Sharing files across the network
In any good network, sharing files and devices is important. To be able
to share files across your network, you need to enable file sharing on
your computer. Here’s how you can do it:
- Click on Start, go to Control Panel
and select network connections.
- In the Network connections box, Right-click on your
network and go to Properties
- In the properties window, on the General tab see
if the options Client for Microsoft Networks and File and
Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks are selected.
- If the options have not been selected then enable them.
Try sharing your files now.
If you are not able to share your files, here are a few options you can
try:
Option 1:
- In the Network connections properties box select Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) and click on the Properties
button, and then click on the Advanced
button.
- In the box that shows up enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP
setting. NetBIOS is what Windows uses for file and
printer sharing, so make sure it is enabled.
Option 2:
Make sure that all the computers on your network have the same Workgroup
name. Here’s how to check it:
- Click on Start and go to Control Panel
and double-click on the System icon.
- In the System Properties window that opens up click on the computer
name tab.
- Make sure the Workgroup name on all systems is the same.
Option 3:
You need to check if the Server service which actually
allows file sharing has been started.
- Click on Start and go to Programs.
Click on Administrative tools and go to Services.
- Scroll down the long list of services listed in the right pane of
the window that opens and double-click on the Server option.
- In the server properties window, if the service is started,
stop it and restart it after 5 seconds.
- Make sure that the start-up type is Automatic.
If it’s not, change it to automatic.
- Click on Apply and then on OK.
Now that if you have most of the parameters covered, you should be able
to share your files across the network.
In your network now that you have enabled sharing, to actually share
the files or folders you want to access from different computers:
- In the My Computer window find the file or folder
you want to share. Right click on the folder and select the Sharing
and security option.
- In the Properties window click on the Sharing tab.
Enable the Share this folder on the network option
by clicking on it.
- When you share a folder, Windows automatically turns on the Allow
network users to change my files option. If
you want other users to be able to only view your files and not change
them then disable this option.
- Click on OK to close the properties box.
The shared folder would look like this.
You can now go about sharing folders in this manner.
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