Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Unbind a protocol from a client or service

When you add a protocol to a network interface, Windows 2000 automatically binds the protocol to all the installed clients and services. Likewise, when you add a client or service, Windows 2000 binds all existing protocols to it. Binding associates the protocol with the client or service, enabling that client or service to use the bound protocol. You can bind more than one protocol to any particular client or service.

In some situations you won’t want all protocols bound to a particular client or service. For example, you probably don’t want the File and Printer Sharing service bound to the TCP/IP protocol if your computer is hardwired to the Internet or you spend a lot of time online through a dial-up connection. Having the TCP/IP protocol bound to File and Printer Sharing not only makes your computer’s shares visible to users on the Internet but also makes them susceptible to hacking and virus or worm attacks. So you should unbind that protocol from the File and Printer Sharing service.

When TCP/IP needs to be bound to File and Printer Sharing

If TCP/IP is your only network protocol, you can’t unbind it from the File and Printer Sharing service and still enable other users on the LAN to access your shared resources. With no protocol bound to the service, the service is essentially “mute,” with no language to communicate with other computers. If you don’t need to share your local resources with other users, you can ignore the problem or ...