NETWORKING WITH

WINDOWS 7
COMPUTER SYSTEMS SERVICING NC II
How to Set Up a Homegroup in
Windows 7
 The easiest way to set up a network for sharing files and devices is
to use the new Homegroup feature in Windows 7. Setting up a
Homegroup in Windows 7 streamlines the network creation process
and provides a simple way to let every PC in the house share files,
including music, photos, and movies, and even the household or office
printer.

 The catch? Homegroups only work completely with other Windows 7

PCs. But even if you have only one Windows 7 PC in your home
network, set up its Homegroup anyway. Creating a Homegroup will
let every user account on that Windows 7 PC share their files more
quickly and easily with each other and will let your PC share files
with older PCs still running Windows Vista or Windows XP.
 PCs running Windows 7 Starter Edition can’t create a Homegroup,
but they can join one.
1. Click the Library icon on your taskbar to launch your Libraries
window.
2. Right-click the Homegroup link in the Navigation Pane and click
the Create a Homegroup button.

 If you don’t spot the words Create a Homegroup, your Homegroup is

already set up on this PC; choose Change Homegroup Settings
instead, and move to the next step.
 If you see a Join Now button instead, a Homegroup has been
created on another PC in your network. You’ll need to get the
password from the PC that created the Homegroup in order to join.
3. Select what items to share on your Homegroup and click Next or
Save Changes.

 Select an item’s check box to share it; remove the check mark to
stop sharing. Windows 7 normally shares your Pictures, Music, and
Videos libraries, as well as any printer that’s attached to any PC on
your Homegroup. You might want to leave your Documents library
unshared if it contains more private items.
 Sharing a folder simply lets other people access that folder’s files —
view the pictures or watch a video, for example. They can neither
change nor delete those files, nor can they create or place any files
in your folder.
4. Process the password and click Finish.

 Type the password into each Windows 7 PC within your Homegroup.

 Windows 7 spits out a customized password for your Homegroup.
The password contains a mixture of numbers and letters. It is case
sensitive, so write it down carefully.
 Forgot the all-important Homegroup password? You can find it on
any PC on the Homegroup: Open any folder, right-click the word
Homegroup in the Navigation Pane, and then choose View
Homegroup Password.
How to Join a Homegroup in Windows
7
 Unlike most network connections, joining a Homegroup in Windows 7
is quick and painless. Windows 7 added the new Homegroup
feature to streamline the networking process and provide a simple
way to let every PC in the house share files, including music, photos,
and movies, and even the household or office printer.
 Only Windows 7 PCs can join a Homegroup network. However, if
you have an older version of Windows, you can still establish a
regular network with a Windows 7 computer that is part of a
Homegroup. Also, PCs running Windows 7 Starter Edition can’t
create a Homegroup, but they can join one.
1. Click the Library icon on your taskbar to launch your Libraries
window.
2. Right-click the Homegroup link in the Navigation Pane and click
the Join Now button.

 If you spot the words Create a Homegroup instead, a Homegroup

hasn’t been created for your network. You’ll need to create a
Homegroup on one of the computers in your network.
3. Decide what items to share on your Homegroup, and click Next or
Save Changes.

 Select an item’s check box to share it; remove the check mark to
stop sharing. Windows 7 normally shares your Pictures, Music, and
Videos libraries, as well as any printer that’s attached to any PC on
your Homegroup. You might want to leave your Documents library
unshared if it contains more private items.
 Sharing a folder simply lets other people access that folder’s files —
view the pictures or watch a video, for example. They can neither
change nor delete those files, nor can they create or place any files
in your folder.
4. Type the Homegroup password and click Finish.

 Type in the password given out by the PC that created the

Homegroup. The password is case sensitive so be sure to type it
carefully.
 To see the password, head to the PC that created the Homegroup,
right-click the word Homegroup in the Navigation Pane, and choose
View Homegroup Password.
How to Change a Network Type in
Windows 7
 When you connect to a network, the main question that Windows
asks is whether you’re connecting to a home, work, or public
network? Windows uses the information to determine how secure
your system needs to be. However, Windows 7 gives you the
opportunity to go back and change a network type to suit your
needs.
 Before you can determine the best way to classify your network, you
need to understand what Microsoft sees as the difference between
home, work, and public:
 Public: Windows 7 puts up your PC’s shields. Windows Firewall
plugs almost all its openings and protects its internal programs for
being connected to potentially hostile network.
 Work: Windows 7 opens the Windows Firewall so that you can
communicate with other computers on your network and share
folders, say, or use printers on the network. Windows also starts
services that make your computer visible on the network.
 Home: Windows 7 goes out and looks for other Windows 7
computers on the network. If it finds other Win7 computers that have
a HomeGroup going, it invites you to join that HomeGroup. If it
doesn’t find one, Windows 7 asks whether you want to start one.
 The most common reason many people have to change a network
type is because they want to create or join a HomeGroup. If you
want to use a HomeGroup, every computer needs to be on a home
network. You can use the same process for changing any network
type.
1. Choose Start→Control Panel and, under the Network and Internet
heading, click the View Network Status and Tasks link.

