For set up a home group on W7 easily and easily you need to read this post to the end. We will show you in detail what this tool is about and what its main benefits are.
We will also talk about how to configure a Home Group in Windows 7 from scratch and how to add other computers in a few steps. So you should take into account the step by step that we will present to you.
Finally, you will find the best tips to strengthen the security of your GH network in Windows 7 explained as easy as possible. Check out.
Index:
What is a Homegroup and what are the benefits of using it?
The Home Group is a tool offered by Windows 7 to connect multiple devices to the same network, as long as you have them in the same place and have the connection to WiFi or Ethernet. In this way it is feasible to share information and resources between all teams. It is characterized by its safety and its easy creation, so you won't need advanced computer skills to have your own home network.
When you integrate several computers into the Windows 7 Home Group, you will be able to perform the following tasks:
- Printer sharing. In other words, you will be able to send a single printer to print from two or more PC's with W7 that belong to the GH.
- Have access to libraries installed on other devices, and vice versa.
- View multimedia content of other participants and share your images and videos.
- Create public folders and use them through passwords.
It is necessary to explain that thanks to Home Group you only have to configure the network, select the items and hardware that can be shared and determine a password for the group. This means that when you need to view a document on another device you only have to enter the GH.
Then write your password, have access to the File explorer or to another specific location on that PC -just as you would on yours- and edit or delete the information. From this it follows that the other user should not perform any extra tasks to grant you access permission, except accept to belong to Home Group.
Learn step by step how to set up a Home Group in Windows 7 from scratch
If you are looking to connect two or more computers to a Home Group through the Windows 7 operating system, you must perform this step by step that we explain below:
Enter the Home Group option
The first thing you should do is press the Windows Start button and select the tool Control Panel. Next, you will need to search for the function Home GroupFor this you will have to write (once you have pressed the Windows icon) the name of the tool. The application will appear in the start menu window, so you must choose Open (You can also double click on it to access the GH).
Create the Home Group
Once you have opened the option Home Group you will have to search Share with other home computers running Windows 7 and click on it. After this you will have to select the tool Create a home group.
If for any reason There is already a Home Group in your home, the operating system will ask you if you want to integrate this GH. Otherwise, you must continue with the creation steps and become the network administrator, this means that the other participants They cannot create another Home Group if they already belong to yours (unless they abandon your creation).
Configure usage alternatives
Now what you should do is determine the conditions for the rest of the teams and yours to work. You will have to select the resources and folders that you want to be shared and later determine a password to enter. You will be able to do this by entering the tool Control Panel and then choosing Network and Internet. In this window you will find the option Home Group, so you must click on it. After this, you should start checking the boxes that you think are convenient for enable the permits.
Add new computers to your Home Group to make it more complete by following these steps in Windows 7
Until now you have created a Home Group, but only you belong to it. What you are going to have to do now is to incorporate other PCs and devices to the GH, for this you must have access through the computer you intend to add to the Home Group.
After this you will have to follow the following steps:
Access the Home Group tool
Do not forget that you must do all these steps from the PC that you intend to connect to the GH. When you are in Control Panel, you should look for the option Home group and click on it.
Add other devices to the GH
Next, you must click on Join now. This will open a wizard in which you must enter the access password and then you will continue with some simple steps to understand.
Use File Explorer to access documents on other computers
When you want to have access to folders and files of any device that belongs to the Home Group, you will need to enter the File Browser. To do this you must click on the button Start and then click on your user profile. Next, the Home Group tool will open, which will have a navigation panel. Look for the name of the user or the team where the folders you want to access are located, after this you must double click on the file that interests you in order to open it.
Block folders you don't want to share
What you should do now is customize alternatives to avoid sharing your data, or one of them, with the other GH participants. For this you must click on Start and then choose your username.
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Once you have done the above steps find the library you don't want to share with the rest. Go to the top of the screen and select the option Share with, then click No one. You also have the opportunity to add some users and delete others, in this case you must select the option Specific Users, specify who can see (or also write) and then choose Add.
Customize other options
What you should do now is choose if you want share libraries and printers or modify access password, among other things.
To do this, you must have access to the Control Panel, select the Control Panel tool, then choose some of the following options:
- Share libraries and printers.
- Share multimedia with devices.
- View or print the password for the home group.
- Change Password.
- Leave the group at home.
- Change settings advanced sharing.
- Launch the Troubleshooter of Grupo Hogar.
Tips to boost the security of your Home Group network in Windows 7
(*7*)
You should not forget the security of a home network is directly associated with WiFi, so you must protect not only the GH configuration but also that no intruder can have access to the wireless signal. In this way, so that improve the security of your Home Group network We will explain below the best tips that you can use to keep your Windows 7 devices safe.
Let us begin:
Create a strong password
For the set of PCs to be protected, it is necessary that no one can have access to the Home Group. For you to be successful with this objective, you must create a password that is as secure as possible and that is difficult to deduce.
There are different techniques that you can use to erase the subjectivity of your keys, but you We suggest on this occasion that you use our Password Generator tool. Later you must click on the button Generate password. But this is not all, it is advisable to change this key often and share it safely. This will prevent anyone from having access to the home network.
Internet Password Generator
Install antivirus
On all devices that belong to the Home Group, it is necessary that install an antivirus so that it detects possible threats in real time. With this action you will considerably reduce the installation of malware that can spy on your activities or that of other devices.
You should not forget that a virus can enter through any computer and expand throughout the network in a very fast and easy way without anyone noticing. For this reason, it is convenient that all PCs with Windows 7 have the antivirus activated, since if one of them does not have it, the entire network will be in danger. You can also install firewall on the router to prevent actions that could put the security of the Home Group at risk.
Update the operating system
Every time you update the OS and virus detection programs, you are increasing their security level. This is because each update has new codes to detect the malware more recent, which appear almost daily.
Although it is true that Windows 7 has stopped receiving updates from MicrosoftIt is convenient that you look for the latest one that the company has launched on the market. So you have to keep in mind that updating the antivirus and firewall is of vital importance to keep your computers protected.
Save the most important information and protect it
You must configure the alternatives of the Home Group network in such a way that you can create public use folders in which you keep information that does not harm your safety or that of the rest of the people involved in the GH. This means that you must create a library that is exclusive to share data with other PCs. But you will have to save the private information in a different folder and that it is inaccessible to the other members.
Modify the router configuration
As we told you before, the homegroup network security It is highly dependent on the protection of the WiFi network. For this reason, it is convenient to change the default alternatives that the router brings factory settings and customize the accesses to make them more secure.
For this you must access the URL 192.168.1.1 with your browser and then write your username and password. Next, you must modify the access key, the name of the network (you will find it in the SSID field), the type of security (you must make sure it is WPA2) and add MAC filters.
Create a parallel network
You should not forget about the guests at your house. In other words, if you want to share WiFi with them, you will have to create a new network in which you do not have access to the GH because otherwise anyone who accesses your network will be able to know the data that you share with other devices. Hence creating a new network is a good idea to keep yourself safe to the maximum in the libraries that you share with Windows 7 PCs.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, we will answer you as soon as possible, at the same time I am sure it will be of great help to more members of the community. Thanks! 😉
