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How to set up a workgroup in windows 10. How to set up a Windows homegroup

Windows 10: create a homegroup. Very often, with the active use of several devices under control operating system MS Windows, there is a need to combine them into a common local area network. For this purpose, MS Windows has a functionality that allows you to connect all necessary devices to the home group.

A homegroup is a group of computers on a local home network that can share common resources such as files and printers. HomeGroup allows you to simplify the process of exchanging data between devices, provide general access to files and printers to other users who are members of the homegroup.

In order to information security, access to homegroup resources is password-protected, and other users can be granted appropriate permissions to access files and folders.

Consider the procedure for creating a homegroup on the example of Windows 10:
1. Click right click Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel from the pop-up menu.

2. In the control panel, for ease of display, turn on the view mode " Large icons” and select “Homegroup”.

3. In the window that opens, where information part about the possibilities of a homegroup, click on the "Create a homegroup" button.

4. In the next window, just click the "Next" button.

5. For each resource (library or folder) from the drop-down menu, set the appropriate permission level and click the "Next" button.

6. Wait for the setup process to finish.

7. At the last stage, a password for accessing the shared resources of the home network will be generated. Write down and use this password to add other computers to your homegroup. Click Finish to complete the homegroup creation process.

It should be noted that using the "Homegroup" section on the Control Panel in the future, you can:
Change the resources you share.
Allow other devices in your homegroup to play your media content.
Change the password generated by the system to your own using the "Change password ..." link.
Leave homegroup.

Some fifteen years ago, there was only one computer in the family and the question of creating a home local network just didn't stand. Now PCs, a couple of laptops, tablets, smartphones can easily get along in one apartment. Routers have become available and cost no more than a block of cigarettes. Sooner or later, the question arises: how to combine all this machinery into one network? After all, you want to share a printer, a disk drive and play network games. On Windows 10, setting up such a grid is not so difficult.

How to create a local network Windows 10 - magic, a router and some wires

No matter how ridiculous it sounds, but when computers were slower and more expensive, building a local network was cheaper and easier. To connect several computers, network adapters and cheap coaxial cable(much like a cable to connect television antennas). The connection topology was a "ring", so a router was simply not needed. But such networks were slow, the maximum achieved speed could not exceed 10 MB, and with the connection of new clients, the speed dropped exponentially.

The "ring" topology was replaced by the "star" topology, according to which everything is built. modern networks. Here in the center is a router (router), and the clients are at the ends of the rays of an imaginary star. A beam can be either a wired connection or a WiFi connection. Almost all home networks are built like a star. The network that we will set up with you is no exception.

The router is a key player in the home (and any other network). It is connected to the incoming Internet channel, client machines, peripherals(printers and disk storage). 99% of home routers are equipped with a WiFi module, so they can also connect clients over the air. If you do not have a router, you will have to buy it, and it is advisable not to save on the purchase, because the speed and comfort of the home network depends on the performance and stability of the router. The router must be equipped with at least two antennas and USB ports to connect peripherals.

Avoid using routers that the ISP "gifts" when you connect or sets them "free". As a rule, these are the simplest and cheapest devices, the performance of which is enough to jointly connect 2-3 smartphones to the Internet. A home LAN is an exorbitant burden for such a unit: it will often freeze, overheat, and eventually fail.

If you live in a multi-apartment high-rise building, it would be useful to buy a 2-band router operating in the 2.4 GHz - 5 GHz frequency bands. There are many more channels in the 5GHz band, and there are still few routers of this standard, so your network will be less influenced by routers operating in the neighborhood. The illustration shows how routers configured to work in adjacent channels interfere with each other. The result is a reduction in speed and response.

Program WiFi Analyzer help you choose free channel in working range

It would also not be superfluous to limit the transmitter power to a value at which stable reception is provided throughout the house, and the rest of the networks will not be visible. This configuration can be done both from the side of the router through the web interface, and from the side of the client computer through the device manager.

