What is HomeGroup again?

HomeGroup is a simple way to network Windows 7 PC’s, share files and resources such as a printer. In this quick tip, I will show you how to share files using HomeGroup.

Join a HomeGroup

The first thing we need to do is Join our HomeGroup. To do this:

Click Start

The click Network

On the Command Bar, click Network and Sharing Center

Under See Also click HomeGroup

Windows 7 should automatically detect another Windows 7 computer with HomeGroup configured. Your next step is simply to click Join now.

Select the type of content you would like to share with your HomeGroup, you can choose from Pictures, Music, Videos, Documents and resources such as a Printer.

Enter the HomeGroup password that was created on the other computer. If you don’t know it, you will need to return to the other computer and click the ‘View the homegroup password’ link

Once you have entered the password, you will now be able to share and access files on other Windows 7 PC’s:

Our next step is to add shared locations in our Windows 7 Libraries, to do this, click Start > Documents. In your Documents Library, click the link to share a Location on your Network.

This will display the ‘Documents Library Locations’ window. Click the Add button, under the Navigation pane, expand your Network locations > expand the name of the computer on which shared files exist. Navigate to the location of the shared files or folder then click Include folder. Then click OK

What will happen now, files that you have shared in that specific folder will automatically show up in your library.

Individually Share Files

You will notice that I did not check the option to share Documents during the HomeGroups sharing wizard. HomeGroups gives you the option to individually share files too, you can even share a batch of files if you wish.

To do this, click Start > Documents

Right click the file you would like to share, click Share with and select ‘HomeGroup (Read/Write’). What this will do now is automatically share those files and they will show up in the Documents Library on the other computer where we added Documents folder as a location.

As you can see our two files we just shared, now show up in our Library. You can also do this for other folders too.

Related:

Networking Made Easy with HomeGroups

How to Share Files with HomeGroup is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

In Windows 7, the Windows Team has added improvements to networking and sharing data among multiple computers in the home. You can easily share information and resources such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Printers with just a password.

How do I setup a HomeGroup?

To successfully setup a Homegroup, you need more than one PC running Windows 7. Both PC’s must be within the same the workgroup, network discovery must be enabled and network locations set to Home.

Getting your network ready for Windows 7 HomeGroup

• Click the Network icon in the Notification area.
• Click ‘Open Network and Sharing Center’.
• Under View your active Networks > click the link to your Network type (usually defaulted to as unidentified).
• When the ‘Set Network Location’ window appears, select ‘Home Network’ from the available options.
• After selecting this option, the Homegroup wizard should appear prompting you to create a homegroup and requesting the type of information and resources you would like to share.
• Next, the wizard generates a password, please print or write this down since it will be used by other PC’s to gain permission to your Home group.

HomeGroup setup Wizard

Joining the Homegroup

Once you have successfully setup the Homegroup, other PC’s can join it and start sharing data and accessing shared resources on your network with ease. Here’s how you do it?

• Click the Network icon in the Notification area.
• Click ‘Open Network and Sharing Center’.
• Under ‘Change your network settings’, click the ‘Choose homegroup and sharing options’ link.
• A wizard will appear asking you to join the homegroup you created.
• Click ‘Join now’ (See Troubleshooting if this option does not appear).
• Your PC now has the option of sharing data and resources too, select the Libraries and devices you want to share within the Homegroup and click Join Now.
• You are now prompted for the homegroup password, enter it and click ‘Join now’.
• If you forgot your password, you can retrieve it by going to the computer you setup Homegroup on, open the Network and Sharing Center, under ‘Change your network settings’ click ‘‘Choose homegroup and sharing options’ > click ‘View other homegroup options’ click ‘View or print the homegroup password’ link.

Joining a HomeGroup (click to enlarge)

Q: I have successfully setup my HomeGroup, how do I share and view data?

You can share and view data automatically by browsing the Libraries folder. Click Start > click any of the shell folders you enabled for sharing: Documents, Music, Pictures etc. Any data saved within these locations are automatically shared with other PC’s within your HomeGroup.

Troubleshooting:

Unable to connect to your HomeGroup?

