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Windows 7 Homegroup
Networking Made Easy At long last, Windows has made home networks easy. Here’s what you need to know. By Neil Randall
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icrosoft has been trying for a long while to make home networks easy to use, with automatic connection and ready access to shared files and folders. With the Windows 7 feature known as “HomeGroup,” it seems that the company has finally succeeded. HomeGroup lets you create a home network with built-in and expandable sharing and access capabilities. It’s a neat new feature of Windows 7—and it works only with Windows 7, so Vista, XP, Mac, and Linux users can’t join in on the fun. Windows 7 lets you establish three types of networks—Home, Work, and Public—and a homegroup can exist only if the networks on all your PCs are set to Home. To configure your Windows 7 PC’s network as Home, open the Control Panel and choose Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center (you can also access the Network and Sharing Center by right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray). Verify that under the Network icon you show “Home
cHoose netWoRk tYPe You must be part of a Home network to use a homegroup.
network.” If not, click the link—Public network or Work network—and choose Home Network instead. From that point on, you can create a homegroup. After you set your network to Home, in fact, Windows 7 takes you directly to the Create a homegroup dialog box. If your network is already set to Home, click the link named Choose homegroup and sharing options, and in the subsequent dialog box click Create. JUNE 2009 Pc MAGAZine DiGitAl eDition 83