The DD-WRT firmware provides the user with flexible configuration WiFi module power

Setting up the router is quite simple and in most cases you will need to set up an incoming Internet connection (the provider will provide the login and password) and wireless network: come up with a name for it, choose an encryption algorithm (WEP, WPA or WPA2) and a password that is as resistant to hacking as possible. If necessary, enable the DHCP server for distributing addresses. After that, you can start connecting home network clients (hereinafter - DS).

While creating wireless connections do not use encryption lower than WPA2. The network password should contain lowercase, uppercase letters and numbers, look chaotic. Date of birth, dog's name or girlfriend's name as a password is a bad idea. You can find a lot of programs online for WiFi hacking that do not require any special knowledge.

Connecting a DS client with a cable

If the laying of cables around the apartment is carried out by specially trained cable elves, the task is greatly simplified. If not, then you can do it yourself, though you have to work with your hands.

Choose a place to install the router and connect the Internet provider cable to it - usually it is already inserted into the apartment / house and crimped with an RJ-45 plug. The port for connecting the provider's cable is highlighted in color and signed: WAN or Internet.
The provider cable is connected to a special port on the back of the router.
Lay the cable to the computer connection points, attaching it to the skirting boards. If the skirting boards have cable troughs, you can hide the cable in them.
Using crimping pliers, crimp the RJ-45 connectors at the ends of the cable according to the above diagram.
Connect the network interface of the computer with a cable to the corresponding port of the router. If the number of computers that need to be connected to the network with a cable is more than four, you will need to connect an additional splitter-switch to one of the ports and connect the remaining clients to it.
Home network clients plug into the yellow (LAN) connectors on the back of the router

Connecting a DS client using WiFi

Despite the obvious advantages of the cable (the highest speed, the absence of interference and harmful radiation), not everyone is ready to put up with the fact that a computer or laptop is tied with a wire. In addition, for a number of devices (tablets, smartphones, convertible netbooks), connecting to the network using WiFi is the only possible option.

First of all, you need to enable the WiFi interface in the router, create a network name (SSID), select the type of encryption and come up with a password:

On the computer, select from those available for reception WiFi networks yours, enter the password and connect to it.

Setting up a LAN in Windows 10

You connect to the router with a cable or over the air - make sure that the network card (adapter) has received TCP / IP and DNS server addresses from the router:

Open "Network Connections" and find there network card through which the computer is connected to the router.
Expand the properties of the adapter, and in them - the TPC / IP protocol.
Make sure all values are obtained automatically.

Then you need to make sure that all Windows devices connected to the network have the same workgroup selected:

Working with Homegroups

For an unprepared user, the simplest solution in which all users will have shared access to each other's resources is to create a Homegroup. V early versions Windows Home The group was unstable and limited. In Windows 10, the setup has become simple and straightforward, and the Homegroup mechanism works like clockwork.

Creating a Homegroup in Windows 10 is a process that is as simple as possible. Follow the instructions and prompts of the system, after checking necessary settings. In this case, access will open only to the shared folders of the OS. If necessary, you can change the composition of the Homegroup, enable or disable the types of resources that will be available, or leave the Homegroup.

Before creating a Homegroup, you should make the folders that will be available in this group public. By default, the homegroup includes the so-called user files: "video", "music", "documents", as well as "printers and devices". If you don't want to mess with the add. settings, you can simply place documents for sharing in these folders. And if you need to make folders available in other places hard drive, it will be necessary to tinker a little.

Create a home network

Settings

Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft, the process of creating a network has become as simple and clear as possible. If you follow the instructions, there will be no problems.

In the HomeGroup window, navigate to Change advanced sharing settings, and then expand the Private tab.
Make sure "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing" are enabled.
Then open the "All networks" tab and turn on the "Turn on sharing. After that, users on your home network will be able to read and write files in the shared folders of the homegroup.
To prevent users from having to enter passwords, enable the "Turn off password protected sharing" option.
Save the settings changes.

In the "Homegroup" window, select "Create a homegroup", and in it specify the folders to which access will be shared. Listed available folders will be standard custom folders Windows 10, as well as folders that you have configured access to separately.

