Win 7 homegroup file sharing

that's good news then. once you start using it more you'll find it's a very useful feature, and wonder how you managed without it. with my setup i have the one pc that has a large amount of drive space(over 4 TB) where i store all my data files(mostly my video collection and music) that can then be used by any other pc in the home. means i don't have to buy the same amount of hard drive space for each computer, and having all my data in one place also makes the backup procedure a lot simpler.

I am getting the idea. I see Desk on the laptop in Documents and when I click on it I can share. To not share I just use Documents. Conversly, On the desktop I see lap and do sharing in there but if i don't want sharing I just use documents. Password protected sharing is on but it has never asked me to enter it. Is this not working? ? Start right click, properties. network and homegroup are not checked but I do not kow if they should be. What about services.msc? I am thinking of places or reasons why passwowrd is not appearing.

no idea peter i don't use any windows operating systems so don't know if the password option your talking about is just to join the homegroup and then you get access to everything you have set individual folder/file permissions for as long as your part of the homegroup or if it should ask every time you click on the folder or even if the folder needs to be set to password protect and given a password too, if so never use the same password as the homegroup log on for folder passwords. don't forget with folder/file permissions your able to set up certain files so that only 1 of the pc's can see and use them even tho all the files are in the same folder as the files that the other pc can see and use too(especially handy if you had more than 2 pc's and wanted to limit which pc see's which file).

no idea peter i don't use any windows operating systems so don't know if the password option your talking about is just to join the homegroup and then you get access to everything you have set individual folder/file permissions for as long as your part of the homegroup or if it should ask every time you click on the folder or even if the folder needs to be set to password protect and given a password too, if so never use the same password as the homegroup log on for folder passwords.

don't forget with folder/file permissions your able to set up certain files so that only 1 of the pc's can see and use them even tho all the files are in the same folder as the files that the other pc can see and use too(especially handy if you had more than 2 pc's and wanted to limit which pc see's which file).

>>No windows operating systems? Wow! To a relative novice I find that amazing and perhaps I am a bit envious.
I have read about ubuntu etc but it seems like a whole other world. Not having Windows does not restrict your activities that you need to do serious stuff?

no peter, anything i can't do on linux(can't think of anything except play some windows games, maybe) then i'd install a windows operating system, either running in a virtual machine(it's like a separate pc running on my pc in it's own window) my preferred method or i'd setup a dual boot system where i'd get the choice of which operating system i wanted the pc to load on startup. linux is really no harder than windows to use after everything is setup correctly(setup can be fun and games tho, ) i just point and click 99.9% of the time for everything i do exactly like using a windows operating system. a lot of people might think my setup is special or complicated but to be honest it's not and nothing any average person couldn't do for themselves(using windows or linux), for instance i'm watching tv on one screen(main tv but used as a pc monitor) while using another lcd screen to browse the internet and reply here. the program that lets me watch tv is called mythtv and that also lets me record anything i want and then watch it later too(pc has special hardware inside called tv capture cards that make this possible). seeing how this is my main pc(server) all others like the one in the bedroom connects to it exactly like your doing with your 2 pc's(near enough anyway) that way i can share my files, watch tv or anything i've recorded while in bed or anywhere else in the home too.

Terri Now that I have homegroup and seem to be able to create a folder on the laptop pc,share it and see it on the desktop pc. Then delete it on the desktop pc and see it delete on the laptop pc -I have two questions; 1-I have password enabled so maybe someone can jump in and answer why I see no password prompts. 2-Can you give me a couple of things to do so I can better undestand this files haring business before I do any damage. Could you give me a 'for example'? Thank you Peter

I have a homegroup and am able to share files with it.
I was just told that TeamViewer would be an easier way.
Basically, I keep my information in a main desktop and modify files as the need arises. At the end of the week I transfer all from the desktop to my laptop with flashdrives. I use 2 in case of failure. It has worked well for years.
Then i heard of file sharing With Win 7 and now have a homegroup and can learn to share files.
However, it was just suggested to me that I use TeamViewer to do this file transfer.
I just want the same files to be in each pc and do it the easiest way. TeamViewer was a friends suggestion as the easiest.
I have used it before to work on another pc and never thought of it this way. It is very ez.
Does anyone have an opinion about the three options?

