i have laptop(vista home premium) and desktop (xp sp2) that both connect to
the internet wirelessly. i cannot get them to "see" each other or share
files/printer. my laptop network map suggests that the desktop is there but
cannot access it. they have the same workgroup name but the desktop (xp) is
denying any access in "view workgroup computer" i just want to share a
printer connected to my desktop. i am willing to start from scratch if i knew
how
Please help

tired and emotional wrote:
i have laptop(vista home premium) and desktop (xp sp2) that both connect to
the internet wirelessly. i cannot get them to "see" each other or share
files/printer. my laptop network map suggests that the desktop is there but
cannot access it. they have the same workgroup name but the desktop (xp) is
denying any access in "view workgroup computer" i just want to share a
printer connected to my desktop. i am willing to start from scratch if i knew
how
Please help

You need to set up your Local Area Network sharing first. Then you can
share out the printer after you install it on the Vista machine.
Download the Vista printer drivers from the printer mftr.'s site so you
can install them.

This link will take you through Vista networking very well:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/net.../vista_fp.mspx

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
system does not permit it.

Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:

1. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
(LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
"gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
"Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.

2. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup
didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in
the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control
Panel, Computer Name tab.

3. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

4. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder OptionsView tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
in your situation.

I think it is a good idea to create the identical user
accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it
isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.

5. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder. See the first link above for details about
Vista sharing.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

thanks it has helped a good amount but i still have problems. my desktop can
acess my laptop over the network but not the other way round. on the laptop
when trying to access desktop over network it says "access is denied or
\\computername does not exist " or something to that effect. it does the path
is valid but i don,t know how to make it accessible(its the xp system) all
firewalls are down at mo. any ideas? thanks for the progressive help so far

"Malke" wrote:

tired and emotional wrote:
i have laptop(vista home premium) and desktop (xp sp2) that both connect to
the internet wirelessly. i cannot get them to "see" each other or share
files/printer. my laptop network map suggests that the desktop is there but
cannot access it. they have the same workgroup name but the desktop (xp) is
denying any access in "view workgroup computer" i just want to share a
printer connected to my desktop. i am willing to start from scratch if i knew
how
Please help

You need to set up your Local Area Network sharing first. Then you can
share out the printer after you install it on the Vista machine.
Download the Vista printer drivers from the printer mftr.'s site so you
can install them.

This link will take you through Vista networking very well:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/net.../vista_fp.mspx

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
system does not permit it.

Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:

1. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
(LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
"gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
"Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.

2. With earlier Microsoft operating systems, the name of the Workgroup
didn't matter. Apparently it does with Vista, so put all computers in
the same Workgroup. This is done from the System applet in Control
Panel, Computer Name tab.

3. Create identical user accounts and passwords on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

4. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder OptionsView tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it matters
in your situation.

I think it is a good idea to create the identical user
accounts/passwords in any case when Vista machines are involved and it
isn't an onerous task with home/small networks.

5. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder. See the first link above for details about
Vista sharing.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

tired and emotional wrote:
thanks it has helped a good amount but i still have problems. my desktop can
acess my laptop over the network but not the other way round. on the laptop
when trying to access desktop over network it says "access is denied or
\\computername does not exist " or something to that effect. it does the path
is valid but i don,t know how to make it accessible(its the xp system) all
firewalls are down at mo. any ideas? thanks for the progressive help so far

Please check your firewalls again. If you have any McAfee products
installed, uninstall them completely. After you get the networking
going, replace McAfee with a better antivirus such as NOD32, Kaspersky,
or even Avast (free). The Windows Firewall that comes with XP and with
Vista is usually sufficient for most people. Also check any other
security software you have installed. The error message you are getting
normally indicates a firewall problem and/or a lack of identical user
accounts/passwords.

Make sure you have created identical user accounts with passwords on
both machines. Carefully go through the how-to again. If you still are
having difficulties, have a local professional come on-site and set you
up. This will not be someone from your local version of
BigComputerStore/GeekSquad. Get recommendations from friends and colleagues.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Malke thanks for all the help but it just wont work. removed all security and
still nothing. all firewalls down etc. maybe they just dont like each other.
they are both visible from each end both i cant access as it says you do not
have permission to use this network resource. not sure how ill get.
thaks all the same.


"Malke" wrote:

tired and emotional wrote:
thanks it has helped a good amount but i still have problems. my desktop can
acess my laptop over the network but not the other way round. on the laptop
when trying to access desktop over network it says "access is denied or
\\computername does not exist " or something to that effect. it does the path
is valid but i don,t know how to make it accessible(its the xp system) all
firewalls are down at mo. any ideas? thanks for the progressive help so far

Please check your firewalls again. If you have any McAfee products
installed, uninstall them completely. After you get the networking
going, replace McAfee with a better antivirus such as NOD32, Kaspersky,
or even Avast (free). The Windows Firewall that comes with XP and with
Vista is usually sufficient for most people. Also check any other
security software you have installed. The error message you are getting
normally indicates a firewall problem and/or a lack of identical user
accounts/passwords.

