So far, in our Windows 7 Overview series, we have published the following:- Windows 7 beta quick review
- Windows 7: BitLocker To Go & Biometric improvements overview
- Windows 7: Easy Connect
- Windows 7: Problem Steps Recorder
- Windows 7: Action Center Overview
- Windows 7: User Account Control (UAC) Overview
- Windows 7: Calibate Your Display
- Windows 7: Federated Search
- Windows 7: Device Stage
- Windows 7: Internet Explorer 8 Overview
Over the next few weeks we will be adding many more focus items on Windows 7 including Touch, Windows 7 networking and media enhancements. Stay tuned for the ultimate Windows 7 focus from Neowin.net. Here is an overview of HomeGroup in Windows 7.
HomeGroup
Ever wanted to share your music, pictures and documents within your home computers and found the task to be difficult? HomeGroup in Windows 7 will simplify the tasks associated with sharing music, pictures and documents within your home network and Windows 7 PCs. HomeGroup also allows you to share your USB connected printers, if you have a printer in the living room that's shared by HomeGroup it will be automatically installed onto your other HomeGroup enabled PCs. Domain-joined computers can be part of a HomeGroup too.

Creating your HomeGroup
As soon as you setup your network, Windows 7 will prompt you to select the type of location. Once you select Home Network, Windows 7 will start applying the necessary settings for your new network.
The HomeGroup wizard will then prompt you to create your HomeGroup and choose what to share in your HomeGroup.
The wizard then generates a password which can be used to add other computers to your HomeGroup.
Your new HomeGroup is now created and your Pictures, Music, Videos, Printers folders are ready to be shared with other computers when they join this HomeGroup. These folders - Music, Videos, Printers, Pictures - are called as your Libraries in Windows 7. Remember, we haven't yet shared any files as such. Only the network shares have been created so far.
Joining HomeGroup
When your other computer is connected to the same network where you created the HomeGroup (above), Windows 7 will prompt you that there is a HomeGroup available to join.
Once you choose to join, Windows 7 will provide you with information about the HomeGroup on your network
Click Join Now to join to your HomeGroup. You will be prompted to enter the HomeGroup password which was generated during the creation of that HomeGroup
Entering the correct password will let you join the HomeGroup and choose what you want to share
Welcome to your HomeGroup!
Viewing your HomeGroup
You can find your HomeGroup in the Explorer's Navigation Pane (left hand side of the Explorer). You can just click the Windows Explorer icon in the superbar and it will open your Libraries.

You can put any files into the Libraries and share with your HomeGroup. Its that easy!
Media Player will automatically search your HomeGroup for music and will add the files to the Media Player library. You can also search through the libraries of your HomeGroup using explorer's search functionality.
What If I forget my HomeGroup password created?
Yes, the password generated by the wizard is hard to remember (being complex and secure) and you would love to see your password whenever you forget. Windows 7 lets you view or print your password even after creating the HomeGroup in the HomeGroup options.

You can find your HomeGroup options in the Network and Sharing Center or just type 'homegroup' (without the quotes) in your start menu.

HomeGroup was certainly designed for ease and it does stay true to its promise - An easy end-to-end approach to sharing in your Home!
Remember that HomeGroup works only with Windows 7 machines and it does not support Vista or XP.
















I'm not positive but if they do release Windows Media Player 12 for Windows XP, I will be mad at Microsoft, Windows XP is so old, and if they plan to release a new Windows Media Player for something old, it will look like Windows Media Player 11, ugly. The ports need to stop.
Than they're SOL. Either keep up with technology or GTFO.
XP isn't even running the same file sharing protocol or network stack as Vista or 7. I could see this making it to Vista (maybe, but probably not), but absolutely not XP.
Fair enough.
Speed will not happen. If you see the link below it explains to you the changes they have made in w7 to make it faster. As you will see these are quite in depth OS changes. I am fairly confident they will not be brought to vista.
http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/04/2...erformance.aspx
LOL
I know for sure not everyone is going to have (or will be able to legally obtain) Windows 7 on every computer in their home. I guess this is a feature for going forward.
I already have a home network with Vista (main computer) and 2 other XP machines and have no problems with that, it was quite simple to set up... I'm guessing in order to make the network compatible for Windows 7, we'd have to do it a similar way as in Vista/XP instead of using the HomeGroup.
I run a grade school's network with about 75-100 computers. It has grown over the years and has many different vintages of computers. Operating systems range from Mac osX to XP to Linux(Ubuntu) and Vista. It is naive to think that everyone can just purchase a new OS to make things easier. The school has neither the funds or capability to make everything the same. It is a huge undertaking to upgrade any software. The sentiment:
doesn't work in the real world. I fear that the Homegroup is just another dead end like many Vista "innovations". What would make people buy a product that doesn't work as well as something they already have? It might be easier in it's fascist Homegroup(meaning everyone has to be just alike or be excluded as the Other.). But not even looking at the other kids who want to play is just childish. I don't get why Microsoft didn't learn this lesson after the fizzle of Vista.
I'm sure in time that I will be able to make the Ubuntu systems compatible with the Homegroup. But XP incompatibility out of the box is unforgivable and needs to be addressed before the Windows 7 release. If at least to allow for intuitive wizardless file transport during migration to the new windows 7 system.
Last edited by The Doctor on 21 Jan 2009 - 22:22
Damn reply button.
from my desktop pc i can see all users but not my laptop (to desktop), passwords are correct. i don't know why, i cant see them.
So I understand this saying that Windows 7 is not compatible with Xp for networking.
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