How to access files on your PC from anywhere using internet with a simple web browser

[XDRoX]

Note: I will not take any resposibilty for the installation of this software. If it does not work, then you've made a mistake. Read error messages and try to understand them. Any email I receive on this material will go directly to the trash unanswered.

Purpose: Install a mini web server on your PC so you can access your files from anywhere with a simple browser (in HTTPS).

Allows upload and download files and the handling (copy / rename / delete / edit / search / zipper ...). It makes you to storage space of the web ... with the capacity of your hard drive!

It looks like this when the file manager is once installed:

What is Needed:

• Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003
• Internet connection (preferably, permanently as the ADSL), with dynamic IP or fixed.

Tools used:

• Pi3web (web server)
• Quixplorer (file manager with PHP)

These 2 tools are free and open.
Pi3web is a web server very compact (2.3 MB download), OpenSource, which supports PHP, fast, little bigger resources (about 10 MB of RAM), works with all versions of Windows (95 to 2003) , fast to install, generation SSL certificates ultra-simple, works as a service or application to uninstall cleanly.

Quixplorer is a file manager with PHP practical and effective, not requiring mySQL databases. The rights management is convenient and simple.

[XDRoX]

STEP 1 - Setting up DNS

It must be already that your PC is accessible to Internet fixed with a name (to avoid having to know its IP address).

1. For this you can use free services like dyndns.org.
2. Register at the site and install the DynDNS program on your computer.
3. his will allow you to access your computer fixed with a name (for example toto.dyndns.org)
4. Verify that your DNS works well in ping your computer: ping toto.dyndns.org

For the remainder, we assume that your machine is toto.dyndns.org

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STEP 2 - Installing pi3web

2.1) Download pi3web of http://pi3web.sourceforge.net/pi3web/
(Pi3Web-x86Win32-2_0_3.exe or higher.)

2.2) Install pi3web:

2.2.a) Launch Pi3Web-x86Win32-2_0_3.exe, follow the instructions.

2.2.b) In the screen "Configure server identity", check "SSL".

2.2.c) In the screen "Generate demo server SSL keys and certificates:
- In "Common name and Server name," enter toto.dyndns.org
- Empty all other fields.

2.2.d) In the screen "Server Server Run Mode", choose "System service. And finish the installation.

2.3) Set pi3web, in the window "Pi3web Server Admin"

2.3.a) In the "mapping", delete all lines except * * those whose "From" is:
- /Icons/
- /images/
- /Errors/
- /

2.3.b) In the "mapping", add the 2 following mappings:
Type From To Realm
--------------------------------------------------------
Document/Quix/.config/dummy-directory/ (none)
Document/Quix/.include/dummy-directory/ (none)

2.3.c) In the "HTTP:
- In the "Server stamp", empty text ( "Pi3Web/2.0.3")
- In "index files, delete all, then add: index.php and index.html
- In "Methods", check POST
- In "Size limit", enter 99999999
Click "OK".

2.3.d) Delete the files in the C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot

2.3.e) Create an empty file: C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\index.html

2.3.f) On your hard drive, create the directory c:\tmp

2.3.g) Change the file C:\Pi3Web\bin\php.ini:
- Change: post_max_size 8M =
in: post_max_size = 99M

- Change: upload_max_filesize = 2M
in: upload_max_filesize = 99M

- Change: memory_limit = 8M
in: memory_limit = 99M

- Change: max_execution_time = 30
in: max_execution_time = 1800

(This will upload files up to 99 MB)

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STEP 3 - Installing Quixplorer

3.a) Download Quixplorer of http://quixplorer.sourceforge.net/
(For example quixplorer_2_3_1.zip)

3.b) Create the C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix

3.c) Unpack the ZIP file in C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix
index.php must be this: C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix\index.php)

3.d) Edit the file C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix\.Config\conf.php:

- Change: $GLOBALS["require_login"] = false;
in: $GLOBALS["require_login"] = true;

- Change:$GLOBALS["SCRIPT_NAME"] = "[http://]".$GLOBALS ['__SERVER'] ['HTTP_HOST'].$GLOBALS['__SERVER']["PHP_SELF"];
in: $GLOBALS["SCRIPT_NAME"] = "[https ://]".$GLOBALS['__SERVER']['HTTP_HOST'].$GLOBALS['__SERVER']["PHP_SELF"];

