How To Setup A Shared Drive On Windows XP and Windows 7
In this example we will setup a shared drive on a home computer. This will allow us to share files between multiple computers and devices on the network. This can be great for sharing files as well as setup a single point to manage and update files.
How to Create A Shared Folder in Windows XP:
To begin create or select a folder that you wish to share.
Right click on the folder you wish to share and select properties
Click on the Sharing tab and select Share this folder radio button
You can change the name of your share to what you want. In this example the foler is called shared. This will be the name of the folder that will be used to map the drive. So in this example when I am connecting from another computer it would be \\ComputerIP\shared.
You will want to define some security settings now.
Click on Permissions
By default everyone has read access. This allows anyone to read the files in the folder but not write to them. You can change this permission or remove users or groups to fit your needs. For example if you only want a group to be able to read files in the folder and one specific user to have write access you can easy set this up by clicking on the add button and adding the user and define the permissions.
To add a user or group click on Add
You will be brought to a search window. If you are on a domain you can change the location to look at users on your domain. You can add a single user or a group from the computer as well. If it is a local user you will want to make sure the account is created and a password is set. (Control Panel > Users)
Once you have found your user you can grant the needed access for your shared drive.
The image below show user Eric with full control over the folder
Apply your settings.
You should now see a hand under your folder indication that it is being shared.
You will need to make one more change. You will need to allow file and print sharing in Windows Firewall.
Click Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall
Click on the Exceptions tab
Make sure there is a check mark next to File and Printer Sharing
You can go to the other computer and map the drive with \\computer ip address\shared drive name
How to Create a Shared Folder in Windows 7:
There are not many difference sharing a folder in Windows 7 verses Windows XP. Lets start off by creating a folder that we want to be shared. This can be named anything you want. You can have the share name be something different. In this example we will called the folder MyShare.
Right Click and select New > Folder
Name the folder to what ever you like. In this example I am calling it MyShare.
Right Click on the folder and select Properties
Click on the Sharing Tab
Click on Advanced Sharing...
Select Share this folder.
Give the folder a Name (The Name of the Share) and a few comments explaining what the folder is used for.
By default everyone will have read access to the folder. However Users will not be able to write to the folder. To change the default permissions and add and remove users and groups click on the permission Button.
You can see here the permission that everyone will have. You can change this or remove the user
To Add a User or Group click on Add
Start typing in the username of the user or group that you would like to add.
Select the User you want to grant permission to.
Grant the needed permissions
(Note: In this example I decided not to add a user and just granted the everybody group read write permissions.)
Now just click apply to make the changes.
Run to another computer and click on Start
Type in \\SharePC\ShareName
(Change ShareIP with the IP Address of the computer the shared drive is on as well as change ShareName with the name of your share.)
You will also need to make sure File and Print is enabled on the firewall.
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