File sharing is quite common in today's world. File sharing allows multiple users (computers) to access the same files and folders. This is extremely useful if you need to share documents with everyone in the office.
File sharing feature is enabled on every operating system. Here I'll show you how to enable file sharing in Windows XP.
Scenario
You want to share the C drive on a computer named "INFO-TECH-W001" and you want all of the other computers in the same network to be able to access the C drive.
Step 1: On INFO-TECH-W001, right click on the C drive and choose "Sharing and Security..."
Step 2: Go to the Sharing tab and select "If you understand the risk but still want to share the root of the drive, click here"
*** Note *** This is just an example. The root of the C drive contains the system files of INFO-TECH-W001. Therefore, it is strongly NOT recommended to share the root of the C drive. Realistically, you would create a folder, say "Shared Folder", then repeat the steps above by right clicking on the folder.
The first time that you set up sharing, Windows XP displays a warning, urging you to use the Network Setup Wizard for safety. Click where indicated to do it yourself: "If you understand the security risks but want to share files without running the wizard, click here"
When promoted with the following warning, click on "Just enable file sharing"
Step 3: Make sure "Share this folder on the network" and give it a name. If you wish to allow users to change the shared files, check the "Allow network users to change my files" checkbox. If you only want users to be able to read only (e.g. they can open documents but can't make changes), do not check the checkbox.
In this example, the Share name that we use is "SharedFolder"
*** Note *** Avoid having spaces in the Share name. User dash or underscore instead of spaces.
You've now successfully configured file sharing on INFO-TECH-W001
Step 4: On the user machines, go to "My Computer" and select "Map Network Drive". Select a Drive letter and put in "\\INFO-TECH-W001\SharedFolder" in the Folder field.
Note that the Folder field is made out of the name of the computer that is sharing files and the share name.
For example:
\\Computer Name\Share Name
In our example the Computer Name is "INFO-TECH-W001" and the Share Name is "SharedFolder"
So the complete folder name is "\\info-TECH-W001\SharedFolder"
That's It!
If you repeat step 4 above on all user computers in the office, everyone will be able to access files and folders stored on the same shared location.
File Sharing in Windows Vista
File sharing in Windows Vista is very similar.
- Right click on a folder that you want to share
- Select "Properties"
- Go to the "Sharing" tab
- Click on "Advanced Sharing"
You can enter the share name and edit access permissions by clicking on the "Permissions" button. Very straight forward.
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