Setup Microsoft File and Printer Sharing

After you have network connectivity, you can share resources among the Windows 98 computers on your network by installing File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks.

To configure file and printer sharing, perform the following procedure:

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon.

2. On the Configuration tab, click File and Print Sharing.

Select the choice(s) you want.

I want to be able to give others access to my files.

I want to be able to allow others to print to my printer(s).

Click OK.

Sharing Folders

After you install file and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks, you can share that computer's resources with other Windows 98 computers. One issue you must address is security. When you have shared folders, you will want to make sure you can adequately restrict access to important resources. You can choose from two types of access control in Windows 98: share-level access control or user-level access control.

Share-level Access Control

When you implement share-level access control, resource access control is limited to a password (or passwords) associated with the shared folder or printer. This type of access control is called share-level access control, and it allows anyone with the password to access the shared resource.

Setting up a Shared Folder

You can share folders using Windows Explorer. If want to share a folder, perform the following procedure:

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. Click the folder you wish to share.

3. Right-click the folder, and then click Sharing

4. Click Shared As and enter a name for the shared folder. By default, the Share Name will be the name of the folder, although you can change this if you wish. You can also enter a comment, which is displayed when viewing the list of shares on that computer.

5. Click OK. Note if you add a dollar sign ($) to the end of the share name, the share name will not appear in Windows Explorer. This type of share is called a hidden share.

Assigning an Access Type to Share-Level Shares

When setting up a share-level share, you must assign an Access Type, which can be configured as:

· Read-Only

· Full

· Depends on Password

If you choose Depends on Password, specify two passwords: one for users who should be able to only read the contents of the shared folder, and the other for users who need to modify the contents of the shared folder. Unless you choose Depends on Password, you do not need to assign a password. If you leave the password entry blank, anyone will be able to access the shared folder.