Make sure you have created identical user accounts with passwords on
both machines. Carefully go through the how-to again. If you still are
having difficulties, have a local professional come on-site and set you
up. This will not be someone from your local version of
BigComputerStore/GeekSquad. Get recommendations from friends and colleagues.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

tired and emotional wrote:
Malke thanks for all the help but it just wont work. removed all security and
still nothing. all firewalls down etc. maybe they just dont like each other.
they are both visible from each end both i cant access as it says you do not
have permission to use this network resource. not sure how ill get.
thaks all the same.

Did you create the identical user accounts and passwords? If not, please
do so. You can always set your machines to log in automatically later.

Another thing to try: please post the results of ipconfig for each machine.

Vista: Start OrbSearch Boxcmd [enter]
You will see a link for cmd in the space above now. Right-click cmd and
left-click "Run as Administrator".

XP: StartRuncmd [enter]

At the command prompt for each operating system, type:

ipconfig /all [enter]

We are particularly interested in the IP addresses of the computer and
the gateway.

What router are you using? Since you can get to the Internet we know
it's working but let's be thorough.

Is your Vista machine's network set to Private? Refer to the very first
link I gave you about Vista networking. If you are using the Windows
Firewall, did you enable file/printer sharing?


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

glad to see you still bearing me. i have given up for today but will post
back soon with results. thanks again

"Malke" wrote:

tired and emotional wrote:
Malke thanks for all the help but it just wont work. removed all security and
still nothing. all firewalls down etc. maybe they just dont like each other.
they are both visible from each end both i cant access as it says you do not
have permission to use this network resource. not sure how ill get.
thaks all the same.

Did you create the identical user accounts and passwords? If not, please
do so. You can always set your machines to log in automatically later.

Another thing to try: please post the results of ipconfig for each machine.

Vista: Start OrbSearch Boxcmd [enter]
You will see a link for cmd in the space above now. Right-click cmd and
left-click "Run as Administrator".

XP: StartRuncmd [enter]

At the command prompt for each operating system, type:

ipconfig /all [enter]

We are particularly interested in the IP addresses of the computer and
the gateway.

What router are you using? Since you can get to the Internet we know
it's working but let's be thorough.

Is your Vista machine's network set to Private? Refer to the very first
link I gave you about Vista networking. If you are using the Windows
Firewall, did you enable file/printer sharing?


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

I was having the same problem a couple of days ago. There is a known issue
with Vista seeing machines running on XP. However there is a patch you can
download. It completely fixed my file sharing problem, but I am still not
able to use the printers connected to the XP machine. I cannot tell you the
specific page from which I downloaded it, but I just googled it.

right here goes
Laptop(vista home prem): ipv4=192.168.1.35
gateway:192.168.1.1 (same as desktop)
it did say ip routing enabled...no
the node is hybrid

Desktop(xp)
ip =192.168.1.34
same gateway
node was unknown and ip routing enabled...yes

the router is a zyxel model
Ps update: i can access laptop file from desktop
Thanks again
wjut any idea what you googled
"Malke" wrote:

tired and emotional wrote:
Malke thanks for all the help but it just wont work. removed all security and
still nothing. all firewalls down etc. maybe they just dont like each other.
they are both visible from each end both i cant access as it says you do not
have permission to use this network resource. not sure how ill get.
thaks all the same.

Did you create the identical user accounts and passwords? If not, please
do so. You can always set your machines to log in automatically later.

Another thing to try: please post the results of ipconfig for each machine.

Vista: Start OrbSearch Boxcmd [enter]
You will see a link for cmd in the space above now. Right-click cmd and
left-click "Run as Administrator".

XP: StartRuncmd [enter]

At the command prompt for each operating system, type:

ipconfig /all [enter]

We are particularly interested in the IP addresses of the computer and
the gateway.

What router are you using? Since you can get to the Internet we know
it's working but let's be thorough.

Is your Vista machine's network set to Private? Refer to the very first
link I gave you about Vista networking. If you are using the Windows
Firewall, did you enable file/printer sharing?


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

I have an issue whereby I cannot share files on a network. I have an xp home
pc and a vista basic notebook. The two are into a wireless linksys hub with 4
ethernet connections on it. The machines are either wired or wireless. I have
called the network under the same work group on both machines and file
sharing is enabled on both. When I go to the vista machine and look at the
diagram for connections it doesnt bring the xp machine up or if i look on the
xp it doesnt bring vista. I have pinged the xp machine and packets of data
can be sent and received and I have had difficulty with the vista machine.

I have had the machine 2 weeks now and cannot for the life of me get the
damn thing to network. I use the two computers on the internet fine and have
shared files (or so it says but accessing them is a problem.

Any help would be welcome before I reformat the VISTA machine in haste. I
used to have 2 xp machines and they worked fine but one died hence the new
notebook.

Steve

Would be easier to be emailed but I know some people prefer posting replies
in here

"tired and emotional" wrote:

i have laptop(vista home premium) and desktop (xp sp2) that both connect to
the internet wirelessly. i cannot get them to "see" each other or share
files/printer. my laptop network map suggests that the desktop is there but
cannot access it. they have the same workgroup name but the desktop (xp) is
denying any access in "view workgroup computer" i just want to share a
printer connected to my desktop. i am willing to start from scratch if i knew
how
Please help