best example i can think of at the moment peter is, lets say your pc has 500Gb of storage space and your laptop only has 50GB, now to keep the laptop running well you don't really want to fill up the limited space on it with all your data/music/photo files, but you still want to be able to listen to your music or have access to the data/photo's while your using the laptop.

so what you'd do is put them all into the pc's shared folder, that way they are only using up some of the larger storage space of the pc but when your using the laptop and you want to use anything, all you do is navigate to the pc folder on the laptop to have access to them just as if they were really on the laptop, but of course they aren't they're on the pc's drive.

also by putting all your files into the pc's shared folder when it comes time to make backups of your data it's all in the one place on the pc and you only need to copy that folder to an external drive to backup all your data.

now if your laptop has a large drive you may just want to use the shared folder as backup for your data so then you'd put all your files into the shared folder on the pc and then on the laptop just copy everything from the pc folder into the laptops shared folder, that way you'd have copies of everything on both the laptop and pc(i'd still recommend having an external drive too for backups because i believe you should have your important files in at least 3 places)

like i said earlier it's only when you start using the feature more you'll get to understand just how useful it can be, where before you were always using a usb stick to move files from pc to laptop and vice versa to use them on the other machine, now you can keep them on either machine and still be able to use/copy/edit it on the other just as long as it's in the shared folder with correct permissions set.

from what i've been able to find out about passwords and homegroup is, you only need to use it once to join the group, if you leave the homegroup then you'd need to enter it again to rejoin, nobody else can see/use the shared folders unless they too enter the correct password to join the homegroup.

also here's a link explaining about file permissions :- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows…ring-essentials
personally i wouldn't use the public folder option.



wow took me at least 25 minutes to write the above..

doesn't really matter what you use to transfer the files from pc to laptop peter, but now with file sharing available with home group it's just a case of drag and dropping(i think) to copy the files from the pc's shared folder into the laptops shared folder(or any other on the laptop) as mentioned above for you to have the files on both laptop and pc.

Terri I really do appreciate your kind efforts to explain this to me and it does make sense. I am sorry about the typing - I hope you are not a hunt and peck typer like me. You have mentioned a term I think is the OPERATIVE word, and that is :shared folder". I do not know how to go to one pc and then the other and share a file or folder. The videos are beyond me. Perhaps if this "shared folder" was made clearer with an example, I could better understand how to do this. My goal is to have a folder in ocuments which contains all my data reside in both pcs but when I am at the laptop and change something, I want to be able to change it in the desktop also. This way I have the data in both pcs current. I have 1T on the desktop and 650GB on the lap. I do no music and very little if any photos.Bascically we email, very little surfing and work with the Folder I mention in Documents. All the information in that folder is what is in both flash drives. So what is step one when I am on the laptop and change a file in that folder in documents? How do I change it in the desktop at the same place w/o getting up and going to the desktop. Where is the "shared folder"? Give your poor fingers a rest and thank you for helping me round third and head for home here. Peter

i'm good at typing now.. i can use at least 3 fingers.. yes you do know how to use the shared folder/s(even if you don't realize it yet) for example you've said you put a file in the shared folder on the laptop and went to the pc and deleted it, then you went back to the laptop it was gone, now the file was only on the laptop even tho you could see/use and as you did alter it by deleting it while on the pc. files in a shared folder act exactly like they are on the pc/laptop your using even tho the actual physical file might be stored on the other machine, now to watch a video file on the laptop when the file is on the pc i believe you need to alter a setting somewhere to allow live streaming or something along those lines. what your looking for i think is synchronizing the folders now to do this your going to need some other software, (and might be what the teamviewer you mentioned earlier does, no idea never used it) synchronizing files/folders tho is something that is setup to be done at certain times of the day, it's not a case of as soon as you alter one file the backup on the other pc is altered too(usually, and a good thing too i think because then you'd lose the backup incase you made an alteration that you didn't really want to) after reading your post again, i think after you've made sure all files are on both the laptop and pc in the shared folders when you alter a file on the laptop and are happy with it, you can then just navigate to the pc's shared folder on the laptop and copy the file to it overwriting the old file on the pc so both the laptop and pc have the same file with the edits on both.(and vice versa) now to try and explain how i think it works not having win 7 and having had a few beers. the shared folder on the laptop holds files that are actually on the laptop, the shared folder on the pc holds files that are actually on the pc. now when your on the laptop say and click on the pc folder under homegroup and see files there, what your actually looking at are the files on the pc and not the laptop, so any changes you make to the files will actually take place to the file on the pc and not to the file that might be the same but on the laptop in it's own shared folder. hope that makes sense, but like everything just experiment by putting test files in only one folder on one machine going to the other and making changes to it, then going back to the other machine and seeing the changes, disconnect the pc from the router and then notice the files you can no longer see on the laptop where you thought they were because they weren't really on the laptop but on the pc, as soon as you connect the pc back to the router the files should reappear when they are both reconnected to the homegroup. shared folder/s are whatever ones you've set to be shared for example your documents folder or just the video folder, etc. the links do explain better than my beer addled brain can at the moment.

