a. on your desktop, right-click the icon "network places" and select "properties" from the context menu.
b. this dialog box is where you will come to configure most of your computer network settings. it is also available through the "network" icon in the control panel.
c. click the "file and print sharing·" button.
d. click to place a check mark next to "i want to be able to give others access to my files."
e. click "ok" on the "file and print sharing" dialog box.
f. click "ok" on the "network" dialog box.
g. provide the windows 98 installation cd or diskette(s) if prompted or direct windows to the proper location of the installation files. reboot if prompted.
h. you will now be able to identify a particular folder or disk drive to share.
you may want to share a folder that both you and a colleague/family member need to access occasionally. or, maybe you want to share a cdrom drive so your other computer that does not have one can read cd’s.
both processes are the same. only the disk drives and folders that you specifically identify as shared will be accessible to other computers on your network.
i. find the disk drive or folder you want to share using windows explorer or the "my computer" icon on your desktop.
j. right-click on the disk drive or folder icon and select "sharing."
k.select "share as:" to set the parameters for sharing this particular disk drive or folder.
l. the "share name:" box is used to identify the disk drive or folder you are sharing to other computers on the network. you can give it any name you wish. however, a specific identification may help as more resources on your network are shared.
m. the "comment:" box is optional. you can use this box to further describe the disk drive or folder for others on the network.
n. "access type:" allows you to designate how much others on the network can do with this disk drive or folder. "read-only" allow others only to look at or open the files on the disk drive or in the folder. "full" allows others to read, write, open, save, copy, move, and delete files on the disk or in the folder. "depends on password" gives other computers access conditional upon the password they provide.
o. "passwords:" allow you to apply a level of security to your shared disk drives and folders. another computer (user) will be required to enter the password you designate here befo re accessing the disk drive or folder. two passwords are used to give two levels of security (or access) to others on the network using the "depends on password" setting. leaving the "password" boxes empty gives everyone on the network access to the disk drive or folder.
p. click "ok" to continue. you will be prompted to enter the password(s) you provided for verification. retype the password(s) just as you entered them the first time.
q. you may now access this disk drive or folder from another computer on your network. do so by double-clicking the "my network places" icon on your desktop or inside windows explorer.
r. navigate to the computer with the shared disk drive or folder (recognized by the "computer name" you provided), double-click. you sho uld now see the disk drive or folder, double-click. if you specified a password when sharing this disk drive or folder, you will be prompted for the password.
s. you can access a disk drive or folder shared over the network from most windows applications. to make this process easier, windows allows you to map these disk drives and folders to a drive letter on another computer.
for example, on a computer where you are accessing a shared folder from another computer, inside windows explorer right-click and select "map network drive·” you will then be able to assign an available drive letter.
checking "reconnect at logon" allows windows to map this network drive each time you start your computer.