server ) and if you have a LAN printer, that counts as one user. So, with the above you can only have 4 more users in your accounting package logged on and should the lady doing the Payroll log on as well, you will get an error message to the effect that "no further connections to this computer can be made."

Windows XP Pro can handle 10 users and after that you have to go to Windows Server.

Just to demonstrate how clever Microsoft was.........the first edition of XP ( Home or Pro ) had no such limitation and this was only introduced via the first service pack apparently "to limit the spread of viruses".

So beware of the limitations of your OS ! before adding new workstations.

There is a temporary band-aid for this problem.

On the web one can find a temporary solution if you are running XP Home by editing the Registry to timeout an inactive connection in 1 ( or any other ) minute/s instead of the default 15 minutes. This allows the user wanting to log on to wait for a shorter period before being allowed by the OS. This obviously bars the previous user from the data base. However once the default parameter is changed, it gets written to the registry, including other registry entries and will remain so unless changed manually again.

If one now UPGRADES to XP Pro ( to get 10 users ) these registry entries will remain as is ( 5 users) and this deactivates XP Pro's ability to automatically set the user amount to 10. You will have to do this manually by changing the registry setting for the user amount. OR you have to go through a procedure to reset the network parameters to XP Pro default.

Another word of warning !!!!! Do not fiddle around with the registry settings unless you know what you are doing and always make a restore point before you attempt any changes.
The result of not doing the procedure correctly can be a complete loss of your OS and subsequent re-installation of Windows.

Does anyone know what the limitations are on Vista and the new Win 7 ?

If somebody has one of these you can find out by : Start- Run- Cmd- enter and at the prompt enter: Net config server enter

This will show "Maximum users"

Assuming the commands are still the same ?