windows 7 network drive share?

I've searched high and low for a fix and I am at my wits end!!
Ok, so I have 3 pc's on my home lan...two are 7 ultimate and one is 7 home.
All I want to be able to do is share the hard drives to make moving files from one to another easy and quick instead of using thumb drives. That's all i want to do...was so easy and nice in XP but I cannot get it to work in 7. I do NOT like that Homegroup thing either as that is not working for me.
None of the pc's have log in's or passwords...they boot directly into windows 7.
When i share out a drive and then try to connect it tells me the drive is not available and I'm about to lose my mind.
Can anyone help me out with this? Like I said, it was SO easy in XP....
Thanks!

Ok..got it to the point where it is asking for a username and password if I check the credentials box, but I don't use a password for that laptop. Do I HAVE to use a password to get a connection? Or is that just masking the inevitable error of "windows cannot access \\pcname\drive?

Hello,

Windows 7 sharing is really irritating. You will need a password on the pc sharing the files.

An easy way to do it of you don't want to authenticate every time is to add multiple user accounts on the share PC using the same username and passwords on your other PCs.



Dave

Dont know whether your problem is similar to mine or not. Main computer is on xp connected via cable to wireless router and hard wired to printer. I wanted to be able to share printer with wireless laptops operating on windows 7. Set up network as workgroup (advised elsewhere not to use homegroup as xp will not recognise). Was able to see xp computer via win 7 laptop but unable to connect to it. windows just kept coming up saying that the drive was not accessible. Frustrating as files via media player were showing and were accessible so knew the network was there. Finally resolved that my firewall was blocking. I use Kaspersky and as soon as I went into firewall network settings and changed connection type to local rather than public....voila problem solved. now have full acces to shared files and can finally print. hope this helps someone out there

Dave Atkin said:

Hello,

Windows 7 sharing is really irritating. You will need a password on the pc sharing the files.

An easy way to do it of you don't want to authenticate every time is to add multiple user accounts on the share PC using the same username and passwords on your other PCs.



Dave

Thank you, Dave. I really don't want to use any passwords at all as I have younger kids who use both machines. Any other way to share?

aem said:

IIf you have no issues with XP machine, don't know why you have issues with W7. The bacis networking rules haven't changed.

See if this help.

File Sharing - Between XP and W7 (and vice versa)

These are two windows 7 machines that I put in the original thread.
I want to just use //computername/drive name but can't in 7...or do you know of a way?
Thanks.

pongool said:

Dave Atkin said:

Hello,

Windows 7 sharing is really irritating. You will need a password on the pc sharing the files.

An easy way to do it of you don't want to authenticate every time is to add multiple user accounts on the share PC using the same username and passwords on your other PCs.



Dave

Thank you, Dave. I really don't want to use any passwords at all as I have younger kids who use both machines. Any other way to share?

Dave's statement is absolutely not true by the way. No passwords are required on any of the machines for sharing to work.

You need to set up sharing permissions and Security permission settings to share things these days. It's easy once you know how. :)

chev65 said:

pongool said:

I've searched high and low for a fix and I am at my wits end!!
Ok, so I have 3 pc's on my home lan...two are 7 ultimate and one is 7 home.
All I want to be able to do is share the hard drives to make moving files from one to another easy and quick instead of using thumb drives. That's all i want to do...was so easy and nice in XP but I cannot get it to work in 7. I do NOT like that Homegroup thing either as that is not working for me.
None of the pc's have log in's or passwords...they boot directly into windows 7.
When i share out a drive and then try to connect it tells me the drive is not available and I'm about to lose my mind.
Can anyone help me out with this? Like I said, it was SO easy in XP....
Thanks!

In order to share an entire drive you need to go into the "Security tab" of the drive itself and then add "Everyone" to the permissions share with list. You do not need a password on the machine sharing the drive.

Do this by right clicking the drive and then choose "Properties" click on the "Security" tab. After that click on the "Edit" button which will bring up the Permissions Security window. Click the "Add" button. Type "Everyone" where it says..."Enter the objects name to select" then click ok. This will take you back to the permissions window where you add check marks for full permissions Second picture. After that hit "Apply" you will be able to share that drive with Everyone now. :)

This is not a very secure method of sharing because it exposes the shared drives to everyone on your network.

Thanks for the help. My problem is with going from a laptop (the sharee) to the desktop (sharer). It always says that the network connection cannot be found...any ideas?
Thanks!