homegroup/file sharing

Right click the Start button > Properties and click Customize... scroll down to Network and select it. Now it will show on your Start menu. You might also want to think about some of the other choices available there.

 

1- my pcs are not connected by cable and I am sharing files. I create new folders on a machine which apears on the other with no cables. I then delete it and it disappears on both.
I only connected the laptop to the router to boot it and to allow me to enter the password. After that I use no cables. I think the router needed a kick.
2-both homegroup and network are unchecked on my laptop in the boxes you directed me to, should theey be?

 

You can check/uncheck whatever you like. It's just what you would like to have available on your Start menu.

I'm really pleased for you that you have finally got your network up and running, as I realise it was getting to you. Now it's working you could try mapping a network drive, which enables you to assign a drive letter on THIS machine to a folder on the other machine, so it's just as if that folder was on the machine you are working at. Right click Computer > Map network drive ...

 

Thank you for the kind words;you are quite correct about the fatigue.
I do wish to undertake assigning a letter to a folder and will ask you about it if I may..
Right now,in laptop> documents I see 'desktop' and when I click on it I create folders with madeup files and can share with desktop.
The opposite is true with the pcs in reverse.. I know I need to expand that thinking but be careful not to delete something important.
When I wish to not share, I do not click on the designation for the other pc and just work in 'the regular documents' for example.

A question remains; I have password protected enabled in advanced settings on both pcs, yet I have not seen it ask me for it yet. There has been no sign of a password prompt from either pc even when I boot up and attempt to share. I share through the workgroup not specific people or any other way..
Should I have seen it by now?
I was wondring about services.msc perhaps?

 

I'm a bit thrown by that peter, as to me it says you are not actually looking at the 'other' computer at all - it sounds as if you are simply looking at the desktop folder of the computer you are working at. When working on your laptop your 'other' computer is not called Desktop, it is called 'desk'. 'Desktop' is a Windows folder on the comp you are working at, not another computer on your network.

Again, please use Start > Network (enabling Network first if necessary on your Start menu) so we can see what your network, if it exists at all, is actually composed of. A pic would really help.

 

Maybe our versions of Windows are different.

 

I right clicked as you said and made a PrntSrn of the desktop.
I will send another with the laptop.
I do not know what I am doing so please bear with me.

Also, what do you think about no passwords appearing?

Lastly,I want to clarify what I said that might be confusing.
I have the laptop pc on the table where I am using the desktop so I can see both screens.
When I use the laptop to create a folder in the laptop and share it with the desktop, I can see that folder on both screens. It is also created in the desktop If I go to either pc and delete that folder, it is also deleted from the other pc. This seems to be sharing to me.
I hope this better demonstrates that I am creating something on the 2nd pc with the 1st pc and the reverse is true.

 

Here is the laptop

 

It's our terminology that's different Anyway, from your latest posts it seems that you do actually have your homegroup working so that's a relief.

I did advise you earlier to turn password protected sharing off. You do not need it and it complicates the whole business by requiring you to set up a user account on each computer for every other computer you want to have access from. It does not actually ask for a password but with it turned on you will find that although you can see folders on the other machine you can't actually do anything with them. So turn it off.

 

B
You don't know how relieved I am to receive your positive message confiming file sharing.
1-I will turn password off on both
2-with password on I can go to each computer and make a change in the other with out a password. That is why I asked about its fuctionality.

Example, I create a folder called 'new' in the laptop pc and share with the desktop pc -I see it created in the desktop pc.
I then delete it in the desktop pc and see it deleted in the laptop pc. there is no password prompt.

Am I missing something?

Btw, I do know your time is limited and not soley for the purpose of inststructing me. I wish to respect that.
Please let me know if I over step my bounds.
Peter

 

I can't be certain about all the details of homegroup file sharing because you have to have two Win 7 computers to create a homegroup, and I don't. Maybe password protection works differently in a homegroup, but anyway I wouldn't worry about it as it's now working and you do not need to password protect your files on these two computers. As I said before, networking really starts to get useful when you use the map network drive feature, but it's all a bit academic really as once you start using TeamViewer on your home network you are unlikely ever to need to use file sharing again.

