Windows Vista introduces a new way of sharing files on the network: the Public folder. The Public folder is simply a folder that's designated for public access. Files you save in this folder can be accessed by other users on the network and by any user who logs on to your computer.
Before you can use the Public folder, you must enable it by following these steps:
Choose Start Network.
This step brings up the Network folder.
Click the Network and Sharing Center button on the toolbar.
This step brings up the Network and Sharing Center. (Refer to Figure 3-2.)
Select the Public Folder Sharing option.
This step reveals the controls that enable you to activate Public folder sharing. You have three options for sharing the Public folder:
Turn on sharing so that anyone with network access can open files. This option shares the Public folder as read-only, so other users can open files but can't modify or delete them or create their own files.
Turn on sharing so that anyone with network access can open, change, or create files. This option grants full access to the Public folder.
Turn off sharing. This option turns off Public folder sharing.
Select the level of sharing you want to use and then click Apply.
The Public Folder sharing feature is activated.
Close the Network and Sharing Center folder.
You're done; you can now share your files and printers.
After you enable Public folder sharing, you can access the Public folder on your own computer by choosing Start Computer and then clicking the Public icon in the pane on the left side of the window. This action opens the Public folder, as shown in Figure 3-7.
Figure 3-7: The Public folder.
As you can see, the Public folder includes several predefined subfolders designed for sharing documents, downloaded files, music, pictures, and videos. You can use these subfolders if you want, or you can create your own subfolders to help organize the data in your Public folder.
Tip | To access the Public folder of another computer, use the techniques described in Chapter 2 to either browse to the Public folder or map it to a network drive. |