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Windows 11 File Sharing

Create and manage network shares with security best practices

Lab: Map a Legacy Guest SMB Share

Some legacy NAS devices and lab environments still rely on guest access. This exercise walks you through temporarily enabling insecure guest logons on Windows 11 so you can connect to \\<server-ip>\public with the nobody account. Revert the change when you are finished—guest access removes SMB authentication.

Option A: PowerShell (All Editions)

  1. Press Win + R, typepowershell, then press Enter to launch an elevated session.
  2. Allow guest connections with:
    Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true
  3. Map the guest share (replace <server-ip> with the target host):
    net use P: \\<server-ip>\public /user:nobody nobody /persistent:yes
  4. Open File Explorer, browse to the new P: drive, and download a file to confirm read access. Record the results and captured screenshots for your lab report.

Option B: Group Policy (Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise)

  1. Press Win + R, typegpedit.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Network → Lanman Workstation.
  3. Double-click Enable insecure guest logons, set it to Enabled, then click Apply and OK.
  4. (Optional hardening) Go to Computer Configuration → Windows Settings → Security Settings → Local Policies → Security Options and set Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always) to Disabled if guest devices still fail to connect.
  5. Close the editor and restart the PC to apply the policy.
  6. Use File Explorer or the PowerShell mapping command above to connect to\\<server-ip>\public as nobody and download a test file.
  7. Document the policy path, the command used to connect, and a screenshot of the mapped drive in your lab notes.

Lab: Install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

WSL brings a Linux userland to Windows. This guided exercise uses Windows PowerShell to enable the platform, install Ubuntu, and verify that the distribution is available. You will work in an elevated PowerShell session—capture your commands and screenshots for assessment.

  1. Launch Windows PowerShell (Admin). Note the banner reminding you to upgrade to the latest version athttps://aka.ms/PSWindows.
  2. Navigate to your lab workspace with:
    cd C:\Users\micha\OneDrive\Documents\github
  3. Attempt to run a tool (for example codex) to verify it is not yet available. Record the resulting CommandNotFoundException for your lab notes.
  4. Check WSL availability:
    wsl
    The system reports that WSL is not installed—press any key when prompted to begin the installer. If UAC prompts for elevation, accept it.
  5. Observe the automated install:
    • Download and install Windows Subsystem for Linux 2.6.1.
    • Enable the VirtualMachinePlatform optional component via DISM.
    The console confirms completion and informs you that a reboot is required.
  6. Verify the status post-install:
    wsl
    The output states that no distributions are installed yet.
  7. Enumerate available distributions:
    wsl --list --online
    Capture the table that includes Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, Fedora, and other options.
  8. Install Ubuntu with:
    wsl --install Ubuntu
    PowerShell confirms that the operation succeeded and reminds you to reboot.
  9. Reboot the machine. After the restart, launch wsl to complete Ubuntu’s first-run setup (user creation, password, updates). Document the first-login prompts and final confirmation that the distribution is active.

What is File Sharing?

Windows file sharing uses the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol to allow multiple users to access files and folders over a network.

Key Concepts:
  • Share Permissions: Control network access to the shared folder
  • NTFS Permissions: Control local and network access at the file system level
  • Effective Permissions: The most restrictive combination of both
  • Administrative Shares: Hidden shares ending with $ (C$, ADMIN$, IPC$)
Prerequisites:
  • Windows 11 Pro or higher (Home edition has limitations)
  • Administrator access
  • Network discovery enabled on private network
  • File and printer sharing enabled

⚠️ Security Warning

Never share sensitive data without:

  • Proper authentication
  • Encryption (SMB 3.0+)
  • Audit logging
  • Regular permission reviews

Quick Start

  1. Enable network discovery
  2. Right-click folder → Share
  3. Add users with permissions
  4. Access via \\\\ComputerName\\ShareName