Once you complete the Home Network Setup Wizard, the computer will generate a password that other network users will need to enter in order to access shared folders. If password access is disabled, users can simply open folders as if they were located on their local drive.

Disabling password access to folders makes your home network vulnerable to external Internet attacks. If your network router is connected to the Internet, be sure to configure your firewall to prevent external requests to your home network resources.

Connecting to a homegroup

Open the "Control Panel", in it turn on the "Categories" display mode, in the "Network and Internet" group, open the "Homegroup" item, and in it - the "Join" item.

Deleting a homegroup

Before deleting a homegroup, disconnect from it.
Exit from the home group is carried out only after disconnecting from it

Turn off network discovery and folder and printer sharing. These options can be found in "Advanced Sharing Options". Don't forget to save your changes.

Turn off sharing to leave your homegroup

Open a command prompt from which you launch the service manager.
Launch Service Manager from command line Windows
The HomeGroup Provider and HomeGroup Listener services need to be stopped.
Select HomeGroup Provider and HomeGroup Listener services to stop
The service must not only be stopped, but also “manually” set the status when the OS starts.
In configuring service settings in Windows 10, you must click "Stop"

Now the homegroup will not be displayed in the control panel settings and will not work.

Video: how to create a local network on Windows 10

Adding a device to the local network

How to add a device (not a computer / laptop) to the local network, let's consider an ordinary printer as an example. Several algorithms are possible sharing printer on the network. Depending on the interfaces of the printing device, it can be connected directly to the router or to one of the client computers with a shared access setting.

A modern workgroup printer carries all interfaces for integration into a local grid

Sharing an Ethernet Printer

Usually, a wired network interface is present in color and monochrome laser printers for small workgroups and offices. These are rather big high-performance devices, so they are rare guests at home. But if, by chance, such a printer came to you, setting up sharing access to it is not difficult at all:

Once the drivers are installed, the printer is available for sharing.

On each computer on the home network, steps 3-7 of the instructions must be repeated. It doesn't matter how the clients are connected, TCP/IP is supported on both wired and wireless connections.

Sharing a Wi-Fi Printer

Wireless interfaces can now be found even in inexpensive inkjet printers and MFP. Manufacturers have tried to make the installation process as simple and straightforward as possible.

Print on wireless printer will be available only to those network clients that are connected to it via WiFi protocol. Wired clients will not be able to print directly to such a printer. If you share this printer on a WiFi-enabled computer, everyone can print.

Sharing a printer connected to a network client

This type of connection is the simplest. The printer connection interface does not matter. All you need to do is set up a shared access to it:

Do not forget that printing on such a network device will be possible only when the client computer with which the printer is connected is turned on.

How to remove LAN in Windows 10

This question is very relevant for laptop owners who often connect to public networks. With each connection in a new location, the OS creates a new local grid called "Local Network N", where N = 1,2,3 ... A simple deletion mechanism through network settings no, so here is a step-by-step removal guide.

Use the Win + Pause key combination to open the system properties window and select "Advanced system settings" in it.
In the window that opens, select advanced system settings
Open the "Environment Variables" dialog.
Create a new variable DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES and give it the value "1".
After creating a new variable, you need to set its value to 1
Turn on showing hidden devices in Device Manager.
In the "network adapters" section, a whole bunch of old items will be visible network connections with numbers "1,2,3" ... and ad infinitum. By deleting these items, you also delete the local networks associated with them.

How to disable network discovery

Network discovery is a mechanism that allows computers on a network to see other machines, their network drives and printers. If you don't want your machine to be visible on your home network, it's best to disable network discovery.

Home network does not work: causes and diagnostics

The network is both technically and programmatically a complex organism, equipment that provides round-the-clock uninterrupted operation and costs a lot of money. In the home segment, the class of equipment is lower and it is prone to failures and malfunctions. All this leads to loss of network performance. Let's take a quick look at the main problems with the mesh and the mechanisms to fix them.

