I just got a new notebook w/Vista. I got online fine but am having trouble accessing the files I have stored on my other laptop. The other laptop has files that I made "Shared".. I think I have my firewall settings correct on both laptops. My other laptop is running on XP. And both are accessing the internet and the network fine. THANK YOU!!!!!

I am moving this to the correct forum for questions on Vista:

/f203-Windows_Vista_and_Longhorn.html

Hi anjoe7. What version of Windows XP does your older computer use? The options would be XP Home, XP Professional, XP Professional x64 Edition or XP Media Center Edition (MCE).

If you're not sure which version it is, click the Windows Start button, then click Run, and the Run box appears. Type winver into the box and click the OK button. A panel should appear showing what version of Windows you have, e.g.:

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Thanks for responding. It's the XP Home Edition. I've since called Linksys since I started turning the router and modem off and then ultimately lost my connection, not just the file sharing. Linksys couldn't help me with the file sharing. They had me turn the firewalls off on both pc's. He thinks maybe Windows Defender has a firewall but was unable to tell me how to shut that off. I have Defender on both pc's. Thanks!!

Thanks for the detailed information Here are a couple questions:

1) on Vista, do you find the XP Home computer in the Network?

2) if so, what happens when you try to access it? Is there an error message, and if so, what does it say


I asked about the Windows XP version because I think it might be a case of the Vista system needing to "authenticate" (provide a valid uname/password combination to the WinXP computer, which the XP computer recognizes as one of its own). On XP Home Edition, only a simplified type of sharing is available, called "Simple File Sharing," which considerably limits the options for exploring the authentication aspect here.

Windows Defender wouldn't be the cause of the issue here. Its function is to watch for adware and spyware.

Be aware that sharing a folder can expose your information to others, particularly if you were to take your laptop out in public and connect to a network elsewhere. Even with the firewall enabled (recommended), if you've made an exception to allow File & Print Sharing to go through the firewall, that is a privacy and security risk in a public situation, so you might want to go into the Windows Firewall settings and modify them before connecting. On Windows XP, use No Exceptions as this picture shows. On Windows Vista, set the firewall to the "Public" mode. I would provide more detail on the method, but you already know how to get there plus I'm running out of morning!

I'll be back in about 10 hours to see how things are going.

THANKS!!
No, the XP doesn't show up on the Network on the Vista computer. Nor does the Vista show up on the XP.
On Vista I have Network Discovery ON
File Sharing ON
Public folder sharing ON
Printer sharing OFF
Password Protected Sharing OFF
Media Sharing ON
It shows the name of my network correctly but will not show the XP computer's name.
On the XP I have folders set up to share with others on network but the Vista computers' name doesn't show up on the network

Thanks for the info on the firewall being open if I go on another network because I do take my pc with me to hotels and connect from there so I will make sure to turn the file sharing off in those cases from now on.

Excellent information there I wish I had a separate Windows XP computer to help research this issue firsthand, but I only have one computer and it dual-boots XP and Vista. So I will keep trying by deduction, unless anyone comes in with better ideas

On your Windows XP computer, click Start and then click Run. In the Run box, type secpol.msc to open up a Local Security Policy window.

In the Local Security Policy window, go to the setting shown below, double-click it to open its little panel, and set it to the value shown in the attached picture, so the Windows XP computer is speaking the NTLM2 "dialect," so to speak. Confirm the change, and now see if you're getting any better results.

While you're on the Windows XP computer, also right-click My Computer (on the Start menu or the desktop screen) and choose Properties from the right-click menu. This brings up the system's properties panel. Go to the Computer Name tab and note the "Full computer name:" and the workgroup.

On the Vista computer, do likewise: right-click Computer on the Start menu, choose Properties, then open Advanced System Properties* and confirm it's in the same workgroup.

Now, on Vista, go to Network. If the Windows XP computer still doesn't show, try this: In the address bar at the top, type two backslashes and the name of the Windows XP computer. For example, if the computer's name was DELL_AE9B, you'd type \\DELL_AE9B, then press Enter.

Any good?


*(working from memory here, will edit this if incorrect once I'm logged back onto Vista)

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please don't give up on me, but I won't be online for a few days but I do want to resolve this and I completely appreciate all your help. I'll try this when I get back online and let you know if this works. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!