Sharing movies and media files between computers and a very common request so I am posting an article about this simple process. There are a few ways to get the job done I will go over one method and may add more later.
One of the very first articles I wrote for iLERTECH was one on creating a 1.5TB network attached storage for less than $150 bucks. This is the similar process I used for the drive on my network as a storage device. I also use this device to store my Exchange 2010 database folders. It has come in handy and has saved me a few thousand dollars.
Share a folder with another Windows 7 Computer
Right-click folder to share and share with –> specific people –> Add everyone with full rights (read/write)
If you do not want everyone on you LAN to access the folder then set a user and then you will be required to enter the username and password before being allowed to connect.
Another way to share a folder
Click Permissions
Select Full Control
Setup file sharing with security
Create a username and then select it using the method below.
Go back to your Share Permissions and add the newly created user
You should be able to type the username you created into this box and hit Check Names
If you have trouble finding the user this way then use the Advanced search
Try the method below for search of all objects. If you don’t find it you may be in a domain so change the Locations to that of your computer name (hostname)
Now give that user Full Control
Getting the computer name
Start –> Run –> Cmd –> hostname command
or
Displaying all shared folders
Open Explorer and type the computer name
Connecting to the shared folder
You can mount the network share as a drive or you can just type the address directly into a run dialog or Explorer. The address to the folder will be \\computername\sharename or \\xx.xx.xx.xx\sharename. If you share a whole drive then you would access the drive like \\computername\driveletter$
If you are using a group or user name instead of everyone then you will be prompted for the username a password computername\username or username@computername
Mounting the share as a drive letter
from the my computer screen there is a Map Network Drive option which will take the parameters I wrote about earlier and will allow you to save the connection and reference it with a drive letter every time you boot the computer.
If you are connecting to a share while logged as a different user you can select Connect using different credentials
This is very handy if you will be storing frequently accessed data. I have multiple network drives on my laptop for different locations. When I am at the office I have a drive that brings up my desktop so I can move files from my laptop to my desktop. When I am at home I have a drive for my personal folders on my home servers.
Check your firewall
If you cannot access the folder through windows explorer then you should check for firewalls on either side and try a ping test to see if you can get through to the other side.
Once your ping succeeds you should be able to connect.
Check your share settings
Now there are a few ways to go from here:
If your connecting to another Windows 7 Computer you might keep the settings set as they are.
Sharing with Windows XP or 2000 system
Sharing Videos and Pictures from Windows 7
You need to turn it on and if you have a client like PS3 or XBOX you can watch your PC movies on TV. The streaming is one of the best features on Windows 7.
You can block people from seeing your media server here.
