Windows 7 File Sharing

File Sharing with Windows XP
Though the new HomeGroup feature in Windows 7 makes file sharing very simple, it is incompatible with previous versions of Windows. If you need to share files with Windows XP or Windows Vista computers, you have to rely on the old trusty filesharing mechanism:

1. To share files with other users and computers on the network, turn off passwordprotected sharing so that users can access the files without authentication.

2. Go to Control Panel->Network and Internet->Network and Sharing Center. Click the “Change advanced sharing settings” link.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the “Password protected sharing” section. Turn off the password-protected sharing, as this will allow other users to access your shared file without needing an account on your computer. Click the “Save changes” button when done.

4. Create a folder that you want to share. For example, create a folder on the desktop and name it Common Files.

5. Right-click the folder and select Properties.

6. Click the Sharing tab and click the Share... button. You will see the File Sharing window.

7. Click the drop-down arrow to select from a list of users who can access the shared folder. Once selected, click Add to add the user to the shared list. You can also configure the read/write permission for each user. Here, I am sharing the files with everyone on the network.

8. Click Share.


On the Windows XP computer, open the My Network Places window, and you should be able to see the various shared folders on the network. Double-click the one that contains your shared folder.

You will now be able to access the content in the shared folder.

Viewing Shared Folders from Within Windows 7
In Windows 7, to view shared folders from other computers, launch Windows Explorer and expand the Network item on the bottom-left corner of the window. All shared folders on the network will be listed here.


File Sharing with Mac OS X
If you want to share your Windows 7 files with Mac OS X users, use the SMB (Server
Message Block) protocol in Mac OS X.

The following steps outline how you can view shared folders in Mac OS X:
1. In Finder, select Go->Connect to Server....

2. Specify the “smb://” prefix, followed by the IP address (or computer name) of the Windows 7 computer and the “:139” port number. Click Connect.

3. If the connection is successful, you will be asked to log in to the Windows 7 computer. For sharing with everyone, select the Guest account and click Connect.

4. You will be asked to select the folder to mount in Mac OS X. Select the folder and click OK.

5. Finally, the shared folder is now available in Mac OS X.


Source of Information : Oreilly Windows 7 Up and Running