How to Host Your Own Domain (5 Steps)

Download a Web server. This is usually necessary since Windows doesn't come with a default Web server. Apache is a good program, but you can also download ABYSS, which is a free program that you can download (see Resources).
Read the documentation that is included with ABYSS to familiarize yourself with the program. This is only necessary if you've never used ABYSS, or if you do not have Apache on your system.
Visit the No-IP website (see Resources). Set up an account while you are on this page. Choose the domain name you want to use.
Download the No-IP client. Click on the Windows operating system download. Download the program and then install it.
Fill in the information the program asks for. Make sure the program runs after installing it. Once all of your information is entered, your IP address will resolve to the domain you chose, which should be something like xxxxxx.hostnameofserver.com (where xxxxxx is the name you chose).
VPS Hosting

How to Host a Private File Server

Download the HFS File Server installer (see Resources).
Open the file to begin installing HFS. Use the default options.
Run HFS once setup is finished.
Click on the button that reads 'Server is currently OFF.' This will activate HFS.
Read the series of numbers next to the 'Open in Browser' button. This is the IP address of the server.
Open your favorite web browser and enter the IP address given by HFS. If you see text indicating you are in HFS, you have properly set up your server.
Enable files to be shared over the file server by dragging folders into the program's window. Be sure to specify 'Real Folder' when confirming its usage.
Go to the 'Menu' option on the server, and click 'Save File System.' This will make your changes permanent.
Browse to the IP address used in Step 6. You should be able to download any file located in the public folders.
VPS Hosting