Turn on additional file and printer sharing options

By changing your network location to Home or Work, network discovery is automatically turned on . You can also turn on these sharing options individually:

Network discovery

File sharing (in Windows 7, this is automatically turned on when you share a file or folder)

Public folder sharing

When you turn on these options, your computer can:

Find other computers and devices on your home network and have other computers find your computer

Share its files and folders

Share its Public folders

Note

Password-protected sharing is a special option that's discussed below.

To turn on network discovery, file and printer sharing, and public folder sharing in Windows 7

Open Advanced sharing settings by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type network, click Network and Sharing Center, and then, in the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.

Click the chevron to expand the Home or Work network profile.

Select the options to turn on network discovery and file sharing.

Under Public folder sharing, do one of the following:

To share your Public folders so that people on other computers on the network can open files in them but can't create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files.

To share your Public folders so that people on other computers on the network can open files in them and also create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files.

Click Save changes. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

To turn on network discovery, file sharing, public folder sharing, and printer sharing in Windows Vista

Open Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel.

Under Sharing and Discovery, click the chevron next to File sharing to expand the section, click Turn on file sharing, and then click Apply. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click the chevron next to Public folder sharing to expand the section, and then do one of the following:

To share the Public folder so that people on other computers on the network can open files in it but can't create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files, and then click Apply. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. This is the default setting.

To share the Public folder so that people on other computers on the network can open files in it and also create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files, and then click Apply. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Click the chevron next to Printer sharing to expand the section, click Turn on printer sharing, and then click Apply. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.