When I am at the laptop and open documents or computer, I see on the right side under homegroup "usDesk".(us name of pc) When I click on it it says browse libraries to arrange them etc. The same applies to the desktop pc except it says lap. I am a bit leery about clicking on something b/c I don't know when I am actually in a sharing area and don't want to remove something important.. So where do I start if I want to use the laptop to change a file in the desktop. Do I go to the laptop and click on homegroup under documents> I just did and dcouments popped up. I guess I am not getting it in a step by step basis, how you actually use the lap to see a file in the desk so you can change the file in the desktop. I'll keep practicing but I look froward to your reply if you still have any energy. I think you r a nice person so allow me to say what i would not usualy say. I guess you are playing with the beer jokes which i appreciate. I am a survivor of multiple cancer surgeries and am left in severe chronic pain which necessitates the need for harsh meds for life. These cloud my thinking so I have to use things like the pc to exercise my brain. Whenever i see things that are carcinogens I want to tell the world to be careful. I pray I have not offended you and we still are forum buddies- ok Look forward to heaing from you. I wish to add that maybe insteadof synchronizing folders or having any folders in the laptop, maybe it woud be good to be able to refer to the desktop for stored information and also to be able to update a folder in the desktop. Could file sharing allow me to do this? Peter.

no you haven't offended me, im pretty hard to offend, so yes were still forum buddies.

and sorry to hear about your health problems, hope they only get better over time.

it was my birthday yesterday, so i was having a few of the beers my daughter bought me to celebrate, that's why my brain was beer addled..

now back to using homegroup and shared folders..
when your on the laptop and you click on usDesk(pc) that's when everything you now see in the window(folders/files) is actually on the pc(in it's shared folder/s) so if you create any files/edit anything then what your actually doing is putting/editing them on the pc even tho your actually using the laptop, same applies the other way round, when your on the pc and click on lap everything you now see in the window(files/folders) is actually on the laptop(in it's shared folder/s) even tho your on the pc.

so in reality if you wanted you could just keep/put all your files only on one or the other(laptop/pc) and still be able to see/use/edit them from both.

as you'll notice when you use it more what your actually doing is navigating to the same place(on either the laptop or pc from the other) but by clicking on different things depending on what machine your using,

eg. to get to the pc's shared folder/s(actually files on the pc), on the pc you'd probably just click on documents then shared folder but on the laptop you'd click on usDesk then shared folder or something like that.

to get to the laptops shared folder(actually files on the laptop) on the pc you'd click on lap then shared folder, but on the laptop to get to the same place you just click on documents then shared folder.

now from what you've said earlier i understood it to mean that what you've been doing is copying all your files by usb from the pc to the laptop for backup purposes, well now with homegroup working you could do exactly the same but without moving, lets say while working on the laptop(you'd need to have two windows open) just by clicking on usDesk, shared folder(which is the folder on the pc and would be in one window) and then dragging(copy/paste) the files to documents or any folder you like(which is on the laptop and would be in a separate window)

I wish to add that maybe insteadof synchronizing folders or having any folders in the laptop, maybe it woud be good to be able to refer to the desktop for stored information and also to be able to update a folder in the desktop.
Could file sharing allow me to do this?

yes that's exactly what i hope the above explains, but because i don't actually use it some of my steps may not be 100% accurate with what your actually seeing but i hope it's close enough so you get the gist.

