I've done a lot of research but still have some questions regarding and
optimal setup for my situation. I'm part of a small business and have a
network setup between about 4 computers. Actually many more computers connect
through the wireless, but at this point I'm not that concerned about file and
printer sharing between those. Currently I share files/folders and printers,
but I want to control who can have access to what shared folders. The domain
and Active Directory option seems to be the best, although overkill for the
situation, but I don't want to spend the money and time invested in a
dedicated server machine. Also, this group of computers (laptops) will be
networked in the same fashion in at least 3 different locations, changing
throughout the year.

I've delved into the workgroup security scenario, but that seems like a big
headache. Is there such a thing as just simply password protecting certain
shared folders? Is there any other solutions you can think of that best match
my situation? I'll keep trucking on creating users on individual computers
and trying to match everything up if need be, but I wanted to ask for
opinions first. Thank you.