Home Networks

Since Windows 7, computer networking has become more and more streamlined.  Here are a few tips for getting the most value out of your home computer network.

With the advent of the Windows Homegroup, creating a home or business computer network is more simple than ever.  By creating a Homegroup on one computer, you are able to generate a password that is usable for any other computer that is connected to the same network. These credentials serve as the gateway for individual devices once it is input on each computer.  Then, it’s a few short steps to creating folders that are shared throughout the network!

Tips & Advice

Use the computer with the newest version of Windows to create the Homegroup (preferably Windows 10).  This can alleviate connection issues down the road.  In previous builds, Windows 10 computers couldn’t connect to a Windows 7-created Homegroup, but this problem has been patched out recently.  Still, because Microsoft is Microsoft, just take our word for it on this one.

Networked folders are only as good as the computer they’re hosted on; if you have a desktop that you leave on all the time versus several laptops with intermittent use, host the network folders on the desktop.  If the computer that manages the files is turned off, that means they are off for all other computers with access needs.

 

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