I have disabled Homegroup (only one computer out of 4 have windows 7). I have enabled all sharing, but turned OFF password protected sharing...as I do not want password protected sharing. I have 3 hard drives....one of which needs to be shared to the ENTIRE network....as it is the Storage Drive for all computers/users on the network. I have Shared the drive using "Advanced Sharing" and granted FULL control in the Sharing Permissions. The drive says it is shared and it appears as a network drive on the other computers. However, when the other computers attempt to OPEN the drive "Access Is Denied". I have NO idea what is going on. Ive checked and re-checked all settings. Windows Firewall is DISABLED because I use Comodo Internet Security and that firewall has been FULLY configured to allow FULL access to the Network. Firewall Settings are correct, yet, still getting Access Denied. How do I share this Hard drive? it is NOT my System C: Drive....its a secondary storage hard drive where all users/computers can store their files and stuff and MUST be FULLY shared, controlled, access on EVERY terminal on the network for ALL users.HELP!!!!!

This might be overkill for you, but thought I'd post it for your review, kinda cross the T's and dot the I's so to speak Sharing folders between two Windows 7 machines with the new HomeGroup feature is an easy process, but the HomeGroup feature is not compatible with Vista or XP. For this tutorial we are using Windows 7 x64 RC1 and XP Professional SP3 connected through a basic Linksys home wireless router. First make sure both machines are members of the same Workgroup which by default is named Workgroup. On the Windows 7 machine go into Control Panel \ All Control Panel Items \ Network and Sharing Center then click on Change advanced sharing settings. You will want to verify the following settings under Advanced Sharing Settings for the Home or Work and Public profile. If you want any user to have access the public shares turn off password protection. This is located in Advanced Sharing Settings toward the bottom of the list. If you want to keep it enabled make sure there is a log in account for the other XP machines and they have a password. Now if you go into Network in Windows 7 you should see your XP machine and the Windows 7 as well which in this case is Mysticgeek-PC. To share the printer on the Windows 7 machine go into Devices and Printers from the Start menu and double click on the printer icon. Next double click on “Customize your printer”. In the Properties screen click on the Sharing Tab and check the box to share the printer and type in its share name. If your XP machine is an x86 OS you can install Additional Drivers before setting up the XP machine. To find the shared folders and devices double click on the Windows 7 machine icon under Network. Here you can see the printer connected to my Windows 7 machine is shared and also the Users Folder. Continue into the Users folder and Public to see the shared folders, here I also created a folder called XP Share just to keep everything in central location. Over on your XP machine open up My Network Places to find the Windows 7 (mysticgeek-pc) shared folder. Double click on the Share folder to find a list of shared folders in the Public folder on Windows 7. If you have password protection enabled you will need to type in the username and password of the user account on the Windows 7 machine first. Setup XP With Shared Printer To set up the shared printer in XP you will need to go into Printers and Faxes from the Start menu and kick off the Add Printer Wizard. Now select “A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer” then hit Next. Next select “Connect to this printer…” and type in the path for the printer connected to the Windows 7 machine and click next. Now click Yes to the confirmation message. Then click Finish the printer to install and complete the Wizard. In some cases you will need to install the x86 XP drivers for the shared printer because the Windows 7 drivers are not compatible with XP. When everything is installed open up Printers and Faxes to find the shared printer. This should help you get started with sharing your files and other devices with your Windows 7 machine. When I first started I was able to see the printer on XP right away because I had a HomeGroup set up, but once I deleted it I needed to share the printer like you would for a workgroup. You might also have to do a couple restarts of the XP machine for it to see the shared resources on Windows 7. MCSE, MCSA, MCDST [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By

OK. Ive done all that. Im not computer illiterate. I have a lot of networking experience. However, this new Windows 7 is KILLING me. Anyways. All sharing is completed correct. all terminals on the network can access the public folder...and the printer connected to the windows 7 machine. However, when They try to open the SHARED Hard drive on the windows 7 machine....they still get "Access Denied". Still need help!

Hi, First, I would like to confirm whether other machine can access the shared folder successfully or not? At this stage, I suggest you temporarily turn off all third party firewall and antivirus program on each machine to check the result. If the error message persists, please capture and upload it Thanks, Novak

sharing in win7 is just like any other pro version of windows (assuming you are not using HOME versions)did you create users / passwords for each user on the win 7 box??did you add them to the share Permissions?

Yes, I can see you have respect for those trying to help. Good luck with your lots of experience http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7network/thread/b452568b-68a6-43e1-893e-6df2350f3919 MCSE, MCSA, MCDST [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]

Try the following stepRight click on your C: drive in my computer and go to propertiesClick the security tab. Then click Edit to change permissions.Click Add, type Everyone, then click ok. Check the box for Full Control, then hit apply.