"Steve K. Lee" wrote:

> I have a laptop which I have it connected to my wirelessly to my
> router.  This evening when I tried to turn my laptop off after
> finishing off some work, I got a message saying something along the
> line of, "If you turn your computer off now, other users will be
> disconnected", or something to that effect.  I don't recall verbatim.
>
> So, looked in my network settings and I noticed that my laptop was
> connected to some other router/network other than my own.  I'm
> guessing that my laptop somehow dropped its original connection with
> my router and it searched and found another wireless network which was
> unsecured.  Most probably hooked up with a router belonging to one of
> my neighbours.
>
> But what I'm most concerned with is the warning message I received
> when I tried to turn off the laptop.  Does that indicate that someone,
> perhaps the owner of the router which my laptop searched and connected
> to, was connected to my computer and was browsing through the contents
> of my HD?
>
> I'm running Windows XP Home.  This has never happened to me before and
> I'm very concerned.  What do some of you make of this?  TIA!
>

>You also should be setting up a WEP or WPA security scheme on your own
>wireless network.  This will "lock" out other "un-authorised" users from your
>network.  Every wireless router / adapter all come as "opened" (no security)
>acess, which means anyone can access anything on your PC and router.
>
>On 15/09/2006 jmwills <jmwi***@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>Very possible and easy to do if you did not chnge the password on the
>>built-in Admin Account, most people do not. There is also a setting withing
>>the WZC control panle to set your machine to "connect only to preferred
>>networks".

>Hi guys, thanks for the tips.  However, I have already changed the
>Admin account and have also set up a 128 bit, I believe, WEP security
>key.
>
>My problem was that it was my laptop that seeked out someone else's
>unsecured wireless network when its wireless connection was dropped
>unbeknownst to me.
>
>And while my laptop was connected to someone else's wireless
>connection and I tried to turn it off, I received a windows warning
>message saying something along the line of, "If you turn your computer
>off now, other users will be disconnected", or something to that
>effect.  I don't recall verbatim.
>
>And what I was curious of was if that message indeed does indicate
>that someone in the wireless network which my laptop connected to
>after the connection with my router somehow dropped, was connected to
>my laptop and was browsing the contents of it.
>
>On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:08:34 -0400, "Yves Leclerc"
><yvesleclercNOSPAM@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>>You also should be setting up a WEP or WPA security scheme on your own
>>wireless network.  This will "lock" out other "un-authorised" users from
your
>>network.  Every wireless router / adapter all come as "opened" (no security)
>>acess, which means anyone can access anything on your PC and router.
>>
>>On 15/09/2006 jmwills <jmwi***@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>>Very possible and easy to do if you did not chnge the password on the
>>>built-in Admin Account, most people do not. There is also a setting withing
>>>the WZC control panle to set your machine to "connect only to preferred
>>>networks".
>

"Steve K. Lee" wrote:

> I have a laptop which I have it connected to my wirelessly to my
> router.  This evening when I tried to turn my laptop off after
> finishing off some work, I got a message saying something along the
> line of, "If you turn your computer off now, other users will be
> disconnected", or something to that effect.  I don't recall verbatim.
>
> So, looked in my network settings and I noticed that my laptop was
> connected to some other router/network other than my own.  I'm
> guessing that my laptop somehow dropped its original connection with
> my router and it searched and found another wireless network which was
> unsecured.  Most probably hooked up with a router belonging to one of
> my neighbours.
>
> But what I'm most concerned with is the warning message I received
> when I tried to turn off the laptop.  Does that indicate that someone,
> perhaps the owner of the router which my laptop searched and connected
> to, was connected to my computer and was browsing through the contents
> of my HD?
>
> I'm running Windows XP Home.  This has never happened to me before and
> I'm very concerned.  What do some of you make of this?  TIA!
>