 Windows shows you the Network and Sharing Center.

2. In the box marked View Your Active Networks, click the link that
mentions the network type you now have.
3. Choose the type of network you want to use. In this case, click
Home so we can create a HomeGroup.

 The Set Network Location dialog box closes. When you switch to a
home network type, Windows invites you to either start a new
HomeGroup or, if a HomeGroup exists, join it.
How to Share a Folder in Windows 7
and Windows Vista
 The key to accessing information on a peer-to-peer Windows
network is to share folders between computers. After a folder is
shared, any other user on the network can access it, using its files just
like any folder on their own computer.
 To share a folder in Windows 7 and Windows Vista, follow these
steps:
1. Right-click the folder you want to share.
 You have to see the folder, not be “in” the folder.
2. Choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
 The shortcut menu has sharing commands. But that type of sharing
refers to sharing the folder between users on the same computer, not
on the network.
3. Click the Sharing tab in the folder’s Properties dialog box.
4. Click the Advanced Sharing button.
5. In Windows Vista, type the administrator’s password or click the
Continue button.
 The Advanced Sharing dialog box appears.
6. Place a check mark by the option Share This Folder.
7. If necessary, type a more descriptive share name.
 The folder name already appears in the Shared Name box.
Additionally, when other users see this folder available on the
network, they also see your computer’s name after the folder’s
name.
8. Click OK to close the Advanced Sharing dialog box, and then click
the Close button to discharge the folder’s Properties dialog box.
 After the folder is shared, it appears with a sharing buddies tag on
its icon.
How to Manually Assign an IP Address
in Windows 7
 Most computers that are attached to an Ethernet network will have
their IP addresses assigned automatically by DHCP. You can
configure your PC to use its own IP address, effectively disabling
DHCP. Here’s how to do that in Windows 7:

1. Open the Network and Sharing Center window.

2. On the right side of the window, choose the link Local Area
Connection.
3. In the Status dialog box, click the Properties button.
 A Properties dialog box for the connection appears. It lists the
various protocols and services being used by the connection.
4. Select the service titled Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Click the Properties button.
 The dialog box labeled Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
Properties appears.
6. Choose the option Use the Following IP Address.
7. Type the IP address.
 At this point, you must know what you’re doing. Seriously. Typing an
improper IP address, or one that’s out of range, means that your
computer cannot use the network.
8. Type a subnet mask.
 For a local-area network, the value is usually 255.255.255.0, but it
could be something else depending on the specifics of your network.
9. Type the default gateway address.
 The default gateway address is the IP address for the network’s
router.
 Because DHCP also obtains the address for the DNS server, which
helps your computer find addresses on the Internet, you need to
manually list those addresses as well.
10. Type the address of the preferred DNS server.
 This value is obtained from your ISP.
11. Type the address for the alternative DNS server.
 The alternate DNS server’s IP address is also something that your ISP
must provide.
12. Click OK to close the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
Properties dialog box.
13. Close the other open dialog boxes and windows.
Network Client Computer Identification
 Following is the procedure for changing the client computer
identification for any network client running Windows Vista,
Windows 7, or Windows 8. Begin by opening the control panel.
 For Windows 7, choose Start→Control Panel.
 For Windows 8, right-click the bottom-left corner of the screen and
then choose Control Panel from the contextual menu.
 To change the computer identification in Windows Vista, Windows 7,
or Windows 8, follow these steps:
1. Double-click the System icon.

 This step displays the System information window. The figure shows
the Windows 8 version, but the Windows Vista and Windows 7
versions are similar. Notice the section that lists computer name,
domain, and workgroup settings.
2. Click the Change Settings link in the bottom-right corner.

 If a dialog box appears and asks for your permission to continue,

click Continue. The System Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the Change button.

 This step displays the Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box.

4. Enter the computer name and the workgroup or domain name.

 If you want to join a domain, select the Domain radio button and
type the domain name. If your network does not use domains,
choose the Workgroup option button, and type the workgroup
name.
5. Click OK. Enter the username and password for an Administrator
account when prompted.

 You’re asked to provide this information only if a computer account

hasn’t already been created for the client computer.
6. When a dialog box appears, informing you that you need to
restart the computer, click OK; then restart the computer.

 The computer is added to the domain or workgroup.