don't forget tho even with file sharing working, i can not stress enough you still want to have backups of your data somewhere that is not actually on either the laptop or pc, just in case the worst happens and both of those hard drives fail or are destroyed by a virus at the same time(very unlikely but better safe than sorry )

Terri I feel badly that you have had to spend so much time and energy. I was at another forum which I began posting before I came here. I was told once not to post in 2 forums but I cannot find that law. I think the person got tired of tutoring me but he was trying to teach a fourth grade with 10th grade curricula. I am really confused at this point because I have worked hard to set up a homegroup which I did. Then I began to share files. I was told team Viewer would be better so I investigated that. It hads two choices. 1-file sharing and 2 remote control. I studied file sharing only to be told to use remote comtrol and use the lap as the 'boss'. Keep files only in the desk. Then I was told further to use network mapping with filesharing. I had no idea what he meant and he said to refer to a post that only had 2 pix. He was assuming I knew what he was fortunate to be taught and able to do. I was told I will get nowhere unless I try and I tried so hard I ended up with major problems. I tried to rectify them 1st with system restore. N/G. Then I tried with Win7 recovery. N/G. Then I used Acronis from the desk which left me with a black screen. I luckily got a momentary desktop so I could set boot order to dvd. I used the Acronis dvd and it was successful. I am back running as I was 5 days ago. The criticism you get as a low skilled user can be difficult to handle when you are really tying to do your best. Besides the handicaop I mentioned earlier, I began using a pc when I was about 62 some 10 years ago. I think you have more than done enough for me and I have built an extraordinaryily long thread. So If you would like to bear with me and work further it is fine with me but I would not expect anymore. Apparently a thread should only cosist of x amount of posts. Think about it and if I don't hear iIwill understand. I had the idea that forums were there to help all levels of learners but it is my experience, except with you, that skilled users work with each other and low skilled people receive a post or two or three and that is it. We are not born able to compute so I wish more peoele had your patience and demeanor. Maybe we could pm and email?? Anyway, I really thank you for your help and take a little time to think it over. Stay well, Peter

i'm so very sorry that i haven't replied earlier peter… i must of missed your last post somehow. it doesn't matter how many posts a topic takes, all that matters is the last one is a thank you post meaning the problem as been resolved.. so don't you worry about a thing, just keep posting here and asking all the questions you like, we'll get you understanding everything you want to know(might need more brains than mine tho ) anybody criticizes you for not understanding something, just ignore them, they are just ignorant fools anyway. i won't comment about the advice you've been given else where, other than you don't need any 3rd party software just for file sharing on a home network, and you most certainly don't need remote control. so ask away peter, what do you need help understanding still?

I think my pm clarified all, and we are fine. It can be a little confusing with pms and replies regarding overlaps so back to the tasks at hand. I think my pm mentioned I had cleared homegroups and file sharing from my pc after using Acronis to get me out of the jam I was in between file sharing and TeamViewer. It is important to have people who have 2 Win 7 pcs to work on file sharing the way Windows 7 has it set up. Although that may not be true. I have noticed the following; 1- We do have a long thread and if you think it advisable I would be happy to start another. 2-For me to have my laptop accept my password from the desktop, I need to connect an ethernet cable from the laptop to the router. When I do this it connects in a nano second. 3-perhaps a person who has experience with file sharing could help someone who has 2 Win 7 pcs even if the instructor does not have these 2 similar operating systems. 4-If you would like to continue,please indicate so and I will give it another try. 5- Lastly, my goal is to utilize a reliable, current means of sharing files with machines. I currently have similar files in both pcs in the Documents folder and each week, after updating the desktop pc, I use flash drive to update the laptop. I could drop a file this way the flash drive could fail(although I use 2). Importantly, maybe I should not have the same files in Documents in the laptop. That may be confusing file sharing. If I were to remove the files from the laptop, I could use file sharing in the house to refer to or change files. On the road I could use the flash drives. This all really points to synchronization which is another world I am not familiar with. I am exploring options,obviously, but if I had the same files in each folder and syncronized, my flashdrive task would be eliminated.I do not know what synchronizing entails, though. Gee, aren't you gald we got back on the same page? Look froward to any ideas you may have, Terri and thanx again. Peter