Enable Sharing via the Public Folder

• 1). Right-click on each computer in the local area network and select "Properties" from the drop-down menu that comes up. Click on the "Computer Name" tab, and make sure that each of the computers has the same workgroup name. File sharing over a network will not work if the computers are on a different workgroup.
  
  
• 2). Click on the "Start" button, and select the "Control Panel" icon. On the panel that comes up, click the link that says "Customize," and set your network location type to Private. Although it's counterintuitive, setting your network to private enables other computers to try and find network addresses on the network.
  
  
• 3). Click on "Network Discovery" at the bottom of the panel, and set it to "On."
  
  
• 4). Click on "File Sharing" and "Public Folder Sharing," and set them to "On."
  
  
• 5). Click on "OK" to save the changes. Your computer's Public folder will now be visible on your local network.
  
  

Enable Sharing of Specific Folders

• 1). Ensure that all computers are on the same workgroup; see Step 1 of the "Enable Sharing via the Public Folder" section for how to check this.
  
  
• 2). Right-click on the file or folder you wish to share.
  
  
• 3). Select "Properties" from the menu that comes up. On the dialog box that comes up, click the "Advanced Sharing" button. Another dialog box will come up. Check the box that says "Share This Folder". You may specify a Share Name, which is what the folder will be seen as over the network.
  
  
• 4). Click on the button labeled "Permissions." By default the shared folder is viewable by "Everyone," which is the user group for all users on the network. You can add or remove users using the buttons, and by selecting a user or group, you can enable or disable read, change and full control access to that shared folder.