• Check your Windows Firewall to make sure that HomeGroup and Network discovery are not blocked.
• Make sure you enter the case sensitive password correctly.
• Are both PC’s properly networked? Ethernet cable connected properly, are you connected to your wireless access point? You can check by clicking Network icon in the Notification Area.
• Ensure that your Network Location is set to ‘Home Network’. In Network and Sharing Center, under View your active Networks > click the link to your Network type (usually defaulted to as unidentified). When the ‘Set Network Location’ window appears, select ‘Home Network’ from the available options. After selecting this option, the Homegroup wizard should appear prompting you to jpin an available HomeGroup and requesting the type of information and resources you will be able to share and access.
• If you encounter a problem with your HomeGroup Password, try changing it on the computer you setup HomeGroup on and try joining again.
• If none of the above works, try running the HomeGroup Troubleshooter, In Network and Sharing Center under ‘Change your network settings’, click ‘Fix a network problem’ under ‘Network’, click HomeGroup troubleshooter and follow the wizard that appears.

Resources:

Setting Up a Home Network in Windows 7

Networking made easy with HomeGroups in Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Editions

I mentioned that Windows 7 is available in 3 editions, true, but there are still 6 editions. No, I wasn’t lying, its just how Microsoft is marketing the editions. If you go into a Best Buy or wherever software/computer products are sold you will see only 3 mainstream editions in pretty product boxes, but Windows 7 is available in the following 6 editions:

Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

Starter: Broad app and device compatibility, unlimited application support, Safe, reliable, and supported. Ability to join a Home Group, Improved taskbar and Jump Lists. Windows 7 Starter will be distributed only on new systems that meet a certain requirement: 10.1″ screen display with 1024×600 resolution, 1.66Ghz Intel Atom N280 processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB hard disk – otherwise known as Netbooks.

Home Basic: Another OEM only version of Windows 7 will available on new systems in emerging markets. Microsoft describes this edition as a product for cost concious consumers. Users should note, that Home Basic is 32 bit only, (Vista Home Basic had a 64 bit edition). Home Basic includes enhanced visual experience, Advanced networking support (ad-hoc wireless networks and internet connection sharing), Mobility Center.

Home Premium: Now this edition is probably the sweet spot for many consumers who decide to move to Windows 7. You get all of the cool user interface features: Aero Glass & advanced windows navigation, Easy networking & sharing across all your PCs & devices through HomeGroups, Improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming, including Play To, Multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition. Windows 7 Home Premium is available in both 32 and 64 bit editions supporting up to 16 GBs of RAM if you have such a configuration (both disks are included in the product box too). If you have multiple PC’s, you can purchase the Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack Upgrade for 3 PC’s. This entitles you to upgrade 3 computers for just $149.99, great value. Learn more here

Professional: If you consider your self an advanced user, then Professional would be the right choice for you. Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista Business users, if you are running those editions, its most likely you will need this one. Professional gives you the ability to join a managed network with Domain Join, Protect  data with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System, Print to the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing. In addition to this, Windows 7 Professional includes Group Policy Editor for controling access and behavior of your computer. Windows 7 Professional supports up to 192 GBs of Random Access Memory and includes support for multiple physical processors and its also available in 32 and 64 bit editions.

Enterprise: This is a unique edition of Windows that you won’t find in stores. It is sold to businesses who need Windows licenses in volume to install on hundreds or thousands of computers. Basically, Windows 7 Enterprise is like Windows 7 Professional on steroids, you will find all the features of that edition along with some additional tools called BitLocker Drive Encryption and BitLocker To Go for encrypting your laptop hard disk or an external storage device such as Thumbdrive, in addition to this, Enterprise features World Wide Language support (Multi-Lingual User Interface or MUI’s) support, with up 35 available languages. Enterprise edition also works best when deployed with Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 R2 network operating system to provide unique features such as AppLocker support, Direct Access, BrancheCache, features that protect what type of applications employees have access to, speedy access to network resources and faster access to Virtual Private Networks.

Ultimate: Combining all the features of Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Enterprise, this edition of Windows 7 gives you every single feature available. Microsoft dubs it, ‘the most complete edition of Windows’. Feautures such as BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives, DirectAccess provides seamless connectivity to your corporate network.  (requires Windows Server 2008 R2), Decrease time branch office workers wait to open file across the network with BranchCache. (requires Windows Server 2008 R2), Prevent unauthorized software from running with AppLocker are all available in Windows 7 Ultimate. If you want it all, this is the Windows for you.

Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium, are the editions you will see in stores this October.

How much will Windows 7 cost?

Windows 7 will be available in 6 editions, but primary emphasis is being put towards Home Premium and Professional for mainstream markets.

