How to share a shared folder. How to open access to a computer over a network

General work is a fairly important part of any business activity. For example, your team might create documents that only team members can access. Or you want to give access to your files to members of a remote group. In any case, collaboration requires an understanding of the intricacies of managing shared folders in a network environment.

Sharing a folder allows the user to access it over the network. That is, users who connect to a shared folder over the network are able to use the files and folders in it. Here, when sharing resources, especially network shares, it is important to understand the implications of authorization.

Shared folders can contain applications, public data, or personal user data. It's also important to understand how to manage shared folders, how to provide a location for users to access shared files, and how to make it easier to back up the data contained in those files.

Shared folders make them available to multiple network users at the same time.

When you create new public folders with the Prepare Public Folder Wizard in Share and the Storage Management console, or by using the File Sharing Wizard, you can always configure the access rights assigned to each public folder when you create them.

In Windows 7, members of the Administrators, Power Users, and Server Operators group can use shared folders. Folders can also be shared by other users who have been granted the user right to create permanent shared objects. If the folder is on an NTFS volume, you must have read permission to access it.

There are several different ways to share folders with other users on your network:

• In Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Shares option
• In Windows Explorer, right-click on the desired folder and select Share
• From the command line with the Net Share command
• Using PC control.

Methods for sharing folders.

Windows 7 provides two ways to share folders directly on your PC:

• Access to any folder: Allows you to share photos, music and other files in any folder on your PC without having to move them from their current location. There are two types of sharing any folder - basic and advanced.
• Accessing Public Folders: Public folders serve as an open box. Copying a file to a shared folder immediately makes it available to other users on your computer or network.

Any shared folders – basic mode.

Basic shared folders are the simplest form of any shared folder because they allow you to quickly and easily share the folder. To create basic sharing of the desired folder, right-click on it and select "Share".

Although Windows creates the share name automatically, you must manually define NTFS and enable sharing. Windows 7 allows you to choose not only who can view a file, but also what the user can do with it. This is called access rights.

Any shared folders – advanced mode.

To improve control over any folder, the sharing process uses advanced sharing.

If you are using advanced sharing settings to share a folder, you must provide the following information:

• Share name
• Maximum number of simultaneous connections to a folder
• Access right to public folders
• Caching options.

To use additional access settings, right-click on the folder and click the "Properties" button, go there to the "Access" tab and click on the "Advanced sharing settings" line.

Access to shared folders.

You can view these folders by clicking on the "Start" button, then the user name, and then on the arrow next to "Libraries", in extended folders.

By default, public folder sharing is disabled. However, files stored in the shared folders directory are available to all users who have an account on this PC, and can be accessed locally. To allow access to a shared folder over a network, you can configure Windows 7 in two ways:

• Provide sharing so that network users only have permission to open files.
• Share so that anyone with network access can open, edit, and create new files.

If you have enabled sharing of a shared folder, everyone with an account on the network or on this computer can connect to it both locally and remotely.

Sharing public folders allows you to fine-tune sharing permissions, and provides an easy way to make the files you want accessible to others. There are two options for resolving access rights, one of which you can choose.

Combining NTFS and sharing permissions.

If a shared folder is created on a partition formatted for the NTFS file system, the permissions for the shared folder and the permissions for the NTFS file system are combined. NTFS file system permissions are typically used to access a resource locally or over a network, but shared folder access is filtered.

When granting permissions to a shared folder on an NTFS volume, the following rules apply:

• By default, the Everyone group is granted Read permission to the shared folder.
• Users must have the required NTFS file system permissions for each file and folder in the shared folder. In addition, permission to access the corresponding shared folder.
• If NTFS file system permissions and shared folder permissions are combined, the permission with the most restrictive rules becomes the primary permission.
• Folder permissions apply to that folder, all files in that folder, subfolders, and all files in those subfolders.

The following analogies are helpful in understanding what happens when NTFS and sharing permissions are combined. When dealing with a shared folder, to access its files over the network, you should always open the shared folder. Thus, as a filter, you can set permissions for a shared folder, under which the user can perform only those actions with its contents that are possible if shared access is allowed. That is, all NTFS permissions that are less restrictive than the permissions on the share will be filtered out.

For example, if the shared permission is set to read-only, you can only read files on the shared folder even if the individual NTFS file system permission is full control. If you set the Edit permission, you can not only read, but also modify the contents of the shared folder. If the NTFS permission is set to Full Control, the share permission filter with the Modify option is effective.

