If you have a home network and are running Windows 7 and have XP on other PC(s) you might want to share files between them. Today we will look at the steps to share files and hardware devices like a printer.
Sharing Files In Windows 7 and XP
Sharing folders between two Windows 7 machines with the new HomeGroup feature is an easy process, but the HomeGroup feature is not compatible with Vista or XP. For this tutorial we are using Windows 7 x64 RC1 and XP Professional SP3 connected through a basic Linksys home wireless router.
First make sure both machines are members of the same Workgroup which by default is named Workgroup.
On the Windows 7 machine go into Control Panel \ All Control Panel Items \ Network and Sharing Center then click on Change advanced sharing settings.
You will want to verify the following settings under Advanced Sharing Settings for the Home or Work and Public profile.
If you want any user to have access the public shares turn off password protection. This is located in Advanced Sharing Settings toward the bottom of the list.
If you want to keep it enabled make sure there is a log in account for the other XP machines and they have a password.
Now if you go into Network in Windows 7 you should see your XP machine and the Windows 7 as well which in this case is Mysticgeek-PC.
To share the printer on the Windows 7 machine go into Devices and Printers from the Start menu and double click on the printer icon.
Next double click on “Customize your printer”.
In the Properties screen click on the Sharing Tab and check the box to share the printer and type in its share name.
If your XP machine is an x86 OS you can install Additional Drivers before setting up the XP machine.
To find the shared folders and devices double click on the Windows 7 machine icon under Network. Here you can see the printer connected to my Windows 7 machine is shared and also the Users Folder.
Continue into the Users folder and Public to see the shared folders, here I also created a folder called XP Share just to keep everything in central location.
Over on your XP machine open up My Network Places to find the Windows 7 (mysticgeek-pc) shared folder.
Double click on the Share folder to find a list of shared folders in the Public folder on Windows 7. If you have password protection enabled you will need to type in the username and password of the user account on the Windows 7 machine first.
Setup XP With Shared Printer
To set up the shared printer in XP you will need to go into Printers and Faxes from the Start menu and kick off the Add Printer Wizard.
Now select “A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer” then hit Next.
Next select “Connect to this printer…” and type in the path for the printer connected to the Windows 7 machine and click next.
Now click Yes to the confirmation message.
Then click Finish the printer to install and complete the Wizard.
In some cases you will need to install the x86 XP drivers for the shared printer because the Windows 7 drivers are not compatible with XP. When everything is installed open up Printers and Faxes to find the shared printer.
This should help you get started with sharing your files and other devices with your Windows 7 machine. When I first started I was able to see the printer on XP right away because I had a HomeGroup set up, but once I deleted it I needed to share the printer like you would for a workgroup. You might also have to do a couple restarts of the XP machine for it to see the shared resources on Windows 7.
Use the Homegroup Feature in Windows 7 to Share Printers and Files
The new HomeGroup feature makes sharing files and printers between Windows 7 machines very easy. Today we will take a closer look at this new feature to show how easy the sharing process is.
Setting up your HomeGroup
There are several ways to access the HomeGroup feature, go to Control Panel and click on “Choose homegroup and sharing options” or just type “homegroup” without quotes into the start menu search bar.
Next click on the Create a homegroup button.
In the Create a HomeGroup screen select what you want to share with the other machines.
After the group is created you will get a password to access it from the other computers.
After you get the Password you’re brought back to the HomeGroup screen where you can make additional changes if you want.
Connecting to your HomeGroup
On the other Windows 7 computer(s) go into the HomeGroup feature and click to join the group you just created.
Enter in the password that was created for the HomeGroup.
When the password is accepted the connection will take place and your finished.
If you don’t want to use a password at all go into the Network and Sharing Center under advanced options and turn off password protected sharing.
Another thing you might want to do is create a shortcut to the HomeGroup. I just go into Network and copy the icon to my desktop by Right-Clicking and dragging it. A more direct approach is to create shortcuts directly to the shared public folders but of course it’s completely up to you.
To share a printer make sure to select Printers when creating the group and when you go into Devices and Printers on the Start menu you should see it and can set it as the default if you wish.
This should help get you started sharing files and printers between your Windows 7 machines on your home network
Setting up your HomeGroup
There are several ways to access the HomeGroup feature, go to Control Panel and click on “Choose homegroup and sharing options” or just type “homegroup” without quotes into the start menu search bar.
Next click on the Create a homegroup button.
In the Create a HomeGroup screen select what you want to share with the other machines.
After the group is created you will get a password to access it from the other computers.
After you get the Password you’re brought back to the HomeGroup screen where you can make additional changes if you want.
Connecting to your HomeGroup
On the other Windows 7 computer(s) go into the HomeGroup feature and click to join the group you just created.
Enter in the password that was created for the HomeGroup.
When the password is accepted the connection will take place and your finished.
If you don’t want to use a password at all go into the Network and Sharing Center under advanced options and turn off password protected sharing.
Another thing you might want to do is create a shortcut to the HomeGroup. I just go into Network and copy the icon to my desktop by Right-Clicking and dragging it. A more direct approach is to create shortcuts directly to the shared public folders but of course it’s completely up to you.
To share a printer make sure to select Printers when creating the group and when you go into Devices and Printers on the Start menu you should see it and can set it as the default if you wish.
This should help get you started sharing files and printers between your Windows 7 machines on your home network
Speedy Video Access
Want faster access to your Videos folder? Windows 7 now lets you add it to the Start menu.
Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to "Display as a link".
If you've a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you'll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.
Just right-click the Start orb, click Properties > Start Menu > Customize, and set the Videos option to "Display as a link".
If you've a TV tuner that works with Windows 7 then you'll appreciate the new option to display the Recorded TV folder on the Start menu, too.
Right-click everything
At first glance Windows 7 bears a striking resemblance to Vista, but there's an easy way to begin spotting the differences - just right-click things.
Right-click an empty part of the desktop, for instance, and you'll find a menu entry to set your screen resolution. No need to go browsing through the display settings any more.
Right-click the Explorer icon on the taskbar for speedy access to common system folders: Documents, Pictures, the Windows folder, and more.
And if you don't plan on using Internet Explorer then you probably won't want its icon permanently displayed on the taskbar. Right-click the icon, select "Unpin this program from the taskbar", then go install Firefox, instead.
Right-click an empty part of the desktop, for instance, and you'll find a menu entry to set your screen resolution. No need to go browsing through the display settings any more.
Right-click the Explorer icon on the taskbar for speedy access to common system folders: Documents, Pictures, the Windows folder, and more.
And if you don't plan on using Internet Explorer then you probably won't want its icon permanently displayed on the taskbar. Right-click the icon, select "Unpin this program from the taskbar", then go install Firefox, instead.
How to Enable Sidebar & Desktop Gadgets with Disabled/Turned Off UAC in Windows 7
1. Click on start and type regedit on search bar
2. Now navigate to follow registry key in left pan of registry editor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Sidebar\Settings
3. Right Click in right pan of registry editor to Create A New DWORD(32 Bit Value) with name “AllowElevatedProcess” and set value as “1”.
4. Now close registry editor
5. Right click on desktop and add desktop gadgets to confirm Desktop gadget and sidebar working properly
2. Now navigate to follow registry key in left pan of registry editor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Sidebar\Settings
3. Right Click in right pan of registry editor to Create A New DWORD(32 Bit Value) with name “AllowElevatedProcess” and set value as “1”.
4. Now close registry editor
5. Right click on desktop and add desktop gadgets to confirm Desktop gadget and sidebar working properly
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