Sharing files and folders between home PCs?

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robjg63

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#1112670 21-Aug-2014 10:17

timmmay: Homegroups seem useful. I created one, shared folders using check boxes (videos and documents, even though I don't use the windows folders), and shared a folder that actually has content using "share with". I put sample content in each folder.

There's a problem though. On the windows 8.1 machine it can see the home group, and it can see the shared folders done by checkbox, but it can't see the extra folder I shared. I've checked file permissions and they include a "homegroup" used with read permissions. The "video" folder shared with a checkbox can be seen by the 8.1 machine, but when I double click it just blinks and won't open the folder.

Google hasn't given me any ideas how to fix it so far. I've turned on IP6 (on both computers and the router, which works), I've put the computers on the same workground, I've run diagnostics, I've turned netbios on IP4 on. I can't share folders in any direction across a homegroup, but the 8.1 PC can use existing shared folders. Any suggestions guys?

To be fair - I have had this sort of problem as well - windows sharing seems a bit picky sometimes - probably just means I dont know what I am doing :-(

How about as a test on the windows 8.1 PC you try and open the share using an IP address.
Get the command shell up (windows key + R).
Enter \\x.x.x.x\sharename -and press enter - where x.x.x.x is the IP address of PC with the files you are sharing and sharename is the name you gave the share.

I find that works for me when nothing else does - I ended up with the PC at home that I share stuff from and I just made sure it has a static IP address so any links I create are always valid.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

littlehead

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#1112676 21-Aug-2014 10:26

You could use something like HFS - HTTP File Server to do this. I haven't used it in many, many years, however I was able to achieve with it what you require. You would need to add the PC as a Network Location on each other computer and setup accounts.

You will just have to be very, very careful about not exposing your PC with the server on it to the Internet.

timmmay

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#1112687 21-Aug-2014 10:53

robjg63: To be fair - I have had this sort of problem as well - windows sharing seems a bit picky sometimes - probably just means I dont know what I am doing :-(

How about as a test on the windows 8.1 PC you try and open the share using an IP address.
Get the command shell up (windows key + R).
Enter \\x.x.x.x\sharename -and press enter - where x.x.x.x is the IP address of PC with the files you are sharing and sharename is the name you gave the share.

I find that works for me when nothing else does - I ended up with the PC at home that I share stuff from and I just made sure it has a static IP address so any links I create are always valid.

Yep shared folders work and we've been using them, but given the lack of common users between the computers you can only share things with "everyone" and can't restrict permissions. I'd just like to avoid someone from the net managing to get into the network and being able to access the shares, plus visitors shouldn't have access. Also if you map drives to them windows seems to forget them sometimes, especially if the main computer is turned off when the laptop is turned on.

Glassboy

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#1112702 21-Aug-2014 11:14

timmmay: I don't keep old PCs, they take up space and power, and make noise. That's why I don't have a NAS. Most interested in just sharing files already on my PC, which has a bunch of drives in it.

My NAS is the size of an external HDD. It's hardly a space hog.

timmmay

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#1112703 21-Aug-2014 11:18

Sure, but I'd have to buy it, and I don't want more things than I really need. I have a perfectly good PC that's on the whole time I'm awake.

Is there some piece of software that can file shares in a similar way that windows does but with better permissions control? I'm not talking http or ftp, but I don't know the name of the windows file sharing protocol.

Glassboy

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#1112708 21-Aug-2014 11:27

timmmay: Sure, but I'd have to buy it, and I don't want more things than I really need. I have a perfectly good PC that's on the whole time I'm awake.

Is there some piece of software that can file shares in a similar way that windows does but with better permissions control? I'm not talking http or ftp, but I don't know the name of the windows file sharing protocol.

Windows uses Common Internet File System (CIFS), and it's not the protocol you're actually struggling with, it's having a unified authentication realm across all devices.

I've lost track of what's been said so far but if you only have Windows machines, create a Homegroup, join them all to it, and then create the same accounts on all the machines with the same passwords. Or just create a local log on script that does a net use with a password embedded. See link below.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/net_use.mspx?mfr=true

timmmay

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#1112749 21-Aug-2014 12:23

Tried the homegroup thing, didn't work, see here. Do you really need to create the same accounts on each machine? Account names often look like pc1\tom and pc2\tom not just tom. If it works, great. net use is worth looking at, thanks :)

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Glassboy

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#1112771 21-Aug-2014 12:41

timmmay: Tried the homegroup thing, didn't work, see here. Do you really need to create the same accounts on each machine? Account names often look like pc1\tom and pc2\tom not just tom. If it works, great. net use is worth looking at, thanks :)

Same account name and password certainly used to work fine, and I haven't seen any changes in the newer versions of Windows that would lead me to think it wouldn't work still.

If you're creating a local logon script you may need to create a local share called netlogon. PM me if you can't get it to work, I'll check what I did on a Win 7 PC.

linw

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#1114954 25-Aug-2014 09:49

You are right. You don't need NASs, servers, homegroups, identical userids, or voodoo charms (not saying that sometimes these are necessary!) to do what you want.

This is a good tutorial http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2815-permissions-allow-deny-access-users-groups-windows-8-a.html

For 'everyone' I found that inherited permissions could mean that Full Control couldn't be changed. See above link, step 10. It can show add remove view but below that is Disable inheritance. Clicking this will change the view button to edit. This will allow for changes to rights to be made.

Happy hunting. Let's know how you get on.

1101

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#1115701 26-Aug-2014 10:13

Win7/vista/Win8 occasionly have painfull share/mapping issues , its an issue there since vista.

This it what I have to do when I get PC to PC or PC to NAS share issues
make a batch file as below & put in in scheduled task to run on it startup/login . It may not work correctly after Win is up & running
you may need to remove the mapping & re-create it on startup (as thats what works in the worst cases)
If you have any spaces in PC , use or share names, put " " around it in the bat file. eg "\\home pc\share"

net use z: /delete
net use z: \\pcname\folder /user:username password /persistent:yes

linw

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#1118064 29-Aug-2014 16:50

I've got one of those net uses as well.

timmmay

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#1118066 29-Aug-2014 16:52

I guess you have to use the username and password defined on the host machine, which means creating a user for that. It should work but was hoping to not have to do that kind of thing. Thanks guys.

rhy7s

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#1118262 29-Aug-2014 21:40

You can hide the shared user account from the logon screen on the host machine if it bothers you e.g. http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/windows7/windows7_registry_hide_users.htm

linw

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#1123025 6-Sep-2014 12:10

timmmay: I guess you have to use the username and password defined on the host machine, which means creating a user for that. It should work but was hoping to not have to do that kind of thing. Thanks guys.

No, if you use user 'Everyone' there is no prompt for username/pwd. That's what everyone means. Try it!

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