Your Item #5 (?) was to replace File Sharing with true NTFS permissions. [You wrote "If you do need to make shared folders accessible, it???s important that they be protected by both share-level permissions and file-level (NTFS) permissions. Also ensure that your account and the local administrative account have strong passwords."]

I'm only a home network user, not an IT guy, and I've found those complex permissions to be daunting, confusing and unworkable. Is there a guide at the idiot level? Also, as my wife takes her laptop traveling on business a lot, would turning off File Sharing and using such network permissions screw her up when she connects to wi-fi at a hotel? Thanks.