Windows Vista® Inside Out Deluxe Edition

Understanding Location Types

With computers that connect to different types of networks—such as a corporate domain, an internet café, and a private home network, often within the same day—using the same network security settings for all networks would lead to security breaches, severe inconvenience, or both. Windows Vista uses network locations to categorize each network, and then applies appropriate security settings. When you initially connect to a network, Windows asks you to select a network location:

• Home or Work. The only functional difference between the first two location options is the default icon that Windows uses to represent your network. Select one of these options when you’re connecting to a trusted network, such as your own network ...