1) is it normal, to join a "homegroup" when getting connected in a hotel/guesthouse?

2) what does this "sharing" mean?

- access of other homegroup-users to my PC, folders... ?
- visibility of surfed sites ?
- ... ?



(am on windows 7)

don't join it. it shares your photos/videos/etc with other members of the group letting them access your system... not something you want on a public network.

wow... its the guesthouse im staying...

in the beginning, this was NOT so, definitely...
just cant access the internet anymore without this setting... oh my...

and strangely, NOBODY ELSE does have the connect-problem. only me. all of a sudden. and only in the guesthouse.

there's a popup after it connects that asks if it's a home/work/public connection... you probably chose home.

lol... you couldnt make it up... after a brief powercut, one minute ago, its working now without joining the group.

but in the past days, after other brief powercuts, it wasnt working... neither before, nor after...
and the whole thing came out of the blue...

when not in the group --- not working.
when joining the group, and nothing set to share --- not working.
when joining the group, and ALL set to share --- working.

restarting the router, my laptop didnt help a bit.
only joining the "homegroup" and sharing it all - then i get connected.

also, that everyone else's internet connection would work by default, from laptop, phone and everything, was weird...

thanks a lot, OD...