Router failure

Most home routers are made in compact plastic cases. Electronic components operate in a very difficult thermal regime, almost "at the limit". The hot season adds its own 10-15 degrees to the temperature of the device and the router freezes. Together with it, the entire home network also loses its efficiency. Symptoms are the inability to access the web interface of the router, lack of access to the Internet and network resources. To restore the network, the router must be turned off and allowed to cool, but this is a palliative measure. A radical solution to the problem would be to improve the heat transfer of the router by creating additional ventilation holes and installing a fan for blowing.

Installing additional fans will help your router overheat much less and last longer.

The operation of the router in severe thermal conditions not only makes the network unstable and “buggy”, but also reduces the life of the router itself by 3-4 times.

Network cable damage

Pets, curious children, or just a wife with a mop can instantly render a network segment inoperable by damaging the wire that connects the computer to the router. If only one client lost access to the network, the problem is probably in the cable. Disconnect the connectors, carefully inspect them and the wire itself. If the RJ-45 plugs are damaged, you can cut them off and crimp new ones. If the wire itself is mechanically damaged, you need to change it entirely. Twisted or soldered connections will lead to network errors and speed drops to a snail's pace.

Inexpensive twisted pair UTP is intended for laying in protected cable ducts. If the cable is routed along the baseboard and is loose, it can be easily damaged.

Damaged WiFi Antennas

Router's external antennas or network adapter connected to a computer can be easily damaged by children or careless users. In inexpensive home devices, the antenna connectors are held only by soldering, without additional fastening. Mechanical impact on the antenna leads to the formation of cracks and contact failure. It is easy to diagnose such damage - if there is a connection between the router and the computer at a distance of a meter and a half, but not at 5-6 meters, the antenna is damaged. The fix requires opening the device and soldering. If you do not have the skills of such a repair, contact the service center.

SMA Antenna Connector - vulnerable spot router. Impact or lateral force will break the connector

Long-term operation of the router with a damaged antenna can lead to device failure. Try to fix the problem as soon as possible.

So, the home local network has been created: the router blinks merrily with LEDs, network clients go online and exchange files, the printer rustles with sheets of paper. The network works, but not everything has been done yet: you will need to install antivirus software, configure a firewall in the router, protect the connection from virus attacks from the outside, create a blacklist of sites so that children do not find “adult movies” on the network. Test the network for errors in data transmission and measure the speed of work. However, this is the topic of the next article. Stay with us!

Do you have several computers and want to combine them into one group, set up easy access for everyone to folders, disks, printers? Then the homegroup functionality is ideal for this purpose. However, in order for the homegroup in Windows to work normally and there are no problems with access, you need to know how to configure it, change it and, if necessary, delete it.

What is required to create a homegroup?

The developers of the Windows 10 operating system have the following requirements for users who want to create a homegroup:

The presence on all devices of the future home group of an operating system not lower than Windows 7.
Connecting devices via Wi-Fi or a direct cable between computers.

If your PC and other devices meet these requirements, you can start setting up your homegroup.

How to create a homegroup in Windows 10 operating system?

To create a new homegroup in Windows 10, you should follow these steps:

Right-click on the Start icon and select Control Panel.

In the new window, set the “Category” view and select “Network and Internet”, “Homegroup”.

In the new window, select "Change advanced sharing settings".

Here you need to configure the homegroup settings. Check the box "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing".

Next, in this window, lower the slider down and check the box “Enable password protected sharing” if you want PC users to enter a password when connecting to the network. If protection is not needed, we choose the inverse function.

Now we return to the previous window and select "Create a home group".

The Create HomeGroup Wizard window appears. Click "Next" and follow the prompts. Specify which folders will be shared. It is worth noting that the folders "Video", "Music", "Photo", "Documents" are built into the operating system, so they are classified as shared.

Next, if you chose password protection, then you need to enter a password for the homegroup.

The homegroup has been created.

Now, to join a homegroup on another PC, you need to go to "Control Panel", "Network and Internet", "Homegroup" and click on the "Join" button.

