How do I view shared folders?

[Mike]

First time trying to set up file & printer sharing on a two computer
home network (both machines running XP Pro, main computer has router).
I have Simple File Sharing enabled on both computers, firewall
disabled, I set sharing permissions for some folders, I mapped a
network drive, I checked Computer Management to ensure my folder was
registered under "Shares", I checked My Computer and saw I had indeed
created an entry under "Network Drives", where my shared folder (the
XP default, "Shared Documents") is proudly displayed. Despite all of
these measures and then some, I -still- can't see the damn folder on
the other computer! Having done the same on the other (client)
computer (both computers mapped to "J" as the network drive), the
client proudly displays the Shared Documents folder as well, under
"Network Drives". Only it's the client computer's Shared Documents
folder, not the one on the host computer.

I've scoured the net looking for easy set up guides for file sharing,
but every single help document I've read only tells you how to set up
File Sharing, not what you have to do afterward to access the shared
files on both computers!! Maybe its because they think its so darn
obvious, but it sure isn't to me. So I'm not even sure if I simply
don't know the procedure on how to view and access the files, or if
the process didn't work. (And I'm supposed to be a computer expert!
God help the average user trying to figure out how XP's file and
printer works). Perhaps its only because I've been trying to do this
for over a week, and my expectations are too high. But for what it's
worth, I began attempting to share files using a routerless peer to
peer network (in other words, nothing but a cable connected between
the two computers), and I didn't have any more luck there.

p.s. I want to share a printer too, but I'm not even gonna go there,
until I can figure out how file sharing works!

 

[Jerry]

Try here http://www.careyholzman.com/netfixes.htm or here
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/troubleshoot/

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

First time trying to set up file & printer sharing on a two computer
home network (both machines running XP Pro, main computer has router).
I have Simple File Sharing enabled on both computers, firewall
disabled, I set sharing permissions for some folders, I mapped a
network drive, I checked Computer Management to ensure my folder was
registered under "Shares", I checked My Computer and saw I had indeed
created an entry under "Network Drives", where my shared folder (the
XP default, "Shared Documents") is proudly displayed. Despite all of
these measures and then some, I -still- can't see the damn folder on
the other computer! Having done the same on the other (client)
computer (both computers mapped to "J" as the network drive), the
client proudly displays the Shared Documents folder as well, under
"Network Drives". Only it's the client computer's Shared Documents
folder, not the one on the host computer.

I've scoured the net looking for easy set up guides for file sharing,
but every single help document I've read only tells you how to set up
File Sharing, not what you have to do afterward to access the shared
files on both computers!! Maybe its because they think its so darn
obvious, but it sure isn't to me. So I'm not even sure if I simply
don't know the procedure on how to view and access the files, or if
the process didn't work. (And I'm supposed to be a computer expert!
God help the average user trying to figure out how XP's file and
printer works). Perhaps its only because I've been trying to do this
for over a week, and my expectations are too high. But for what it's
worth, I began attempting to share files using a routerless peer to
peer network (in other words, nothing but a cable connected between
the two computers), and I didn't have any more luck there.

p.s. I want to share a printer too, but I'm not even gonna go there,
until I can figure out how file sharing works!

I have a couple of questions about your network setup:

1. What do you mean by "main computer has router"?
2. Why do you refer to the other computer as the "client"?

In a typical home network setup with a broadband router, both
computers are equal. They both connect to the router and get their
Internet access through the router. There isn't a "main" computer or
a "client" computer.

If that's not how your network is set up, please reply to this message
in the news group and describe exactly how everything's connected.

If that is your setup, all you need to do to get everything working is
run the Network Setup Wizard on both computers:

XP ICS - Starting the Network Setup Wizard
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_ics/networksetupwiz.htm

If the Wizard says that it has "found a shared Internet connection on
the computer "Unknown Internet Connection Sharing device", say "Yes"
and have it use that connection. If it doesn't, tell the Wizard that
the computer connects to the Internet through a residential gateway.

The Wizard will make all the right settings for file sharing, and it
will automatically share any printers connected to your computers.

To access one computer from the other, you don't need to map a network
drive. Shared disks and folders should automatically appear in My
Network Places. You can also see shares belonging to the other
computer by typing its name in the Start | Run box in this format:

\\computer

If you do map a network drive, be sure that you specify that the drive
is found on the other computer.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com