This simple tutorial shows you how to enable file sharing between Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and Windows Vista or 7. When file sharing is enabled, both systems will be able to view and access files and folders remotely from ether machine. Users with accounts on the Ubuntu machine will also be able to access the contents in their home folder remotely.
Getting started:
To get started, logon to Windows and click ‘Start –> search for ‘Network and Sharing Center’
Then click ‘Change advanced sharing setting’
Enable filesharing and save.
Next logon to Ubuntu and click ‘Power –> System Settings’
Then select ‘System –> Ubuntu Software Center’
Next, search for and install ‘Samba’
After installing, go to ‘Power –> System Settings’
Then select ‘System –> Samba’
Next, click ‘Preferences –> Server Settings’
Then type the Workgroup Name, that matches the Windows computers. The default workgroup name in Windows machines is ‘Workgroup’
Next, click ‘Add’ (Green Plus) to begin sharing files and folders.
Then click ‘Access’ tab and grant the users you want to access the shares.
Sharing should be enabled on both systems. If you don’t see shared folders on either system, restart both Windows and Ubuntu machines.
Enjoy!
To find Windows workgroup name, type the command below from the command prompt
net config workstation
If Ubuntu is prompting for passwords and won’t allow you, type this command below in Ubuntu:
smbpasswd -a USERNAME
Great, thanks I’ll be needing this soon.
Getting Unable to mount location “Failed to retrieve share list from server”
I get the same I have both samba and smb4k installed. Love this OS and would really like to communicate with my storage drive.
found this solution to my Unable to mount location “Failed to retrieve share list from server” problem on http://www.beertripper.com/OffTopic/2011/ot_tweaking_ubuntu_network_browsing.html
Opening /etc/samba/smb.conf
gksudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf
Then find the following line:
; name resolve order = lmhosts host wins bcast
Then remove the semicolon and move the word host to the end of the line, like so:
name resolve order = lmhosts wins bcast host
Thats awesome and flawlessss !!!!
worked perfectly !!
2 thumbs up!
This is a very useful tutorial, but there is something slightly amiss in my Samba shares.
Our home wifi network has 4 Windoze machines (2 Vista, 2 XP) and 1 Ubuntu machine; as I write, all the Windoze machines can see each other and the Ubuntu machine… and the Ubuntu machine can see the Windoze machines.
The issue arises when trying to actually open a share; the Ubuntu machine can open the ‘doze shared directories and do permitted operations on the files. Outstanding… but…
The ‘Doze machines can see the shared directories on the Ubuntu machine (I’ve set shared 2 directories to be accessible to ‘anybody’ for the moment), but the ‘doze machines can’t OPEN the Ubuntu shared directories or view the files therein.
Bizarre… but it’s an improvement compared with what was going on beforehand.
I’m having the same issue. I can browse the files but not open them.
I know it’s been said before, but this works flawlessly. I have always veered away because I have never gotten this to work, but after reading this, I have all my network drives and am loving 11.04 in the process.
Thanks
I cannot see the Windows 7 shares.
As soon as I try to connect to the workgroup it complains that it doesn’t have a list from the server.
zeddock
Does this process work if you have both ubuntu and windows 7 installed, and open ubuntu and want to view the windows files?
im wanting to use ubuntu as it is faster than win 7 on my laptop, but want to access all the files that are on my win 7 os when logged into ubuntu on the same laptop.
thanks for the post otherwise
In the heading its written as “Windows Visa” :)
Got Ubuntu 11.04 installed great on spare computer, plus samba. Both Windows 7 pc and Ubuntu pc can see each other. Enabled file sharing on both.Ubuntu pc can see and access shared files on W7 pc, but when I enter the username and password on W7 pc to access Ubuntu pc, can’t seem to get the combination right. Username and pword are the same on both pcs. Tried Windows 7 pc name\uname. Tried Ubuntu pc name\uname. Tried workgroup name\uname.
Tried just uname and pword. What am I doing wrong?
Please help!
Great thanks man! Was looking for a long time for this.
For those who are trying to share a Ubuntu directory out to Windows machines, this method will not work. There is something missing from what I’ve been told but to heck if I can figure out what that is. From what other forums have mentioned its not that Ubuntu is malfunctioning, its that M$ is a moving target for home networking.