If you want to share files between a Windows PC and a Linux PC running Ubuntu follow these few steps to add the Ubuntu machine to a windows work-group and start sharing files and folders.

1. First you will need to install Samba on the Ubuntu machine. To do this open a terminal window and type the following command:

sudo apt-get install samba

2. Next you need to edit the smb.conf file, the main configuration file for Samba and change the work-group to match your home network work-group. The config file can be found in /etc/samba/smb.conf. First take a backup of the config file:

sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf ~

Now use gedit to open and edit the /etc/samba/smb.conf file:

sudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf

Now you need to locate the following line:

workgroup = WORKGROUP

Replace “WORKGROUP” with your home network work-group name so that it matches the other Windows machines on your network. To make the machine visible when browsing the network add the following line directly underneath the line you just edited

name resolve order = bcast host

3. You now need to save the config file and restart SAMBA by typing the following command in the terminal.

sudo /etc/init.d/smbd restart

4. Finally share any folders so that they can be accessed from any other machine running SAMBA in the work-group. To do this simply right-click on the folder you wish to share and select ‘Sharing Options’. Type a name for the share and click ‘Create Share’ to complete the process.