Do you have a network with multiple devices, computers and operating systems? What does it take to set up Windows 7 and Windows 8 so that you can easily share folders, libraries and devices with the other computers that are part of the network? It turns out that the answer is: "not much". All you have to do is to double check a few settings and adjust them where appropriate.

A useful feature of Windows is being able to connect to your desktop from another location to remotely manage your computer. While this functionality is native in Windows 7 and previous versions, it is not supported by default in many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu. However, using any of the tools available, you can connect to a Windows remote desktop with ease. This tutorial will show how.

NOTE: This tutorial works on Ubuntu 10.10 & 11.04.

In previous tutorials we have covered how to share files between Ubuntu and Windows 7 computers on your home network. This tutorial will complement previous ones and show how to make Ubuntu auto-mount a partition or folder from Windows 7 so that you can always have access to it from the second you log in to Ubuntu. The procedure has some complexity but once you do it the first time, it will be easier to do it a second or third time.

NOTE: This tutorial updated to work on Ubuntu v10.10 & 11.04.

Anyone who utilizes multiple computers in a network with a single printer knows the importance of being able to share resources. In a previous tutorial, we explained How to Access Windows 7 Shared Folders from Ubuntu. However, the sharing doesn't stop there. This tutorial will show how to access from Ubuntu printers that are shared from another Windows computer.

NOTE: Article updated to work on Ubuntu v10.10 & 11.04.

A common goal of setting up computers on a local network is being able to share files and folders. In order for file sharing to work, the computers must exist on the same network and Workgroup. Then, the computer sharing files must have a folder configured with the proper permissions to allow other computers in the network to access it. In previous tutorials we have shown how to enable file sharing & change the Workgroup in Ubuntu and also how to share folders in Ubuntu and access them from Windows 7. This tutorial will show how to configure shared folders on your Windows 7 computer and access them from Ubuntu via your home network.

NOTE: Article updated to work for Ubuntu v10.10 & 11.04.

In a previous tutorial I have shown how to enable the sharing service in Ubuntu and change the Workgroup so that it is the same with all the other computers in your network, thus making networking between Ubuntu and Windows 7 easier. In this tutorial I will show how to share folders in Ubuntu and how to access them from Windows 7 computers.

NOTE: Article updated to work on Ubuntu v10.10 & 11.04.

Windows 7 uses a feature called Homegroup, which enhances the Workgroup feature in order to make home networking easier for all Windows 7 computers. However, this feature doesn't work on Linux or older versions of Windows. In order to connect your Linux computers to Windows 7 computers and share files and folders, you need to make a series of settings. The first setting is to enable file sharing. Then, you need to change the Workgroup, so that all computers belong to one Workgroup. In this tutorial I will demonstrate how to enable file sharing and then how to configure and change the Workgroup on an Ubuntu PC.

NOTE: Article updated to work with Ubuntu 10.10 & 11.04.

Windows 7 is most probably Microsoft's easiest to install operating system. It seems that the company has learned from past mistakes and now almost everyone can install Windows 7 on their computer by themselves, provided that the computer complies with the minimum system requirements. In this blog post, I will share with you the best Windows 7 installation guides that can be found on the internet. Apart from installing Windows 7 from scratch, there are situations when you will want your new operating system to run in parallel with another one, be it Mac or Ubuntu Linux. In this post I will cover the following installation scenarios: installing Windows 7 from scratch, upgrading from Windows Vista or Windows XP, as well as dual-booting with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X Leopard and Ubuntu Linux.