We enter the password.

We are waiting for the connection.

How to change homegroup settings in Windows 10?

To change some homegroup settings, go to the appropriate section of the "Control Panel". We uncheck those categories of folders to which we have access and want to exclude them.

If, on the contrary, we want to provide access to a folder that is not shared, we perform the following steps:

Find the desired folder. Click "Sharing" and select either a group or a specific user from the group.

Specify the user.

To find out the password from the homegroup, you should follow these steps:

Go to "Control Panel", "Network and Internet", "Homegroup".

Move the slider down and select "Show or print homegroup password".

To change your password, click on the "Change password..." link.

In a new window, we read the system warning. Click "Change password".

Now we enter New password on every device that is connected to the homegroup.

Homegroup functionality, which is available in Windows 10, makes it easy to connect devices to a shared local network, even for ordinary user. Therefore, if you are going to create between your computers in the house common network, you need to learn how to create a homegroup in Windows 10 and set it up.

Creation and customization

When creating a group, folders that are installed with Windows 10 will be public: images, videos, music, documents, printers and devices (find out how to share folders in the article ""). Copy the files that you want to open for other users to them.

Before starting the process, make sure that all devices you connect meet the necessary requirements:

installed OS not lower than Windows 7;
they are connected to the network via a wired or wireless communication via WiFi router.

To set up a homegroup, go to .

RMB on the Start menu → control panel (enable display by category) → Network and Internet → Homegroup.

Microsoft has made the process of creating a network as easy as possible, so follow the instructions. But to avoid problems during setup, check the sharing and network discovery properties for the device.

In the "HomeGroup" window → Change advanced sharing settings... → expand the "Private" tab.
Set the radio button to "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing".
Open the "All networks" tab and check the radio button for "Turn on sharing so network users can read and write files in shared folders" and "Turn off password protected sharing" → save the changes.

In the "Homegroup" window, click "Create a homegroup" → Next → specify the folders that you share (this standard folders Windows 10) → Next.

When the home network setup is complete, the password will appear on the first computer, which will be needed to connect other devices. This completes the creation process.

Connection

RMB on the Start menu → control panel (turn on display by category) → Network and Internet → Homegroup → Join → Next → open folders for access → Next → enter the password for the homegroup → Next → Done.

Possible problems

After updating your computer to Windows 10 (read how to do this in the article ""), when using a home group, problems often arise: sharing does not work, you cannot change the password, leave the group or create it. To correct the situation, proceed as follows.

Turn off all computers on your home network, except for the one on which you are fixing the problem.
Go to: disk with installed OS → Windows → ServiceProfiles → LocalService → AppData → Roaming → PeerNetworking → delete idstore.sst file → reboot the device.
Important! Turn on the display hidden files and folders, otherwise the AppData directory will be inaccessible.
Go to the window for creating a homegroup → the icon for creating it will appear.
Turn on all PCs and connect to the network.

Right-click on the Start menu → control panel (turn on display by category) → Network and Internet → Homegroup → the group settings will be displayed → Show or print the homegroup password.

Removal

To delete a homegroup, sign out of it.

RMB on the Start menu → control panel (enable display by category) → Network and Internet → Homegroup → Exit homegroup → select "Exit homegroup" → confirm the actions.

Conclusion

Creating a homegroup in Windows 10 is a process that is as simple as possible. Follow the instructions and prompts of the system, after checking the necessary settings. In this case, access will open only to the shared folders of the OS. If necessary, you can change the homegroup or leave it.

The homegroup is a feature of the Windows operating system introduced in version 7 and migrated to the successor versions 8.1 and 10. Appearing among the functionality of Windows 7, the homegroup has replaced the settings function shared folders for computers on the same local network as part of Windows XP. HomeGroup is designed to greatly facilitate the process of setting up resources for sharing in small network. Yes, set up network connection and share folders with files for public access as part of the homegroup function, even an average person can. To do this, the user does not need to have tremendous experience working with computers on Windows base. In fact, this process will be discussed below.

