Sharing files and folders
The ability to share files and folders remains one of the most basic
reasons that organizations deploy networks in the workplace and why
more people are deploying networks in their homes. In Windows 8, you
must enable sharing on your network, go through the process of sharing
resources, and then secure access to those resources by setting varying
levels of permissions.
Enabling folder sharing using the Windows 8 interface
To enable file and folder sharing in Windows 8, complete the following steps:
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Tap or move your mouse pointer to the upper-right or lower-right corner of the screen to access the charms.
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Click the Settings charm to open the Settings menu.
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Tap or click Network.
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When the list of networks appears, press and hold or right-click the network with which you’d like to share resources.
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When the shortcut menu appears, choose Turn Sharing On Or Off.
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Tap or click Yes, Turn On Sharing And Connect To Devices, as shown in Figure 5.
Enabling folder sharing using the traditional interface
Alternatively, you can enable file sharing in a more
traditional way in Windows 8 by configuring the network profile
settings for the network to which you’re connected. To do so, complete
the following steps:
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Open the Network and Sharing Center.
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Tap or click the Change Advanced Sharing Settings option to open a dialog box like the one shown in Figure 6.
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To enable folder sharing, select the Turn On File And Printer Sharing option.
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Tap or click Save Changes.
There are a number of additional options on this page.
For private networks, three settings are available:
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Network Discovery
When Network Discovery is enabled, the Windows 8–based computer can
find other devices on the network and is itself visible on the network.
This feature plays a prominent role in sharing resources such as
documents and printers. When this feature is disabled—which is often
the case for security reasons—the Windows 8–based computer doesn’t seek
out and display network resources and doesn’t advertise itself on the
network. However, even when Network Discovery is disabled, the Windows
8–based computer can use resources shared
by other computers or servers on the network, but the administrator or
person using the computer needs to know the network path to access
those resources.
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File And Printer Sharing
When File and Printer Sharing is enabled, the Windows 8–based computer
is allowed to share its resources on the network. This feature
accompanies Network Discovery, which makes shared resources visible on the network; File and Printer Sharing is the mechanism by which those resources are shared.
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HomeGroup Connections In non-domain environments, Windows 8 provides HomeGroup functionality, which streamlines the process of sharing resources on smaller or home networks.
For guest or
public networks, the options are the same as for private networks, with
one exception. If the selected network is a public network, the
HomeGroup Connections option is not available.
In the All Networks section of the Advanced Sharing Settings dialog box (Figure 7), you find other settings that are pertinent to file and folder sharing:
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Public Folder Sharing
Anyone on the network can access the contents of folders marked as public that are shared from this computer.
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Media Streaming
When Media Streaming is enabled, other people and devices on the
network can access pictures, movies, and music from this computer. In
addition, this computer can find media on the network.
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File Sharing Connections
This setting
requires an encrypted, 128-bit connection for file-sharing connections.
Some earlier versions of Windows and some devices on the market do not
support this level of encryption. If you are having trouble with a device, try to use the 40/56-bit option instead.
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Password Protected Sharing
This setting ensures that people accessing the resources on this
computer—files, folders, and printers—actually have an account and
password on this computer. If not, the user is denied access to the resource.