- Change: $GLOBALS["home_dir"] = "/home/you/public_html";
in: $GLOBALS["home_dir"] = "/";

- Change: $GLOBALS["zip"] = false;//function_exists("gzcompress");
in: $GLOBALS["zip"] = true;//function_exists("gzcompress");

3.e) Edit the file C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix\.Config\.Htusers.php:

- Change: array("admin","9628d0d187029e6337baa86780b2abb6","."," http://localhost",1,"",7,1)
in: array("admin","9628d0d187029e6337baa86780b2abb6","c:/"," http://localhost",1,"",7,1)

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STEP 4 - final

4.a) Launch your browser and go to https://localhost/Quix/

Connect with the login "admin" password "pwd_admin."

Go immediately to the admin page, and change the admin password.
(Before last button, just before the "Logoff").

From here you can create users.
(Including assign specific directories for each user.)

Note that the links by clicking on the files will not work
(It will still click the button "Download" in column right to download a file.)
This is normal since your hard disk is not shared on the Internet outside the file manager Quixplorer.

4.b) Now that users are configured, open your web server to Internet:
Start Menu> Programs> Pi3Web> Server Admin
In the "General" tab, select "Remotely using a hostname."
In "Hostname" enter toto.dyndns.org
Click "OK"

4.c) You can now access your machine from https://toto.dyndns.org/Quix/
With the Quixplorer admin, you can create storage for each user, or add new users who can make the read-only.

[XDRoX]

Security Notes:

A) Why / Quix and an empty index.html?
Because if by chance a hacker arrives on your website, you will see a blank page. He will not know that Quixplorer is installed. This reduces the risk of attacks on Quixplorer.

B) In the file C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix\.Include\footer.php delete everything between the lines: function show_footer() { // footer for html-page.
(This prevents the webmaster of the site Quixplorer know the address of your website through the HTTP Referer.)

C) In the file C:\Pi3Web\WebRoot\Quix\.Include\login.php find the location of this code:

---%-----------

if(isset($GLOBALS['__POST']["p_user"])) {
// Check Login
if(!activate_user(stripslashes($GLOBALS['__POST']["p_user"]), md5(stripslashes($p_pass)))) {
logout();
}

---%-----------

and add the sleep (10).

---%-----------

if(isset($GLOBALS['__POST']["p_user"])) {
// Check Login
sleep(10); if(!activate_user(stripslashes($GLOBALS['__POST']["p_user"]), md5(stripslashes($p_pass)))) {
logout();
}

---%-----------

This will impose an expectation of 10 seconds on the login window, which protects against attacks on Quixplorer type "brute force".

D) Keep an eye to the computer on which you type your password: If a keylogger is installed, you may make you steal your password, and this will allow others access to your files and your hard drive! Be wary, be it in a cafe or friends.

As possible, use a bootable CD such as Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.net/): You will be assured that there is no keylogger.

E) Use preferably Quixplorer logins with limited rights.
(Access to a directory only by example, or that reading.)

In cases of theft of password, the damage will be less if the attacker can not access only one directory rather than your entire hard drive.

Do not use the administrator account to log in from the outside: If someone steals your password, he can access your entire hard drive!

[itsme_rano]

heya, i am sorry to be a bother, but i think i managed to follow your awesome detailed instructions and managed to pull it off, one problem, what if i have a second hard drive, how do i access the stuff on there?

[Rudra.J]

You need to mount the partitions of yuor second disk and access it... Its quite easy... See this :
How to mount ext4 partition in ubuntu
NTFS partitions does not mount at startup in Ubuntu
How do i mount NTFS partition on Fedora?
Mount internal hard drive in ubuntu
http://forums.techarena.in/guides-tutorials/4062.htm

[itsme_rano]

thanks rudra, but i am on xp so is there a guide for that, or i could just google it i guess. heh. thanks man.

[jasonpang]

i'm an stupid boy. it's hard to understand.

[Rudra.J]

thanks rudra, but i am on xp so is there a guide for that, or i could just google it i guess. heh. thanks man.

If the hard disk is in the same computer then you can add the path along with C:\. See the config mentioned above...

[crusch]

you can also use xampp.