 

I think I misled you again.
During the course of a week, I use the desktop pc to update files in 'Documents'. If I am not at the desktop I ask my wife to type the changes or I go to the desktop to make the changes.
At the end of the week, I send all these changes to my flashdrives which then go to the latop. When using the laptop it is imortant to have all these changes as I refer them when on just the laptop.
Therefore, I very much need file sharing so I can make these changes as I go along so both pcs contain the same information without using flashdrives.
I can use flashdrives again but it seems a regression after going this far with filesharing.

When I look at the bottom of pages like Documents it says 5 shared or 22 shared. Should they always say this?

I just created a folder in the laptop and it was visble on the desktop screen in 'Documents'. I then used the desktop to delete it and it disappeared on the laptop also. I think this means I am filesharing -or not?.

I will continue to watch videos but I am sort of lost as to how to perform the following task which is the point of all of this;
Say at the laptop I find the need to add to or modify a file in documents in the desktop.
Before I make an error, do I bring the desktop file to the laptop screen, click share and make the change so both pcs are now updated with this new change?
I understand that you are at a disadvantage not having the 2 Win 7 pcs. I asked a lot so if you would prefer to refer me to someone to share the load I would understand. I think I have almost attained my goal but need a bit of refinement and am very interested in the map network drive feature to which you refer.
Regards,
Peter

 

There is more than one way to skin a rabbit they say, and it was never more true than in computing. There is nearly always a multiple choice of methods available for any task, and it is so for you. My home situation and needs are not that dissimilar to yours, so let me explain how I use my laptop/desktop combo and why I find TeamViewer vastly superior to file sharing.

All my main softwares are installed on the PC, and all my personal documents are stored there too. Apart from a few utility programs all the laptop has is an OS and Teamviewer - no software, no personal files - yet it is the machine I use the most. If I want create or edit a Word doc for example I use TV to access the PC from the laptop and work on the PC exactly as I would as if sat at it. Same goes for emails and most other things I want to do. This means there is no need to be copying files from one machine to the other, with the inevitable risk of having two copies that differ slightly, and there is only one OS and data set that needs to be backed up regularly.

Yes, with good organisation it is perfectly possible to work the way you are working, but it is unnecessarily complicated and cumbersome and I strongly recommend you step back peter and think more about what it is you are trying to achieve and whether there might not be a better way.

 

Hi B.
A while ago you suggested TV and I thought you meant as a 'work around" to avoid learning file sharing.
I had no idea you use TV as you explained. I would be very wiling to do the same.
Do you leave both pcs on and both TVs open with two way access?
Do you install or run TV?
When either or both PCs are rebooted, is TV viewable/usable as before and ready to send files back and forth or do you have it installed as a program and open both?
I think, if you refine some of my TV comments, I would be at the end of a long journey and able to accomplish my goal of file modification.
Am I sacrificing any security when I see "share ' at the bottom of my docs etc?
if not I will leave it alone and use T.V.
Peter

 

Both PCs are shut down every night. TV is set to start automatically on boot.

Installed. Run is not convenient when it's used this way.

See above, though the TV network consists of more than just these two machines so I do have to select the machine I want to access. I often have up to three TV connections open on the laptop, some local, some on the internet.

As long as you have set up your wireless security in your router, and have your software firewall (Norton?) active too, then those shared files are secure and you should leave them shared.

Finally, in your situation you could set TV to accept LAN connections only. That locks down access rights.

 

I made note of LAN settings.
After running TV before you wrote, and for practice, I chose file sharing instead of remote. I assume that is correct.
I also assume there is a settings at TV that allows you to accept LAN only.
When I viewed the two panes, I clicked on one of the files hoping to send it to the other pc but was unable. TV made some moves on me which scared me so I left at that point and rechecked my original files which were intact.
Would you think the correct thing to do now is to go back, see if there is a 'help' and read it to learn how to send files from one pc to the other, or to modify files in a pc.

My goal is still to make sure the files in my laptop which I change, can be chaged in the desktop also.
Unlike yourself, I would keep a folder in Documents which contains the same data in both pcs.

I think I am almost there with a little tweaking. Instead of making an error, I will wait for your kind reply before I try again.
Thank you, B.

 

peter, if you really do intend continuing to keep copies of your files on both PCs then TV is of no use to you. It is a remote control program, not a file synchroniser. You could persevere with file sharing, or use a sync program such as Microsoft's SyncToy - software which aligns two folders so that they are identical and up-to-date. Sync programs are far better than file sharing but they introduce yet another set of new concepts which I think you might struggle with at present.