So, how to set up a homegroup in Windows system?

Questions are considered:

1. Opportunities that the homegroup setting opens up

A Windows Homegroup is a type of peer-to-peer workgroup with elements of a network domain. Devices that are part of a Windows Homegroup can open and play files that are in shared folders. Media files hosted on one of the computers in the homegroup do not need to be copied to another computer in order to play them. Among the features of the Windows homegroup are: computers, TVs, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, etc.

The Windows Homegroup is also operational way exchange of files between users of computer devices on the network. To send to another computer on the local network, for example, a document for editing or executable file, it must be placed in one of the shared folders, and on another computer, copy the file to HDD.

What are shared folders? These are the user profile folders "Images", "Videos", "Music" and, if necessary, "Documents". These folders are preinstalled with Windows and appear in System Explorer along with drives and devices as branches of the This PC section.

Also, all computers in the homegroup get access to printers connected to certain computers on the network.

2. What do I need to create a homegroup?

To set up a homegroup, you need to have a version of Windows installed on all computers on the network - PCs and laptops - at least 7, that is, Windows 7, 8.1 and 10. And, of course, the local network itself. It can be a network that connects all devices using a router (Wi-Fi router). It can be a network through a direct cable between computers. It can also be a network between physical computer and virtual machines provided by the hypervisor.

3. Create a homegroup

Well, we figured out the benefits of the home group, now let's proceed directly to the setup process. We need a panel Windows controls. In any of Windows versions- 7, 8.1 or 10 - the control panel can be accessed using the internal search. Direct links to the control panel are located in the Start menu:

In Windows 8.1 and 10 this is context menu on the "Start" button;

Once in the Windows control panel in any of the ways, select the "Network and Internet" section.

The Create Homegroup window will open. As mentioned, the process of setting up a homegroup is as easy as possible and set up to follow a step-by-step guide. But this is provided that immediately after Windows installation network discovery and sharing have been activated. In this case, you can immediately press the "Create a home group" button. But if, for example, you are using Windows that other users have previously worked with, and also if a modified assembly of the system is installed, the network settings needed for the home group may not be available. Therefore, it is better to research them first. Click "Change advanced sharing settings".

Expand the "Private (current profile)" tab. For the homegroup to work, you need to activate the options "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing".

This is the necessary minimum. But we can also make some adjustments to the homegroup setting for the convenience of working in the future. Open the "All Networks" tab.

At the very bottom, activate the option "Turn off sharing with password protection." This will allow users of network devices to seamlessly, without unnecessary fuss with entering a password. account use files in shared folders and printer. Click "Save Changes".

Returning to the window for creating a homegroup, click the "Create homegroup" button.

We will see the sharing settings window for the user profile folders mentioned above. By default, sharing is allowed for all folders except the Documents folder. You can change this in the drop-down list next to this folder and set it to be shared as well. However, in the same way, you can also remove sharing for other folders for which it is set by default. Decide and click "Next".

In the next window, we will see the generated homegroup password. This password is generated on the first of the computers on the network where the initial setup is carried out - the creation of a home group. In the future, this password must be used on all computer devices on the local network in the process of joining a homegroup. Therefore, the password must be fixed somewhere and somehow - printed out, as suggested just below the link, or transmitted via Internet communication channels to other computers on the network.

Well, as for the process of creating a home group, it is completed. Click "Finish".

Next, the Homegroup section of the control panel will take on the format of a window with settings that can be changed at any time. At any time, you can close access to individual user profile folders or, conversely, open access. At any time, you can close access to individual network devices for playing multimedia content - TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets. At any time, you can view the homegroup password or make adjustments to the network settings. Finally, you can leave your homegroup at any time.

4. Joining a homegroup

To become a member of an existing home group, we follow the same path as for creating it.

Directly in the homegroup window, we will see a notification that such and such a user has already created it and you can join it. In the same way as when creating a homegroup, we set up the network: we check the inclusion of network discovery and sharing activity, and also disable password protection. Then click the "Join" button.