Network and Sharing Center.

Previous versions of Windows required many different GUIs and commands to fully configure networking and sharing. In Windows 7, this is much easier to do; all the necessary tools are provided in one place, the Network and Sharing Center. You can access it through the Windows Control Panel or by typing into the search field of the Start menu - "Network and Sharing Center".

It is very important to know all aspects of the Network and Sharing Center and be able to use them to configure all types of network connections.

The Network and Sharing Center provides the following tools:

• Viewing a network map
• Setting up a new connection or network
• Changes to advanced sharing settings
• Selecting HomeGroup and Sharing Options
• Fixing network problems.

View a network map.

A network map is a tool that graphically displays the computers and other network devices present on your network.

You can access the full map by clicking on the "View Full Map" link. Because all devices may not return connection information, the Maps topology may not reflect all devices. These devices appear at the bottom of the map. To get more detailed information from them, switch to list view. By default, the View Full Map option for domains is disabled for end users. But, it is always available to network administrators.

Note: A network map is not just a topology. It displays all active network devices that you can configure or troubleshoot.

Setting up a new connection or network.

You can configure your active network connections in the appropriate section under the network map. If desired, you can change the name and icon of the appearance of the network. In the "View active networks" section, click on the network icon and enter its new name. There you can also change the network icon. To view and modify the properties of a network connection, click on the connection line on the right side of the connection listing.

This section displays the following network connections:

• Internet connection: Set up a wireless, broadband or dial-up Internet connection.
• Network Setup: Set up a new router or access point.
• Setting up a Dial-up connection: connecting to the Internet using a dial-up connection.
• Connecting to a workplace: Setting up a dial-up or VPN connection to a workplace.

Note: You can change the network profile between public and home. This changes the firewall settings for a given network connection.

Change advanced sharing options.

The Network and Sharing Center includes a link to modify advanced sharing settings, which you can use to enable, disable, and change the way various network services behave. You can configure three network profiles:

• home network
• Community Network
• Enterprise network.

In each of these network profiles, you can configure the following settings:

• Network discovery
• File sharing
• Access to shared folders
• Printer sharing
• Media sharing.

You must know how to enable network discovery and configure network settings so that users can access existing network resources and shared folders. Network discovery has two main benefits:

• Components on the computer appear on the network map and respond to its requests.
• Ability to gain direct access to each device on the network map by double-clicking on its icon.

Select sharing and homegroup options.

If a connected homegroup is defined on your network, or if you are connected to a homegroup from a computer to a domain, this feature is available to you. This feature can be used to link PCs on your home network to share photos, music, videos and documents.

Fixing network problems.

This feature is used to diagnose and resolve network problems and provide recommendations for the following network components:

• Internet connection
• Connecting to a shared folder
• Home group
• Network adapter
• Incoming connections to this computer
• Printers

This article will show you a simple way to set up file access on Windows 7, for those cases when you need to provide anonymous access to shared resources in Windows 7. This setup assumes that access over the network will be without a password, without restrictions. This is a common situation for home and office networks.

Similar articles for other OS:

So, step by step.

Allow folder sharing

In Explorer, you need to find the folder that you want to share (give public access to it) and right-click on it. In the context menu, open Properties for this folder. In the properties window, go to the "Access" tab and click the "Sharing" button:

After this, in a new window, you need to specify full permissions for the “Everyone” user group:

After clicking the "Finish" button, this folder will become available over the network:

Now in the folder properties you can see that it is accessible over the network:

Configuring network settings Windows 7

Next you need to open " Network and Sharing Center" (via the Network icon in the tray or through the Control panel) and on the left side of the window click on "Change additional sharing settings":

In the next window, your local network profile will immediately open - there you need to enable two parameters and click the "Save changes" button:

After that, in the same window, go to the “General” profile:

And there, disable the “password protected sharing” option and, of course, click the “Save changes” button:

This completes setting up network access without a password for Windows 7. Now you can log into this computer via the local network and Windows will not require you to enter a password.

If Windows requires a network password

Despite the fact that the settings described above have been made, when you log into this computer, another computer may request a network password. This is possible if there are local users on both computers with the same name, but with different passwords.

There are two solutions to this problem:

1. Remove matching user logins.
2. For users with the same login, specify the same password. An empty password is also considered the same.

