Setting up a home file server

I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to use
as a file server.

It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.

File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is turned
off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the file
server PC and the folder locations have been updated.

I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because each
time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network Places,
then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My Documents
etc

Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP or
do I need something like Windows server?

Any advice appreciated

Thanks




iPleb

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:47:02 GMT, "iPleb" <(E-Mail Removed)>
mused:

>I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to use
>as a file server.
>
>It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.
>
>File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is turned
>off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the file
>server PC and the folder locations have been updated.
>
>I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because each
>time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
>have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network Places,
>then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My Documents
>etc
>
>Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP or
>do I need something like Windows server?
>
You don't need Windows at all, and even if you did use Windows Vista
would be the last version I'd use. Windows server would be too OTT for
a simple file server. If you already have the PC doing nothing then
stick something like <http://www.freenas.org/> on it.

Other option is to use something simple and premade, like
<http://www.buffalo-technology.com/products/network-storage/>.
--
Regards,
Stuart.

In article <GUhti.1160$(E-Mail Removed)>, iPleb
says...
> I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to use
> as a file server.
>
> It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.
>
> File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is turned
> off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the file
> server PC and the folder locations have been updated.
>
> I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because each
> time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
> have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network Places,
> then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My Documents
> etc
>
> Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP or
> do I need something like Windows server?
>
Is the client PC running XP?


--
Conor

How about taking the safety labels off everything, and let the
stupidity-problem solve itself?

"Conor" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> In article <GUhti.1160$(E-Mail Removed)>, iPleb
> says...
>> I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to
>> use
>> as a file server.
>>
>> It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.
>>
>> File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is
>> turned
>> off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the
>> file
>> server PC and the folder locations have been updated.
>>
>> I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because
>> each
>> time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
>> have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network
>> Places,
>> then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My
>> Documents
>> etc
>>
>> Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP
>> or
>> do I need something like Windows server?
>>
> Is the client PC running XP?

Yeah sorry forgot to mention that .... all other pc's in the house are
Windows XP/Vista machines

In article <3xnti.1363$(E-Mail Removed)>, iPleb
says...

> > Is the client PC running XP?
>
> Yeah sorry forgot to mention that ....

XP has some serious networking issues - basically you get what you
have. One way to solve it is to enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP in the NIC
adapter,TCP/IP Protocol, Advanced, WINS properties.

One solution from Microsoft is to create a shortcut with the command
\\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the target
machine.

Also, disable "Automatically search for Network Shares and Printers" in
Explorer options.

Google "Slow network browsing XP" for a list of fixes to try.

--
Conor

How about taking the safety labels off everything, and let the
stupidity-problem solve itself?

"Lurch" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:47:02 GMT, "iPleb" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> mused:
>
>>I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to use
>>as a file server.
>>
>>It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.
>>
>>File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is
>>turned
>>off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the
>>file
>>server PC and the folder locations have been updated.
>>
>>I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because each
>>time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
>>have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network
>>Places,
>>then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My
>>Documents
>>etc
>>
>>Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP or
>>do I need something like Windows server?
>>
> You don't need Windows at all, and even if you did use Windows Vista
> would be the last version I'd use. Windows server would be too OTT for
> a simple file server. If you already have the PC doing nothing then
> stick something like <http://www.freenas.org/> on it.

Holy crap - FreeNas

I never new you could get that.

30mins of tweaking, and now Im setup And what is even better is that I
can use the WHOLE hdd space for data.

Thanks buddy - The perfect solution

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:42:43 GMT, "Plebism" <(E-Mail Removed)> mused:

>
>"Lurch" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed).. .
>> On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 10:47:02 GMT, "iPleb" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>> mused:
>>
>>>I have a spare PC that I have wired into my home network and intend to use
>>>as a file server.
>>>
>>>It is running Vista home premium and has one user account.
>>>
>>>File sharing it turned on etc and password protected file sharing is
>>>turned
>>>off. All of my documents, photos, internet bookamarks are stored on the
>>>file
>>>server PC and the folder locations have been updated.
>>>
>>>I am having problems with getting it to work smoothly though, because each
>>>time I log in to the PC, the network blocks access to the file server. I
>>>have to manualy browse to the file server directories via My Network
>>>Places,
>>>then once done, it allows access for the other folders such as My
>>>Documents
>>>etc
>>>
>>>Can the setup of a file server be achieved with something like Vista HP or
>>>do I need something like Windows server?
>>>
>> You don't need Windows at all, and even if you did use Windows Vista
>> would be the last version I'd use. Windows server would be too OTT for
>> a simple file server. If you already have the PC doing nothing then
>> stick something like <http://www.freenas.org/> on it.
>
>Holy crap - FreeNas
>
>I never new you could get that.
>
>30mins of tweaking, and now Im setup And what is even better is that I
>can use the WHOLE hdd space for data.
>
>Thanks buddy - The perfect solution

Good stuff, it's what I've got on my current NAS server.
--
Regards,
Stuart.