The Win7 RC odyssey - over a month of networking issues and no idea as to a fix. Have two systems; Win XP Pro w/SP3 on #1 and Win XP Pro w/SP3 and Win7 RC 32-bit in a dual-boot configuration on #2. Have both systems networked and in the same workgroup via a Linksys router. When both are running XP Pro I can readily copy/move files between them. When #2 is running Win7 RC I cannot copy/move files to it from within #1 system's XP Pro - message says access denied. I'm thinking there is an issue with shares and how it's setup and/or permissions but I am unfamilier with how Win7 manages things here so I have no idea how to fix things. I have never run Vista either so if Win7 has something in common with it I'm clueless in this regard. More information and aggravation. Besides the two systems mentioned my home network also includes a Western Digital 500Gb My Book Essential Edition external drive connected to a Linksys NSLU2 (Network Storage Link Unit) which is then connected to the Linksys router. This setup allows both systems to readily see the external drive on the network. When both systems are booted into XP Pro they can readily copy or move files between each other and/or the external drive. Either system can easily run videos stored on the external drive. In XP on system #2 three partitions are shared and readily seen from system #1. A reboot of system #2 into Win7 RC results in a different world all together. Opening Explorer I see Libraries (what are they?), Homegroup (what is this?) and Network. Network lists the external drive, system #1 and system #2. Selecting Network I get an error box titled "Network Error" with message 'Windows cannot access \\external - details: error code 0x80070035 The network path was not found. Click Diagnose > Windows Network Diagnostics > result > Troubleshooting couldn't identify the problem. Close selected. Selecting system #1 same results. Selecting system #2 only one partition is listed: c share and a listing: Users Share. (What is Users Share and where did it come from?) Selecting Users Share shows a long list ot items. (Where from?) So, I go online mainly with system #1. If I find anything interesting about Win7 I download it and later boot system #2 into XP Pro so I can copy this program to system #2. Then I reboot system #2 into Win7 so I can try the program I downloaded. I should not have to use this round-about method. There is something inherently wrong about Win7 that The Administrator, or an Administrator, has this amount of difficulty. A couple of weeks elapsed as I tried to get Win7 32- and 64-bit installed in #1 system - problems were iterated in the forums. Having successfully installed Win7 32- and 64-bit, finally, on #1 system I tried again after booting #2 system into Win7 32-bit - this time from #1 system in Win7 64-bit I could see External but it was not accessible from #2. In #1 system in Win7 32-bit I could not see External - same error as mentioned earlier. Workgroup is the same for both systems in XP and Win7 and the external drive. Checking from #2 system in Win7 32-bit I could not access #1 system in Win7 64-bit nor External. So, all indications are the ability to network in Win7 32- or 64-bit is limited and users are not going to have an easy time networking Win7 with XP and/or with an external drive. And I'm suspecting that someone will suggest a 'fix' that requires a change in settings that are four/five/six levels deep in some obscure folder that a casual user has no knowledge of. I am not impressed with Win7. Further testing and more time has passed. Administrative Tools > Services > Disabled both HomeGroup Listener and HomeGroup Provider in both Win7 32-bit systems and #1 system's Win7 64-bit to determine if there could possibly be any interaction or possible conflicts when networking both systems and having the external drive on and available for use. No change - \\External not available from either Win7 32-bit system. Opened Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > selected in View your active networks > Connections: Local Area Connection > Status > Properties > Networking tab and verified both systems had the same items listed in: This connection uses the following items:. Rebooted #1 system into Win7 64-bit. Opened Explorer and could see shared items on #1 and #2 systems as well as \\External drive. From #2 system had no access to #1 system or \\External. Opened Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > selected in View your active networks > Connections: Local Area Connection > Status > Properties > Networking tab and verified both systems had the same items listed in: This connection uses the following items:. So, this is no different whether or not #1 system is in Win7 32-bit or 64-bit - so that idea is no help. Selected Diagnose on #2 system, got "An error occured while troubleshooting: An unexpcected error has occured. The troubleshooting wizard can't continue." Selected 'View error details' and got the following: Package ID: Network Diagnostics Path: H:\Windows\diagnostics\system\networking Error code: 0x80131700 Source: Engine User: Name\Administrator Context: Elevated Diagnostics on #1 system in 64-bit gave no errors. Rebooted #1 system into Win7 32-bit and ran same Diagnose; got same error message and info as above. So, something is definitely causing a problem but what? I have no idea. And now that Win7 has gone RTM I wonder if this problem will still exist when I get to install and try networking the final version.

New testing - 25 July Inanother forumI got a reference to a web site "the How-To Geek" with a posting entitled: 'Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP'.I figured I'd follow it's instructions the best I could to see if, with modifications because of the external drive, I could get Win7 32-bit, on both system, and Win7 64-bit on #1 system to finally allow access to each other and/or the external drive.Both systems at first booted into XP Pro; the printer, scanner, and external drive powered up to verify, again, things were accessible from both systems. Verfied.Booted #2 system into Win7 32-bit. Initial check showed no difference from above; #2 still could not access external or #1. The XP system could access external, #2 and #2 with Win7. Verified workgroup name I assigned was still in effect on #2 with Win7.On #2 system followed the article and verified Advanced sharing settings were as described for Home and Public profile. Followed the instructions in the article but could not find the printer attached to the XP machine to share - the opposite of what the article was trying to accomplish. No success here.Booted #1 into Win7 32-bit and same problems as mentioned earlier. This time I tried to share the printer between the two Win7 32-bit systems and sharing was activated on the printer attached to #1 system but it never showed in Network or shared on #2, as shown in the artice referenced above.Booted #1 into Win7 64-bit. As above, external, #1 and #2 accessible. Turned on printer sharing for printer attached to #1 and went to #2 to check. Printer showed, driver download started. Took awhile but printer finally showed up on #2 as a available from #1 - so that worked. But still could not access the external drive though the Linksys NSLU2 was accessible from both systems.Wracking my brain. Look at Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off > compared the list of Windows features and added those items in #2 system that were not installed as compared to #1 system. Rebooted. Made no difference; external still not accessible from #2.

Networking in win 7 is fine, the Linksys NSLU2 is a little funky, can youhit the web GUI by it's IP address???and does it not come witha Wizard which seachs the network for the device (or have you hacked it and installed a different linux on it??)Known issueshttp://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=Linksys+NSLU2+and+vista

There is nothing wrong with the NSLU2. I did not do any kind of modification to it. I can readily see it when I type it's address in a browser. The external drive is accessible when I run XP Pro w/SP3, XP Pro x64 w/SP2, Win7 64-bit but not Win7 32-bit; so don't say Win7 networking works when, in this case, it does not.