Pricing:

• Windows 7 Starter Entry-level OEM SKU in all markets for cost conscious consumers.
• Windows 7 Home Basic Value SKU in emerging markets for cost conscious consumers on value PC’s.

Windows Anytime Upgrade makes it easier to get more features.

Anytime Upgrades allow you to move from one edition of Windows 7 to another without the need to reinstall from scratch or purchase the desired edition at retail upgrade pricing. Its great if you have exhausted the features of the current edition of Windows 7 installed and you need more. Another great thing about Windows Anytime Upgrade under Windows 7 compared to Vista’s, you don’t need a special disk and you don’t need to be online to do the upgrade, just have a key for the edition you want and you are good to go. Microsoft will be offering Windows Anytime Upgrades online in 13 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK or the US. While the Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack will be available in the US and 8 European countries (UK (£149.99), Ireland (£149.99), Germany (€149.99), France (€149.99), Switzerland (€149.99), Austria (€149.99), the Netherlands (€149.99), and Sweden (€149.99) on October 22nd 2009 while supplies last.

Which should you choose?

I have been reading through a number forums, and persons keep asking, which edition is right for me? Other questions that pop up, I have xyz amount of PC’s, how do I get to upgrade all of them. First of all, you need to evaluate your needs. A person who has 6 PC’s in his house hold used by four individuals in his family with 4 PC’s running Windows XP Professional SP3 and one system Vista Home Premium and the other Vista Ultimate would have to invest in a lot of licenses if they wanted to upgrade to corresponding editions of Windows 7. Considering that 4 of the PC’s are being used at home, do most of the PC’s running Windows XP Professional need the unique functionality of Professional (most of which are business oriented)? You probably could reduce the expenditure by investing in two Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack Upgrade Licenses for 3 PC’s. Home Premium features easier networking and sharing of resources such as Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos and even Printers. You can do things like stream music and videos to other PC’s and you get all of the major user experience features in that edition.

Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack provides an affordable way to upgrade multiple PC’s to Windows 7.

Another way to reduce the cost of licensing, if you have a student enrolled in college with a valid .edu, you could let them take advantage of Microsoft’s Student discount offer that gives you the option of purchasing either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for just US $30. Please note, these are upgrade licenses, meaning, you need to have a qualifying operating system such as Windows 2000 Professional, XP or Vista. Learn more here and here

Microsoft is putting less prominence towards Windows 7 Ultimate with this release too and you can see the reason why when you compare it to the Professional edition. The Windows Team has made each successive edition a subset of the other. So for instance, Professional is a subset of Home Premium including all its features and more. Unlike Vista Business which only included business only features, users will be pleasantly surprised to know functionality like Media Center is now available in Professional. The pricing is also another factor. Windows 7 Professional cost $300 (upgrade $200) for the full version, while Ultimate cost $320 (upgrade $220), this probably should be a time for reevaluating the need to upgrade from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate or choose an edition that is more inline with your needs.

Upgrade paths

This is probably the tough part. Users of Windows XP and prior versions of Windows must understand you cannot do an in place upgrade to Windows 7. Windows Vista users too must also evaluate their upgrade paths, because certain editions cannot do in place upgrade to certain editions of Windows 7. An in place upgrade allows you to upgrade to Windows 7 while preserving your personal files, settings, applications and installed drivers.

Don’t let this surprise you, if your are running Windows 2000, XP or Vista you are eligible for upgrade pricing to any edition of Windows 7. Customers who are running Windows Vista that can do in place upgrades to respective editions of Windows 7 must ensure they have Service Pack 1 or later installed.

Netbooks

Prior to Windows 7 users had two choices for operating systems on Netbooks, Windows XP or Linux. Microsoft has really improved the performance in areas such as disk and memory foot print, making any edition of Windows 7 suitable for that form factor. Most manufacturers might pre-load their Netbook devices with Windows 7 Starter, but you will have the option of using Windows Anytime Upgrade to move to a more feature rich editions such as Home Premium.

Conclusion

The information provided in this article might come across a bit overwhelming, but that really is the case when it comes to choice. Microsoft develops multiple editions to meet different needs and market trends. Hopefully with a simplified retail line up and more value added features available in Home Premium and Professional, users can make better choices without feeling there are trade offs in the process.

Resources:

Windows 7 Compare Editions

Windows 7 System Requirements

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Purchase Windows 7 at the Microsoft Store

A Look at the Windows 7 Editions is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.