Sharing
files and printers
Most people have a wireless network
so they can access the Internet from any room in the house, but they also want
the freedom of accessing files and printers wirelessly.
Sharing files
The easiest way to share files on
your network is to set up sharing with a home group. If you don't have a
home group, you can share files by placing them in one of the Public folders.
Any file or folder you put in a Public folder is automatically shared with the
people connected to your network. To turn on Public folder sharing, follow
these steps:
- Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
- Click the chevron.to expand the current network profile.
- Under Public folder sharing, click one of the following options:
- Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders
- Turn off Public folder sharing (people logged on to this computer can still access these folders)
- Click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
You will
need to repeat the previous steps on each computer that you want to share files
from.
To share
your files, save them or copy them to a Public folder on your computer. There
is a Public folder for each type of library (Documents, Music, Videos, and
Pictures). Every person with a user account on the computer shares these
folders. For example, to open the Public Documents folder:
Sharing
printer
If you have a printer attached to
one of your computers, you can print to it from any computer connected to your
wireless network. The easiest way to share a printer is to select the Printers
check box when you set up your home group. If you don't have a home group, you
can follow these steps:
- Log on to the computer that has the printer attached to it.
- Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
- Click the chevron .to expand the current network profile.
- Under File and printer sharing, click Turn on file and printer sharing, and then click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Note
- If you have password-protected sharing turned on, people will need a user account with a password on your computer to access your printer.
To access the printer from any
computer on the network, follow these steps:
- Open Network by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, and then, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network computers and devices.
- Double-click the icon for the computer that has the printer attached to it.
- Double-click the icon for the printer. Windows will automatically add the printer to your computer and install the printer driver.