How to unshare a folder in Windows 7

On Windows 7, canceling sharing is not at all obvious, unlike Windows XP. On Windows 7, to cancel sharing, you need to click the “Advanced settings” button on the “Access” tab and disable it there. Microsoft developers have a peculiar logic.

Sharing a Windows 7 folder via the command line

File sharing can be set up much faster if you use the command line (console, cmd.exe). Just run one command in the console:

net share files=c:\files

It shares the folder c:\files and sets a network name for it files.

You can also cancel sharing via the console:

net share files /delete

This command deletes a network (public) folder files. Folder c:\files Of course it stays in place.

Sharing Windows 7 files using the Shared Folders snap-in

The Windows 7 management toolkit includes a special program (snap-in) for managing shared resources on your computer. It's called "Shared Folders" and you can run it with the command fsmgmt.msc(in the console or via Win + R):

Alternatively, this snap-in can be opened through the Start menu: “Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Shared Folders”.

Setting up password-free access for other operating systems

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What tasks can be accomplished using public access? To enable your users to view local network content and access computers and devices, you can enable network discovery. Unless each computer on your network has a local printer connected to it, you will need to share printers so that users can print their documentation. You can share computer resources with both all users and those users whose credentials exist on the computer sharing files and folders. You can allow users to share music, videos, and pictures, allow streaming media sharing, and more.

In this article, you will become familiar with the functionality of advanced sharing options and learn how to correctly set sharing permissions.

Open the Advanced Sharing Options window

To open the window, do any of the following:

Window "Advanced sharing options" shown in the following illustration:

Rice. 1. “Advanced sharing options” window

Change sharing settings

As already mentioned in the article, the Windows 7 operating system supports multiple active profiles, which allows you to use multiple network adapters most securely. Using a window "Advanced sharing options", you can specify different sharing settings for any of the three profiles (Home and work networks, Domain profile, and Public profile). By specifying the sharing settings for each profile, they will be applied depending on which network interface with the profile is currently active. Selecting a network profile in the window for changing sharing settings is shown in the following illustration:

Rice. 2. Selecting a network profile for which sharing parameters will be changed

Network discovery

Network discovery is a networking feature that was introduced in the Windows Vista operating system and is responsible for a setting that determines whether other computers on the network can discover the user's computer and whether the user can see them. There are two parameters responsible for network discovery: "Enable network discovery", through which the computer becomes visible to other user computers, and "Disable network discovery", which prevents other computers from being viewed and makes the user's computer invisible to other computers on the network. Default for profile "Home and Work" this option is enabled. In the case when the computer is connected to the network in a public place, for example, at an airport or in a cafeteria, "General" a profile in which network discovery is disabled by default.

To change network discovery settings, follow these steps:

In a domain environment, network discovery functionality is also disabled by default. To enable it, in the snap-in "Group Policy Management" create a GPO, open the Group Policy Management Editor, in the node Computer Configuration/Policies/Administrative Templates/Network/Link Layer Discovery. Select a policy "Enables the I/O mapping driver (LLTDIO)", in its properties set the value "Turn on" and check the box "Allow operation for domain" in the advanced settings of the policy properties. Repeat the same steps for the policy setting "Enable Responder Driver (RSPNDR)", then update the policy settings on the client machine using the command gpupdate /force /boot.

File and Printer Sharing

If your computer is on a local network, you may want to share some files or folders and allow others on the local network to use your printer. If you want other users to be able to view and perform actions on the files you share, you must enable this functionality. Default for profile "Home or Work" this feature is enabled, and for the profile "General"- disabled. To enable or disable this feature and add files to a public folder, follow these steps:

You can also give access to any folder located on your computer and specify users with different rights who will have access to it. To do this, do the following:

• Change the display name of a shared folder. To do this, select from the drop-down list "Share Name" available share name or click the button "Add". In the dialog box "New Share" enter a name and, optionally, a description of the resource and click on the button "OK". In order for connected users to see only the name of the shared resource you specified, select the original folder name from the list and click the button "Delete";
• Limit the number of simultaneous connections to your share. The default value is 20 connections. For example, if there are only five computers on your local network, you can change the number of users who can simultaneously use your resource;
• Configure folder permissions and offline mode settings, which will be covered in a later article.