I find it hard to understand why you want to continue to maintain two sets of files when you have the means to use a single set accessible from either computer. If you want to look again at TV you need to select Remote Control, not File Transfer, and yes, there is a LAN only option. Alternatively you could use the Map Network Drive feature to directly read/write to files on the other computer.

 

I am trying to consider your time whether it appears so or not.:confused
When I am at the laptop, I need to refer to files that are current to continue working.
Example, I have forgotten how to perform a task so I look to the file in documents which explains it. Again, I discover some new information I wish to keep in a file in Documents in the desktop or main pc. The first, I need at the the time and the second I woud like to put in the desktop pc.
I do not know if these are reasons that are logical to you.
Now I certainly do not wish to get into synch programs which would mean more struggling just when I thought all was settling in.
I think what I am missing is when you said,"You have a single set accesible from either computer."
Do you mean that if I had TV , I could then refer to the file in the desktop when needed and also add a file to the desktop when I find something new I wish to keep.
Hence, no need for files in the laptop? This would be a "yes " to TV.
So, I could install TV in each machine and use the lap as the 'boss' which allows acess to the desktop to look up information and also to add information remotely.
If any of the above is sensible and we can continue with TV, it would be great.
If so, do I set up to view each way or is that not necessary?
Each day you boot up are you asked for passwords to communicate from the laptop to the desktop pc?
B. - for informational purposes only, I am at a deficit as I am taking meds for life for severe chronic pain due to multiple cancer surgeries that really impair my ability to concentrate and focus. These have slowed me down tremendously. I challenge my mind with the pc and other mind activities to stop further deterioration. I impart this only so you can understand my limitations. I know this must be frustarting for you.
I am amenable to working this out with you and I am cetain that soon all will be accomplished. I ask for just a bit more time and patience as I am a cooperative person and will do my best to grasp information and use it wisely.
These new tasks help me challenge myself to work on them when alone.
I wish I did not have to impart that to you but I thought it only fair to you.
Peter

 

Looks like we may finally be getting there peter, as that is exactly what I have been trying to get across to you.

What you need to do now is to get TV installed and running in remote control mode on both computers and start seeing for yourself how it works. I'll leave it to you to look through the various screens and locate the LAN connections only option, though it's perfectly safe to use without it. It may also be useful to do what I asked earlier and set up and experiment with Map Network Drive, as that provides some of the same functionality as TV and may in fact be all that you actually need.

Don't be hesitant to try things out. Just make sure you have system and file backups available so that if you do go wrong you can fall back on them and you will then start to move forward.

 

>>It may also be useful to do what I asked earlier and set up and experiment with Map Network Drive, as that provides some of the same functionality as TV and may in fact be all that you actually need.

Map Network Drive is something I do not think we have discussed at length- I know you have mentioned it but I have no idea what it is or how to go about it.
I sent two PrntSrns of it to you but that is all I was exposed to.
If you recommend it over TV I will be happy to listen to what I must do.

I was exploringing TV and file sharing and did have a problem which necessitated my utilizing; system restore which did not fix the issues but ran successfully. Win 7 system restore failed. When I tried Acronis fronm the dsktop it left me with a blank screen. I used alt, ctrl, del and set the boot order to dvd so I was successful with the disc and am up and running as I was 5 days ago.This is why am so cautious.
TV was ok until I entered the id and password for both machines and then it acted up. Should I just use the laptop as the 'boss' although both computers have the program installed?
So, should I wait to hear about finalizing with mapping a network drive or just use TV? You seemd to indicate the network drive would be the better of the two.

 

That's because there is no need to, see your own pic in #57. Just click the Browse button and navigate to the folder on the other machine that you want to have access to. That's it. Although it is physically located on the other machine it will appear on the comp you are working at as just another drive under whatever drive letter you chose when setting it up.

TBH peter if you continue to be this cautious, unwilling to try anything at all without first having step-by-step guidance, then we are never going to get anywhere with this. Sorry to have to be so direct but I do feel that in this lengthy thread I have given you all that you need to try out machine to machine access with either of these two methods. It's down to you now to have a go.

 

I hope others have benefited from this thread and I thank you very much for your instructions and explanations.
I will continue to work on my own and use this thread as reference material.
Stay well,
Peter