Allow all file and printer sharing on a LAN

Note: If you have already allowed all traffic between computers on a LAN (Local Area Network), you do not need to allow file and printer sharing as well.

To allow all file and printer sharing on a LAN:

  1. On the Home page, under Firewall, click Configure firewall.

    For information about the Home page, see About the Home page.

  2. Under Configurations, click Configure next to the location that you want to configure.
  3. On the LAN tab, do one of the following:
    • Click Detect LAN to detect the LAN that your computer is on and add it to the list of network addresses.
    • Click Add. In the Select address dialog box, select the Address format, type the domain name or IP address, and then click Add.
      Note: If you select Local network (detected automatically), you do not need to type anything. This option is not currently available in Windows 8. For information about local network detection, see About local network detection.
  4. Click OK to close the Select Address dialog box.
  5. In the LAN settings list, select the NetBIOS check box for a LAN to allow file and printer sharing on it.
For information on how to block or allow file and printer sharing on other LANs than those in the LAN settings list, see the following topics:

For information on how to allow all traffic on a LAN, see Allow all traffic on a LAN.