Rice. 9. Credentials Request Window

Rice. 10. Public folders

Access to shared folders

As stated above, along with user account folders, the Windows operating system creates a folder "Are common", which is shared by default for the profile "Home and Work". Using a window "Advanced sharing options" you can deny access to this folder. To do this, follow these steps:

Please note that users who have already connected to this folder will still have access to use the resources located in it.

Streaming media

With media streaming settings for computers and devices, you can set permissions for folders of music, videos, and pictures that can be streamed to devices and computers on your network. "Windows Media Player". To configure these parameters you need to follow the link "Select media streaming options" in Group "Media Streaming" window "Advanced sharing options".

In the window "Media Streaming Options" shown in the following illustration, you can configure any settings that relate to broadcasting your multimedia data to other computers. You can read about the settings for this functionality in the article.

Rice. 12. Media Streaming Options

Connecting file sharing

Using the parameters located in this group, you can specify the type of encryption to protect the shared connection. Encryption is used to protect shared files and folders. The Windows 7 operating system provides two algorithms for encrypting connections:

• 40-bit or 56-bit encryption – DES (Data Encryption Standard). It is a symmetric encryption algorithm in which one key is used to both encrypt and decrypt data. DES was developed by IBM and approved by the US government in 1977 as an official standard;
• 128-bit encryption – Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). It is also a symmetric block cipher algorithm (block size 128 bits, key 128/192/256 bits), adopted as an encryption standard by the US government through the AES competition. This algorithm has been well analyzed and is now widely used, as was its predecessor DES.

The default for all profiles is 128-bit encryption to protect shared connections.

Password protected sharing

For security purposes, by default, access to shared folders is password protected. To gain access to user shared folders and files on another computer, you must enter the appropriate account information. This method is used to allow access to only a specified set of resources.

The file and folder sharing method is typically used when some users are allowed access to one set of shares, while others have full access. In order to disable password-protected access (which, in principle, is highly undesirable in enterprises), follow these steps:

Homegroup connections

As you know, you can only create and join an existing homegroup if the location of the active network interface is "Home network". Homegroup connection options in the advanced sharing settings window are available only for a profile "Home and Work". There are two options for sharing files in a homegroup: "Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections"- with the help of which the operating system independently provides shared access for computers that are in a given group. It is possible that you may have created sharing permissions on your computers before creating a homegroup, and you would like to save them for later use in the homegroup. Parameter "Use user accounts and passwords to connect to other computers" allows you to display a dialog requesting credentials when accessing a computer. To change homegroup connection settings, follow these steps:

Conclusion

This article describes the functionality of advanced sharing options. You learned how to change your network location based on your network profile usage, learned about ways to share files and folders with and without password protection, learned about adjusting media streaming settings, learned a little about methods for encrypting network connections, and learned how to change connection settings home group. With this knowledge, you can effectively set up file and folder sharing in home and small office environments. In the next article, I will describe in detail the use of shared folders, which are managed using the Microsoft Management Console snap-in "Shared Folders".

Today, using both Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8 in one home or small business is quite possible.

While Windows 7 and Windows 8 have similar tools for sharing files online, there are differences that might puzzle you.

Basics of file sharing on a local network

When setting up or troubleshooting file sharing problems over a home or small business network, the first step is to make sure that all computers on the network are part of the same network. working group . There is an exception: if you have a laptop that is usually connected to a corporate domain and configured as a member of the domain, and you intend to leave it as such.

The default workgroup name for Windows systems is WORKGROUP. But you can use a different name. Simply put, the PC will see all systems on the local network that share the same workgroup name. If you are joining a machine to a workgroup, there is a wizard in Windows System Settings.

To manually change the system workgroup name, call the System Properties dialog box (Figure 1). To do this, in the Control Panel, open the System section. On Windows 7 and Windows 8, click the link Advanced System Settings(Advanced system settings). Select the Computer Name tab and click the Change button to enter a new workgroup name (or a new domain name or computer name).

Once you have your computers recognizing each other in Windows Explorer, you can start sharing files by designating files and folders to be shared. But more on that in a moment.

Use HomeGroups to Share Files and Folders Locally

Microsoft is counting on you to use the built-in features in Windows to share files. home groups (homegroups). These are essentially pre-configured groupings of shared files and printers. Homegroups are generally easy to set up, but they also have a number of limitations and potential performance issues. For example, XP systems cannot be joined to a homegroup. Transferring files using a homegroup can be noticeably slower than using a standard workgroup connection.

