How to Customize Network Sharing Settings in Windows 7

I will continue our series on Windows 7 networking with an article about how to set your network sharing settings. Compared to older versions of Windows, Windows 7 makes it is easier to set such settings. In this article I will cover the following: where to find the network sharing settings, how to turn on or off network discovery, file sharing, media streaming, password protection, how to set encryption for sharing connections and how to configure HomeGroup connections.

Where to Find the Network Sharing Settings

First, you have to open the Network and Sharing Center. On the left side of its window, there is a link called 'Change advanced sharing settings'. Click on it and the appropriate window will open. An alternative is to search for the word sharing in the Start Menu search box. One of the first search results will be called 'Manage advanced sharing settings'. Click on it and the 'Advanced sharing settings' window will open.

In the 'Advanced sharing settings' window you will see lots of settings, split in two categories: Home or Work and Public.