Before you begin, please check

• if you configured VirtualBox to use the “Bridged Adapter” for networking,
• if you booted the FreeDOS 1.2net image or the FreeDOS 1.2-msc image with the boot option “”MS Client with TCP/IP protocol”. (1.2net) or “Load FreeDOS with MS Client” (1.2-msc).

To share a FreeDOS directory to other machines in your LAN, first start the server. In FreeDOS type:

net start server

Now command:

NET SHARE sharename=local path

Here is an example:

net share publicfolder=C:\SHARE

This will make the directory C:\SHARE a share called “publicfolder“. Now you may have to wait: It can take a minute until your share is visible to others.

To show all options available with the “net share” command, please type:

net ? share

If you want to stop sharing this directory, type:

net share publicfolder /delete

Another way to share resources is the program NETSHARE, which is distributed for free from Microsoft. It’s a GUI for the NET SHARE command:

The command “net share” shows the shares you have configured at the moment. The shares are stored in C:\NET\SHARES.PWL. If you delete this file, the shares will not be remembered at the next reboot.

Now switch over to your Windows machine and type here:

net view

As you can see, your FreeDOS machine is listed as first one in the list of hosts as “\\FREEDOS MS-DOS Peer Server”.

Now we will use its share in Windows. In Windows type:

net use F: \\FREEDOS\PUBLICFOLDER

You should get the message: “The command completed successfully”. Then you find your shared FreeDOS folder in Windows Explorer:

That’s it! You may happily exchange files between your FreeDOS virtual machine and Windows.

You can also use FreeDOS to access shares of Windows. See: Share a Windows directory with FreeDOS