These instructions can be used to share a file between two different computers on your home network. This can be any file; pictures, video, word documents, anything.

**Note: These instructions are for those who may be a little more comfortable with computers then most. If you have any questions at all about any of the steps please let us know in the comments down below and we will try our best to address them.**

Before we start we need to know a few things about the computers you are using. First we need to know the IP address of the computer that you will be using to store the file on (this computer will share the file with any of the other computers on your network). To do this follow the instructions below:

1. Click on the Start Button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.
2. Click where it says “Run”
3. In the Run dialog box type “cmd” without the quotation marks
4. Now the Windows command line will open. In the command line type the following “ipconfig” - again without the quotation marks.
5. This will display something that looks like this:

IP Address …… 192.168.2.100
Subnet Mask …… 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway ….. 192.168.2.1

6. The number that you are after “IP Address” in this case it is “192.168.2.100″

Next we will setup the shared folder. This is where your shared files will be stored. To do this follow the instructions below:

1. On the same computer that you found the IP Address for above, right click on your desk top.
2. Go to “New” and then “Folder”
3. Give the new folder any name you wish (pictures for example) <– Remember this name
4. Right click on your new folder and then click “properties”
5. In the folder’s properties dialog box, click on the tab that says “sharing”.
6. Check the box next to “Share this folder on the network” and the box next to “Allow network users to change my files”.
7. Click “OK”

Now you have a shared folder. Any files that you put in this folder will be accessable through any other computer on your network. In order to get to these shared files on your network, do the following from any other computer on your network:

1. Click on the start button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.
2. Click where it says “Run”
3. In the Run dialog box type the following:

\\ipaddress\foldername

to use our examples from above, this would look like:
\\192.168.2.100\pictures

If you would like to create a shortcut to the shared folder on another one of your computers, do the following:

1. Click on the start button in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.
2. Click where it says “Run”
3. In the Run dialog box type the following:

\\ipaddress\

to use our examples from above, this would look like:
\\192.168.2.100\

4. Right click on your shared folder (”pictures” in this example)
5. Click on “Send To” and then click on “Desktop (create shortcut)”

If you have multiple computers, live in the North Atlanta Georgia area, and still might not be sure how to setup a network share, contact us and have one of our Gigasphere Geeks come out and teach you how to do it in a private one-on-one computer lesson.