Homegroups can be used in Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 7, with a few important caveats. In Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows RT 8.1, you can carry out annexation to the homegroup, but not create her. In RT, you also won't be able to share local content with others. Systems installed as domain members can also be joined (but not created) to home groups.

Typically, Windows 7 prompts users to create or join a homegroup when the PC first connects to the network. Not so with Windows 8: When you set up a Windows 8.1 PC, a homegroup is automatically created if there are no other homegroups on the network. If there is another computer on the network with a homegroup, the utility will notify you and show a button Join now(Join now) (see Figure 2). If you click the button, you will be prompted to enter your homegroup password.

However, before you join a homegroup, I recommend clicking the “Change advanced sharing settings” link. Advanced sharing settings dialog box ) allows you to configure resources for the network. The program offers three sections: Private (current network profile), Guest or Public, and All Networks. The organizational chart of this utility can be confusing; this is what is shown here:

• In sections Private(Private) and Guest or public(Guest or Public) you can specify whether to enable network discovery and file and printer sharing. You should leave these options enabled because, after all, you want your computers to see each other and share files.
• Chapter All networks(All Networks) is more interesting. Here you can set whether users on other computers can access Public Folders (we'll get to those shortly), and determine which devices on the network can stream media across the network.

To accommodate older devices, you can also lower the encryption standard used by the network. Finally, you can set whether password-protected sharing will be implemented on the current computer. If you enable this setting, users will need to have accounts on the computer to share files.

When you are done with the Advanced sharing settings dialog, you can click the Save changes button and return to the previous dialog. Click the button Join(Join now) and you will be asked to select which folders you want to share.

The Share with other homegroup members dialog box can be a little confusing at first. One thing to keep in mind is that you are not defining file types, you are defining folders saved in your user profile. Selecting Shared in the Video category, for example, means that only those files in your Video library or folder can be accessed by others. Videos saved in other directories will not be shared.

Click the Next button to join the homegroup. You will now be able to navigate within the shared resources of other computers when you go to the Homegroup section in Windows Explorer.

For more information about Windows Homegroups, visit the HomeGroup page on the Microsoft website.

Sharing files over the network using folders Are common

Whether your system is connected to a HomeGroup, or just part of a workgroup, you can use the Public folder to share files with anyone who has access to your computer—on the network or locally. If you created a homegroup, the General folder will be used automatically. Otherwise, you will need to enable the General folder yourself.

Again, once you enable the Public folder, any files stored in that folder or its subfolders will be available to everyone who has access to that computer. Keep in mind, however, that the Public folder on each system is a separate folder, independent of the Public folders on all other systems. This is not a single shared folder accessible over the network.

Once you've enabled the Public folder, I recommend making it your new Library. Right click on her name and select Add to library(Include in library).

Share specific files and folders

I don't usually use the default Windows data folders; I find it more convenient to create my own folder hierarchy. (Keep in mind that if you want custom custom folders to be automatically backed up using File History in Windows 8, they must be included in the Library.) Luckily, it's relatively easy to designate individual folders, subfolders, and files to share - for yourself, within a homegroup, or for other specific users.

On Windows 7, click (Share with) and then Individual people(Specific people); The File Sharing dialog box will open, similar to the one in Windows 8.

Interestingly, if you want to make a specific folder (other than the Public folder) accessible everyone on your network, you'll have to take a few extra steps. You must open the properties of the file or folder, select the Sharing tab and click Share.

Double-click a specific user's name and the Permission Entry dialog box will open (see Figure 7). You can also specify, among other things, whether the permissions also apply to subfolders and the files within them.

Windows 7 also allows you to set certain user permissions on files and folders, but this is located in a different place. Right-click the folder and select Properties, then select the Sharing or Security tab. On the Sharing tab, select Advanced Sharing and then Permissions. On the Security tab, highlight the username and then click Edit. (This works for Windows 8 too.)

Setting up shared files and folders manually will take some effort, but it will obviously allow you fine control over access and access levels to data on your PC. When you want to access something shared on another computer, you simply go to the Network section in the Windows Explorer navigation bar, click the Expand button next to the specific system, and open the file or folder you're looking for.

Cloud: organizing access to your own data

Using HomeGroups and Shared Folders makes it easier for others to access your data. This also allows you to access data on multiple computers on your local network. But an even more flexible solution lies in cloud technology. Services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive (Microsoft) make it extremely easy to sync data across multiple machines and mobile devices. You can also access your data using any Internet-connected browser, and you can share files and folders with other people over the Internet with relative ease.

