Windows 7 Networking Question

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Chrishazle

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I'm helping a friend set up his new desktop PC and old laptop, both with Windows 7 Home. Laptop is for his wife to use for email, games and internet, desktop is his and is the main PC.

On the desktop we've set up just the one account, as an administrator. On the laptop we've set up 2 accounts - friend as administrator, wife as ordinary user. Idea being that wife can't accidentally change anything serious.

Is it possible to set up sharing between the 2 PC's so that when friend is logged into the laptop he can have full read/write access to the hard drives on the desktop, but when wife is logged into the laptop she only has read access? If so, how?? My attempts to date have been unsuccessful - can see both PC's from each PC, but when (for example) I tried to install Firefox onto the laptop from the downlaoded file on the desktop - no joy, so I cheated, copied it to his USB HDD then plugged that into the laptop!

I'm useless with networking, so all assistance appreciated!:wallbash::wallbash:
 
This should be doable.

Are all machines in the same workgroup and have you defined the share permissions and security permissions on the Desktop PC for both users correctly?
 
Both machines are in the same workgroup. I think that on the desktop I've shared the C and D drives read only, whereas on the laptop I've shared the C and D drives full control, from Windows Explorer "share". I suspect that's why I could not run an installation file located on the desktop PC from the laptop.

How do I define share and security permissions for the 2 laptop users on the desktop PC?

I also have Cicso Network Magic installed on the desktop but have yet to install it on the laptop - would this help?

Thanks for your help, much appreciated!!
 
Why share the entire C and D drive - suggest sharing just certain folders.

Ensure the Desktop has an account for wife as well and then then right click the folder and check the security tab and give wife read access and hubby full control. Ensure all other users have no access.

Wife can then connect and enter her password for Desktop and have read access while Hubby has full control.

Ensure firewall rules allow traffic from laptop.
 
Idea is that hubby can, from the desktop, install things and generally look after the laptop (as I do from my wife's laptop from my desktop, but in Vista not W7), and wife can access photos etc on the desktop from the laptop but can't change anything on the desktop. Want hubby to be able to access and do anything on the desktop from the laptop to cover the odd occasion when something goes pear shaped on the desktop (as has happened once to us!).

Thanks Spike.
 
I thought 'Homegroup' was supposed to make this easier - or do you mean homegroup when you talk about workgroup?

I've not used homegroup personally yet.
 
I thought 'Homegroup' was supposed to make this easier - or do you mean homegroup when you talk about workgroup?

I've not used homegroup personally yet.

Yes, both computers are in the same Homegroup, so I can see both PC's on both PC's, but the W7 system is different to the Vista system I'm used to! In Vista I just share folders or entire drives, but W7 has "Libraries". Haven't figured that one out yet, I've just tried sharing drives as in Vista - which has partly worked.
 
You need to look at remote desktop for what you are trying to do, not just shared access

Configure Remote Desktop Access on Windows 7 Systems

Connect to another computer using Remote Desktop Connection


cheers

That looks more like the old "PC Anywhere" that I knew of in the early 1990's - where my computer tech in Assen office used to take over my desktop PC (on a rig offshore!) to fix problems etc.

Does W7 really make it so complicated compared to Vista? I have my PC and wife's laptop (Vista 64 bit on mine, Vista 32 bit on hers) connected wireless via our router and wireless dongles on both machines, have the relevant drives and folders shared with read/write access and can do what I'm trying to do with my friend's 2 machines!
 
It is easy in Windows 7 - should take less than 5 minutes.
 
Remote Desktop can normally only be used to log in to the 'Professional' versions not the baisc Home / Home Premium.

Try TightVNC provides an alternative means of getting a login to remote PC.

OK, it's W7 Home or Premium, not Professional, on both machines.

This remote desktop stuff looks more like linking to a PC that's miles away, whereas these 2 are in the same house, linked to the same router (desktop is wired, laptop wireless, Belkin N router), and can even be in the same room on the same desk!

Why do daughter and boyfriend have to live 2 hours away and be busy every weekend from now to Xmas?? BF would fix this - except he's a little leary of me and PC's these days after a recent faux pas!
 
You dont need to remote desktop, just share files unless you want to let your Daughters BF fix it remotely. ;)
 
You dont need to remote desktop, just share files unless you want to let your Daughters BF fix it remotely. ;)

That's what I tried to do! I set sharing on the 4 HDD's, but I guess I set full control sharing on the laptop drives and read only sharing on the desktop drives - which would explain why I could not run an installation file on the desktop HDD from the laptop.

Might buzz over there tomorrow and check!

Thanks for the help guys - I hate ****** networks even more than ***** computers!
 
What are you installing and why? You shouldnt need to install anything to share stuff.

Just share the folders (not the disk) and then set appropriate permissions.

Are you at least being asked for a userID and password for the share when trying to access from the remote PC?
 
Libraries, brought in 7 just so you know, is a virtual area which brings together you main Music, Pictures and Documents folders - like a shortcut to them if you like.

These areas are typically stored under your profile so C:\Users\<Profile Name>\ until you either move them or add further areas.
 
OK, it's W7 Home or Premium, not Professional, on both machines.

This remote desktop stuff looks more like linking to a PC that's miles away, whereas these 2 are in the same house, linked to the same router (desktop is wired, laptop wireless, Belkin N router), and can even be in the same room on the same desk!

Why do daughter and boyfriend have to live 2 hours away and be busy every weekend from now to Xmas?? BF would fix this - except he's a little leary of me and PC's these days after a recent faux pas!

It's still a network though...obviously, you only need remote desktop for actually controlling the 'remote' client PC - if it's in the same house you can use the old 'sneakernet' :cool: (or did I misunderstand that bit)

If you want to control access (read/write eg) you could try setting permissions on the relevant folders

What are permissions?
 
What are you installing and why? You shouldnt need to install anything to share stuff.

Just share the folders (not the disk) and then set appropriate permissions.

Are you at least being asked for a userID and password for the share when trying to access from the remote PC?

Spike, an auxilliary problem is that my friend lives in the next village, and his broadband connection is pathetic - did a speed check yesterday afternoon and got 0.64Mb download and about 0.2Mb upload - probably 'cos he's 2.5Km from his exchange. For comparison, I get somewhere between 6.5 and 8.3Mb download and 0.6-1.0Mb upload - but I'm 200 yards from the exchange. I've checked, and he may be able to improve things slightly by switching from Supanet to BT, but even then he'll be lucky to get better than 1mb download.

So, having new installations of Win7, Kaspersky etc, (on both desktop and laptop, following a reformat and clean install on the laptop) with mammoth update downloads as a result, I was trying to cheat by getting the downloads onto the desktop PC then accessing the downloaded files to install the same things onto the laptop instead of taking hours (I'm not kidding - a 60mb update for his satnav took nearly 2 hours, on my PC it would take 2-3 minutes!!) to again download the same files.

Enough for now guys - I'll hopefully spend some time tomorrow trying again with the help you've given.
 

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