I have a desktop with Vista Business and a laptop running windows xp. I want
to share a folder of pictures that is located on the desktop computer. (And
vice versa) I go through the share folder routine. Both computers can see
each other. On the vista desktop I can access the laptop shared folders.
However the problem comes when I use the laptop (xp) and i click on the
windows vista desktop it asks for a user name and password. I dont know what
this is. It says to be in a format similar to an email address. How do I
access this folder? Or any folder for that matter (I tried putting a few
files in a public folder but had the same problem) Windows help doesnt have
an answer I can find.

Mike, this article might help you out:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/net.../vista_fp.mspx

Thanks,

--
Gloria Boyer
Windows User Assistance team
Microsoft Corporation

Mike,
Enter the username and password used to logon to the Vista machine.
The email address form is more than likely in the drop down box(ignore it). It is usually present in the drop down box if that email address was used for logging on to a web site or an msn or partner site that used a passport or live id.
..winston

"Mike S" Mike wrote in message ...
:I have a desktop with Vista Business and a laptop running windows xp. I want
: to share a folder of pictures that is located on the desktop computer. (And
: vice versa) I go through the share folder routine. Both computers can see
: each other. On the vista desktop I can access the laptop shared folders.
: However the problem comes when I use the laptop (xp) and i click on the
: windows vista desktop it asks for a user name and password. I dont know what
: this is. It says to be in a format similar to an email address. How do I
: access this folder? Or any folder for that matter (I tried putting a few
: files in a public folder but had the same problem) Windows help doesnt have
: an answer I can find.

Thanks Gloria, but that's the page that linked me here in the first place.

Here is another scenario ...

I have two desktops, and two laptops all on XP all four machines can see
each other, and share files and the printer in my home. I just added a vista
notebook,
followed the instructions in your link. Specifically making sure that the
workgroup name was changed to match the other PCs, turned on file sharing. I
even went as far as to turn off the windows firewall on the vista notebook,
and one of the XP desktops.

Still nobody can see the vista notebook, nor can the vista notebook see any
of the other pcs in it's workgroup.

It seems like vista has taken a simple idea that we've been accustomed to
since Windows 98, and complicated it beyond reason to the point where the
"average" home user will no longer be able to use it without jumping through
hoops.



"Gloria Boyer [MSFT]" wrote:

Mike, this article might help you out:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/net.../vista_fp.mspx

Thanks,

--
Gloria Boyer
Windows User Assistance team
Microsoft Corporation