This post is part of a project to move my old reference material to my blog. Before 2012, when I accessed the same pieces of code or general information multiple times, I would write a quick HTML page for my own reference and put it on a personal site. Later, I published these pages online. Some of the pages still get used and now I want to make them available on my blog.

Photo by Blake Parkinson

By default, Windows Firewall in Windows Server 2003 only allows File and Printer Sharing connections to the subnet the machine is currently on. To allow connections from any subnet, follow the instructions below.

1. Click Start, Control Panel, Windows Firewall

2. Click the Exceptions tab

3. Highlight File and Printer Sharing in the Programs and Services list box

4. Click the Edit… button

5. Highlight the first port (the first item in the list box)

6. Click the Change scope… button

7. Tick the radio button for Any computer (including those on the Internet)

8. Click the OK button

9. Repeat steps 6–8 for each port (each item in the list box)

10. Click the OK button on the Edit a Service dialog box

11. Click the OK button on the Windows Firewall dialog box