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. If you still have an XP machine on your home network check out how to Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP.
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A little off topic, but this is something I want to know.
I have 2 system running Vista, and I want computer2 to access files and printer form computer1. Now, that works fine here. My problem, is to make this possible, I had to create an account on computer1 with the same user name and password, so that the the folders and devices I want to share doesn’t need a user name and password. In result in computer1 I have 2 accounts where one is just there annoying me at the login screen, and just not used. Is there another way to do what I want to do without the need to create and account on computer1?
Thanks in advance!
Network and Sharing Center > Turn on: Network discovery, File sharing,Printer sharing. To share a folder, right click on the folder on the host computer and click “Share” > Select which PCs you wish to share with (note: you can only use this method to share folders with other computers on the same network; everybody = anybody on the network).
Printing from the 2nd computer (This will only work if both computers are on and connected to the network): on the 2nd computer: Network and Sharing Center > View Computers and Devices > double click on the printer and it will automatically be installed.
(You may need to do this on the 2nd computer: Network and Sharing Center > Turn on: Network discovery, File sharing,Printer sharing. )
The shared folder can be accessed from the 2nd computer by: Network and Sharing Center > View Computers and Devices > navigate to host computer > locate shared folder.
My previous comment was a reply to GoodBytes.
You can also do this:
On my computer, I have created a separate partition for sharing files. I simply right clicked on the new drive and clicked share. On the other computers I used “map network drive”‘ to make the host folder appear as a new drive.
Thanks Camron, so it seams that the only setup I can have is anyone who connects to my network, or be account based like I have, where the system that has folder/device shared needs to have the other computer account and password.
Gee, tell us something that’s NOT in the help files…
How about when you get a message about ‘this computer cannot join a homegroup’ along with something about the time not synchronized, when it IS.
The troubleshooters in Win 7 are NOT any better than they were way back in Win 98 — basics only!!!
When, after several hours of screwing around, I finally figured out how to disable the security on Public and “Home and Work” (whatever that is), I was able to share the printer to both my XP and Vista machines. Microsoft must think its customers worth 25 cents an hour. The homegroup idea is poorly implemented in Windows 7. I don’t understand how or why one would want to use it.