File and Printer Sharing

File Sharing is sharing of or offering access to digital information or resources,

including documents, multimedia (audio/video), graphics, computer programs, images and e-
books. It is the private or public distribution of data or resources in a network with different
levels of sharing privileges.

File sharing can be done using several methods. The most common techniques
include the following:

 Removable storage devices

 Centralized file hosting server installations on networks
 World Wide Web-oriented hyperlinked documents
 Distributed peer-to-peer networks

Sharing Resources and Accessing Shared Resources

1. Open My Computer, double-click the C: drive, and create a new folder on the C:
drive. Name it Shared. Right-click the Shared folder and select Properties.
2. In the Shared Properties dialog box, select the Sharing tab.
 Notice that the Select the Share This Folder button.
 Type the Share Name. Click Apply and the computer you are linked to should be able
to view your Shared folder.
3. Right-click My Network Places, which should be located on your desktop. Select
Properties.
4. Right-click your connection (look for a name like Local Area Connection) and again
select Properties.

5. In your Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, select File and Print Sharing for
Microsoft Networks and click OK. If you don’t see an option for File and Print

6. Sharing, click Install and select a service and then click Add. Now select the File and
Print Sharing option.

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 Figure 102. Shared Document Properties
Window the icon- and select the Entire Network
7. Open My Network Places- double-click
option under Other Places at the left of the window. In the main (right-hand) pane,
you should see one or more options. Double-click the Microsoft Windows Network
icon.

Local Disk (C:\PC 1)

8. You’re now at the main network screen, where you should see what’s called a
workgroup. A workgroup is a basic group of computers connected to the same
Ethernet network. Double-click the workgroup to see all the computers connected to
your Ethernet network.

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 At this point, you can access any of the other computers and see what folders they
have shared. If you don’t see any computer but your own, just wait a few minutes and refresh
your screen. If you don’t see other computers, then it’s time to troubleshoot the network
problems.

Printer Sharing

One of the primary reasons that networks were developed was to allow groups of
computer users to share peripheral devices such as printer. Sharing a single printer among a
group of users costs much less than buying a printer for each computer.
Low-cost printers usually require a separate print server to allow network connectivity
because these printers do not have built-in network interfaces. The computer that is connected
to the printer can serve as the print server. Most personal computer operating systems have
built-in printer sharing capability.

Setting up printer sharing is simple with Windows 7. The following steps enable a
computer to share a printer:

Step 1. Choose Start > Printers and Faxes.

Step 2. Right-click the printer, and choose Properties.
Step 3. Click the Sharing tab.
Step 4. Click the Share this printer radio button.
Step 5. Keep or change the share name.
Step 6. Click Apply.

All the computers that use the shared printer must have the correct drivers installed.
Drivers for other operating systems can be installed on the print server.

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 To connect to the printer from another computer on the network, choose Start >
Printers and Faxes > Add Printer. The Add Printer Wizard appears. Follow the steps using
the wizard.

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