Question Information on turning my old PC into a file server ?

[Lismash]

Sorry if the question has been asked before.

I have a laptop with low storage, and an old desktop. But my laptop is faster than my desktop. I shared some folders from the desktop on LAN via default Windows network share and access it with my laptop. My question is, if I run an executable installed on my desktop from my client laptop, where is the program running, my laptop or my desktop? And if its running on my desktop, is there a way to run it on my laptop without installing the program on my laptop?

TIA

 

[cruisetung]

In most cases you can't run a program installed on another computer, unless those programs/software are designed as portable. Usually those program/software are simple, small and has very few files. It's not just files are needed, registry entries modification are needed for most programs and you don't have any of those on your remote laptop,

All programs will be pulled over the network, store in a cache and then run on your laptop.

Even programs from Portableapps.com not necessarily can be run over the network since there are too many files (hundreds or even thousands) in a set of program.

If you don't have enough storage for the laptop, either upgrade the internal storage or buy a fast usb drive and install programs on it, A fast USB drive is something like Samsung BarPlus or Sandisk Extreme.

Another way is just use Remote Desktop on your laptop and log into your desktop and run program on your desktop. If your laptop or desktop is Windows Home edition, then install and run AnyDesk/Rustdesk, both are free.

 

[bill001g]

It all depends on the application.

In a very simple case you can just browse the files on the desktop machine with the file managers from your laptop. Double click the executable and it will run on the laptop.

Others take more setup. It all depends on what you mean by "install". Some it is just the icon and the file locations in the icon others there is more.

If you were to install or reinstall one of the applications that are on the desktop you could tell the installer to installed it to the drive letter of the shared desktop drive. It would then place all the files remotely but it might have a small settings file on your laptop pc.

A example would be old application when it was installed on the desktop machine always looked for the "C" drive for its other files. You now have basically change the drive letter and somehow the settings files for the application need to be changed.

Now you have some greedy applications that are locked to the cpu/motherboard. This means the program must execute on the desktop. You likely could do the reverse of what you propose and place all the files on the laptop and run it from the desktop. From the applications viewpoint you are allowed to buy a new hard drive and move the appliation to it but it must still execute the program on the cpu it was licensed to.

 

[Lismash]

In most cases you can't run a program installed on another computer, unless those programs/software are designed as portable. Usually those program/software are simple, small and has very few files. It's not just files are needed, registry entries modification are needed for most programs and you don't have any of those on your remote laptop,

All programs will be pulled over the network, store in a cache and then run on your laptop.

Even programs from Portableapps.com not necessarily can be run over the network since there are too many files (hundreds or even thousands) in a set of program.

If you don't have enough storage for the laptop, either upgrade the internal storage or buy a fast usb drive and install programs on it, A fast USB drive is something like Samsung BarPlus or Sandisk Extreme.

Another way is just use Remote Desktop on your laptop and log into your desktop and run program on your desktop. If your laptop or desktop is Windows Home edition, then install and run AnyDesk/Rustdesk, both are free.

So, what happens if I set my steam library to the shared desktop folder? will I be able to run the games on my client laptop?

 

[Lismash]

It all depends on the application.

In a very simple case you can just browse the files on the desktop machine with the file managers from your laptop. Double click the executable and it will run on the laptop.

Others take more setup. It all depends on what you mean by "install". Some it is just the icon and the file locations in the icon others there is more.

If you were to install or reinstall one of the applications that are on the desktop you could tell the installer to installed it to the drive letter of the shared desktop drive. It would then place all the files remotely but it might have a small settings file on your laptop pc.

A example would be old application when it was installed on the desktop machine always looked for the "C" drive for its other files. You now have basically change the drive letter and somehow the settings files for the application need to be changed.

Now you have some greedy applications that are locked to the cpu/motherboard. This means the program must execute on the desktop. You likely could do the reverse of what you propose and place all the files on the laptop and run it from the desktop. From the applications viewpoint you are allowed to buy a new hard drive and move the appliation to it but it must still execute the program on the cpu it was licensed to.

It is installed on the desktop and I want to run it via network on my client laptop.

 

[cruisetung]

So, what happens if I set my steam library to the shared desktop folder? will I be able to run the games on my client laptop?

I don't play games so I can't tell. But my instinct tells me it won't work.

==

Well maybe you can. You have to try yourself.

https://www.google.com/search?q=can+you+run+steam+games+over+network

 

[Ralston18]

File server requirement....

Consider converting the old desktop into a NAS using something like FreeNAS.

https://www.truenas.com/freenas/

Will defer to the gaming community and others regarding how well (or not so well) games will play.

 

[bill001g]

Where do you have steam installed.

If you have steam installed on the laptop you can have the game files come from the desktop. You will likely have to tell steam where the game is.

If steam is only installed on the desktop and not the laptop then I am not so sure. You likely can find the steam executable from your laptop and execute it but I am not so sure what it will do.

Steam has a lot of stuff it hides in windows directories like local saves for games. You can change all this stuff but you would have to install steam on the laptop to do it.

I am not so sure you can run steam and application from under steam without installing any part of steam on your laptop. Steam is designed so you can actually share the games between different machines in your house but the steam program itself needs to be installed locally.

 

[USAFRet]

So, what happens if I set my steam library to the shared desktop folder? will I be able to run the games on my client laptop?

If you have Steam client installed on the laptop, you can have the game library wherever.

I did this once, just as a trial.

Steam client on my main system, mapped drive letter to a folder on my NAS.
Install a game to that drive letter.
It worked, but performance wasn't great.

 

[punkncat]

If you install the Steam launcher and install all the games you wish to that machine, then load the Steam launcher on the machine you wish to play on Steam will allow many/most games to stream from the machine the game files are on. That other machine must be on with Steam running.

If you set it up to run Steam on start it will be good to go.

 

[USAFRet]

If you install the Steam launcher and install all the games you wish to that machine, then load the Steam launcher on the machine you wish to play on Steam will allow many/most games to stream from the machine the game files are on. That other machine must be on with Steam running.

If you set it up to run Steam on start it will be good to go.

All that needs to be on the remote machine is the Steam game library.
You only need the one Steam client, on your main system.

 

[punkncat]

If you are going to use the Steam client to stream from the other machine they both must be loaded in. If you are discussing one of the other ways above, pls disregard.