hi i have a hp laptop running vista home 64 bit and thou i can get internet without a problem (it is connected to a router and then a cable modem) i cant seem to connect to my xp sp3 (with all availible updates from microsoft)computer which can also get internet without a problem thanx

There are two basic operations, firstly put all the computers in the same workgroup then, secondly, choose the folders on each machine that are to be shared. Repeat this on all PCs, use the same workgroup name but, of course, a different computer name for each of your computers. This procedure is successful because no passwords are used and Everyone is allowed access. CREATE WORKGROUP Add an XP computer to a workgroup by right-clicking My Computer > Properties > Computer Name and change the default Workgroup Name to something more meaningful to you, also make the Computer Name recognisable, e.g. MainPC or IBMPC. The computer should reboot. Add a Vista computer to a workgroup by right-clicking Computer > Properties > Change Settings then change Computer Name and Workgroup Name. Make the computer name meaningful to aid recognition. The computer should restart. FOLDER SHARING To share an XP folder, right-click it and select Sharing & Security > Sharing Tab > and put a check mark in Share this folder on the network and optionally, Allow Network users to change my files You only need to share the highest level folder, e.g. not every sub-folder. A little hand should appear on the icons of those that are shared. Alternatively, drag the folders you want to share to the Shared Documents folder (Public folder in Vista). In XP Professional you may have to turn off Simple File Sharing in Folder Options > View Tab > Advanced Settings at the end. To share a Vista folder, click it > Share on the toolbar, type 'Everyone' (not the quotes), click Add and set the drop down Permission Level alongside Everyone to either Reader or Co-owner then click Share at the bottom. Two little people should appear on the icons of those that are shared. Alternatively, drag the folders you want to share to the Public folder. Make sure in Control Panel > Classic View > Network and Sharing Center you have Network Discovery, File Sharing and Public Folder Sharing set to On and, if youre not using passwords set Password Protected Sharing to Off, unless you want to set up identical usernames and passwords on all computers in your network. If you have it on, you will be asked for a username and password when you try to access a Vista computer from an XP computer. As you are sharing with a Vista machine, you may need to install the Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) responder on the XP machine so that the computer shows up in Vistas network map, get it here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4F01A31D-EE46-481E-BA11-37F485FA34EA&displaylang=en GENERAL Windows firewall is normally set to allow file and printer sharing but if you have a third-party firewall make sure file and printer sharing is enabled so that each machine can talk to the other(s). Dont disable the Windows firewall if its the only one youre running. To see or copy files, click Start > My Network Places (Network in Vista) and the computers/folders/files should appear. Using Windows Explorer, drag them from one PC to the other.

I'm looking for help here too, up to a few days ago I was able to share the music files on my XP desktop with my Vista laptop. Suddenly, I can no longer access the files from my Vista laptop. Both computers are in the same workgroup (HOME) and their names have not been changed. I tried installing the LLTD, but setup said I already had a version of XP newer than the update (I assume it was referring to the LLTD)How can I start my a new home network from scratch? This has me confused as it stopped working suddenly