But there are downsides to the cloud-based approach to storing files and folders—beyond requiring a subscription fee when you go beyond the free storage limits. For example, you often cannot grant different permissions to different people. More importantly, you typically can't sync files between systems on your local network without having to upload the same data to the cloud, where, again, you're faced with potentially having to pay for storage.

There is no one-size-fits-all way to share data

To provide access to files and folders - to yourself and others - you'll likely use different methods for different purposes.

Using Homegroups makes it easy to share data located in specific Windows folders, especially if you don't have to set different permissions for each file and folder for different users.

Manually specifying shared files and folders - and even drives - is the best option when you want to tightly control access or if you prefer to store data in your own directory structure.

Finally, cloud storage is an ideal option for syncing files and folders across multiple devices and when you are not connected to a local network. As a bonus, you also have the ability to backup important data remotely.

Found a typo? Highlight and press Ctrl + Enter

In addition to unlimited access to the virtual world wide web, the most important task of a local network is the exchange of information between various devices connected to it. And this information, as a rule, is packed into a folder and lies in the bins of the hard drive of a network computer.

Accordingly, the question arises: how to share a folder in Windows 7 on a local network, which we will consider in this article.

By the way, to open access to folders on Windows 8 and Windows 10, you need to perform similar steps: the only difference here is the operating system interface.

How to share folders in windows 7?

So, to share a folder in Windows 7 over a local network (LAN), you first need to:

Assign the local network the value “Home” (if all network members enjoy absolute trust) or “Enterprise network” (or “Work”).

To check or change this option, you need to go to “Start” -> “Control Panel” -> “Network and Internet” -> “Network and Sharing Center” and click the link on the left side of the active networks section

You should add only those users to your home group to whom you are willing to provide unlimited access to any network resources.

This is necessary so that the firewall does not block access to the folder for this type of local network connection.

Change network profile properties.

To do this, go to “Start” -> “Control Panel” -> “Network and Internet” -> “Network and Sharing Center” -> “Change advanced sharing settings”

expand the “Home or work” line here and check all the items with the words “enable” and “allow” (except for “password protection” - it is recommended to disable it).

Encryption can be left at default (128 bits), and skip the “Multimedia” section for now.

These options will allow other systems to “see” the computer’s disks, open the way to shared resources, and also make it possible to independently manage the “HomeGroup”.

At this point, the preparatory stage is over - you can share the folder on Windows 7. To do this:

Right-click once on the desired network folder;

Go to the “Sharing” column, then in the right context menu select the capabilities of other local network users in relation to this folder.

How to restrict access to a folder to other users?

To partially block access to the Windows 7 folder, go to the “Specific Users” context menu subsection and in the window that opens, select “Home Group” or one specific user to whom you do you allow access to a network folder. For other computers on the local network, this directory will still remain inaccessible.

You can also create a shared folder on the local network through the object properties:

Right-click once on the future network folder and select the “Properties” menu item;

Here go to the “Access” tab;

In the window that opens, click “Sharing” and select the users you want do you allow access to the specified network folder;

Click “Share” and “Done” again to save the settings.

To configure additional sharing settings, click “Advanced settings”.

In the window that opens, select the “Share” checkbox, and then click the “Permissions” button.

You will be taken to the next dialog, where you need to click the “Add” button, in the window that opens, click on the “Advanced” command, and then click “Search”.

Here a list will open in which you need to select the “Network” line, and then double-click the “Ok” command to save the changes.

Returning to the “Advanced Settings”, at the bottom of the window, provide the necessary permissions or restrictions for the selected user group.

By default, the right to open and view files from this folder is given.

If you allow “Edit”, then visitors will be able not only to read them, but also to make changes. But they will not be able to create new files or delete existing ones. This also applies to launching programs, if any, in this folder.

“Full access” removes all of the above restrictions.

Confirm sharing the folder by clicking the “Ok” button.

If after such “operations” there is still no access to the Windows 7 network folder, you should go to the “Security” tab in the properties window and do similar manipulations there:

At the top of the window, click the “Change” button;

Select the user group you need and assign it the right to access the network folder (there are many more permission options here, but check only the rights discussed above).

To configure access to a network folder using a password, you must enable the password protection item at the “Change additional sharing settings” stage.