Remotely access files on a Windows 7 computer?

I would recommend a freeware software called freeFTPd, which basically is an SSH implementation with only file transfer (SFTP) support (i.e. no shell logins). It is simple to set up, it is freeware and it supports Windows 7.

I do not recommend using the traditional FTP protocol. Not only is it highly insecure, it is also quite hard to make it work optimally behind a NAT router (which is the most typical case for home users today). Using a secure SFTP server (such as freeFTPd) is a much preferred solution, for many reasons.

The procedure can be outlined as such:

1. Download and install freeFTPd.
2. Configure it with the folders you want to share and the users to whom you wish to grant access.
3. On your router, forward port 22 (TCP) to the computer.
4. On the client computer (where you'll connect from), install an SFTP client, such as WinSCP (which is a free and open source SFTP client for Windows).

This is what I consider to be the simplest solution for the scenario you described. Setting up a VPN is indeed also an option, as Cry Havok described. What solution you should ultimately choose comes down to your needs, how much time you're willing to spend, and your existing level of knowledge.

Another alternative would be HFS. http://www.rejetto.com/hfs/
It works on 32-bit systems, not sure about 64-bit.

Teamviewer is great from one home location to another however is hit and miss behind corporate firewalls (i.e. accessing home from work). After trying everything the most effective (and complete SFTP, RDP, Terminal etc) I've found is as mentioned above - SSH Tunneler and WinSSHD.

I would start by recommending that you don't try to use Windows shares - most ISPs will block this and it's insecure.

You have 2 main options:

1. Use another file sharing method
2. Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)

The second may be the simplest, and options include OpenVPN or PPTP - it's worth checking to see if your router supports acting as a PPTP VPN server.

For the first, you could install SSH and configure the SSHD server (see this article). To remotely access the files the simplest Windows interface is probably Xftp from NetSarang. It provides a very Windows friendly interface for copying files.

Hello ! You can use Bitvise products: SSH Tunneler and WinSSHD (free for personnal use). Those products work with Windows XP, Vista, 7, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 (WinSSHD runs as service, Tunneler is the client). With those 2 tools, you can access remotely to your hard drives and RDP thru SSH port.