Vista and XP file and printer sharing... not working

Hi all,

I just got my new HP dv9500t laptop today, with Vista Home Premium, and I'm working to get it setup. I was able to get it to wirelessly access the Internet through my Linksys WRT54G router only after going in and disabling the firewall on the router. :-( But at least it can get to the Internet for now.

But I can't get it to see my existing desktop PC which is running XP SP2. I've done lots of searching on the net, and this sure does seem like a common problem, but there are so many issues and factors involved (from what I've read)... its enough to make my head spin.

Is it just me, or doesn't it seem like this is a very common scenario? People have a Windows XP Machine, and they buy a second machine that is Vista, and they want them to see each other and share a printer and so on... is it really this complicated? Jeez Microsoft... I often defend MSFT, but this is very frustrating!

Any help? Ideas on how to get these two machines talking to each other? I've turned off Windows firewall for now on the new Vista laptop. I've done ipconfig /all, and found that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is listed as disabled on the XP machine. I went into the Advanced TCP/IP Settings, on the WINS tab, and changed it from Default to Enable, but that doesn't seem to change anything. It is still coming up as Disabled in ipconfig. How can I get this enabled... and will that fix my problem and let these two computers talk to each other? Or is more involved? thanks in advance for your help!

 

Make sure you're in the same workgroup
I have no problem whatsoever connecting my XP and Vista machine through a wireless router

 

I think you meant that you disable security in wireless to Open Access, not WPA. If you disable the firewall (spi) is so equipped is not a good idea. If the initial setup only worked with the desktop (wired) and not others. Try clone (spoof) the MAC address of that PC into the router. If not Needed it will not hurt anything. This is what is need for going online. Check the status page on the router should give you Gateway, DNS Info.

If your Vista NB came with Symantic AV/FW I would un install it, it's a huge resource hog. You will need to go to symantic web site to get the utility to completly remove it. There are several free ones that will do the job.

If you have ZA or any FW for that , you will need to add a FW rule to allow your local Subnet. This must be done on all computers. Make sure all PC's are in the same workgroup.

Vista has been renamed to ME II, so it is a total pain to setup. Vista users will need to help you there.

If you left click on the port you are using is it Disabled? change if so.

Properties should show TCP/IP as checked and set for obtain auto.

 

Well I dont believe ur Firewall (FW) will be to blame here, especially if you are using a internal network. I am going to assume you can get on teh Net with both machines? indicating that they are going thru ur router fine? As a previous poster said, make sure you are on the same workgroup first. Never hurts. I would try to throw a ping to the machines to see if your machine will even hit them. If you laptop can't ping your PC then your not going to get anywhere anyways.

I am fairly sure that sharing is disabled on Vista/Xp so be sure you have that enabled. (rt click the folder and enable sharing) Enabling that should open it in the windows firewall as well. The simple way to try to connect would be to open Run, and type the IP of the machine you are trying to connect to, dont' worry about the NetBios name or whatever for now. If you can connect it will either open the root share, or prompt for a user/pass (if you have a login for the machine), I can't remember 100% if you need to type that run command like "//xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" or not.

 

Workgroup is just "WORKGROUP", the default, for all machines.

Yes, I have internet access for both. For Vista Laptop, it was only achieved after disabling the hardware firewall in the router (something I'd like to re-enable at some point presumably).

I've tried to ping from the new Vista laptop to the old XP Desktop, and ping won't even get through. It doesn't see it at all... that is the problem. The old XP Desktop can see the Vista machine in the workgroup, but it can't access it.

Symantec crap already removed from the new Vista laptop. McAfee installed instead, which I own and use. ZA not yet installed on the Vista laptop. Installed on one of the two XP machines I have -- the desktop I've been talking about, but not another XP laptop on the network. Alas, thenew Vista laptop can't communicate with either XP machine.

I've read that this is a major and regular problem for many people -- that because of changes to networking stack in Vista, it doesn't easily see XP machines. Very frustrating, as my printer is of course hooked up to that XP machine. My other XP laptop has never had any problems seeing/sharing with the XP desktop. But this Vista laptop can't see either of them!

 

I've also tried to rename the connection on the Windows XP machine to match what is appearing as the network name on the vista machine -- though I don't think that should matter. No effect.

Something else I just noticed... on the Vista laptop, when in the window Network and Sharing Center, when I click on View Full Map near the top right, I do get a map that includes the XP Desktop machine! So it does see it, and it is listed with the correct IP address, etc. It is connected to the hub directly in the diagram, and the Vista laptop is connected via wireless to something showing the network name (which I've now switched back, btw), and then from there to the "switch" that the XP desktop is connected to directly... which is odd to me because I have just the one device -- the LinkSys WRT54G! So I'm still confused as to what is wrong here!

I just tried to ping the IP address of the old desktop XP machine from the Vista Laptop... no good. Can't get to it from \\192.168.1.100 windows explorer or from same via Run command. And yet... it shows up on the Vista laptop "full map" as described above. How is it that it can see the machine that way, but can't even ping it?

 

Also, I've been trying to enable NetBIOS over TCPIP... but when I do ipconfig /all, it still comes up as disabled... on both machines. ?? Does this matter here and how to enable it -- in both XP and in Vista?

Lastly, I also setup XP machine with LLTP or LLTD or whatever it was called... which I read online is needed on XP machines in order for Vista machines to see them. Didn't help any.

 

both machines can connect to your router correct? like if u type 192.168.1.1 in teh address bar both can access the config of the router?

 

ok, I JUST NOW figured out how to get mine working. here's some of my details


1. make sure the windows xp computer has this update installed(regardless of whether you have sp2 or not, i figured mine had it already).
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...1D-EE46-481E-BA11-37F485FA34EA&displaylang=en

2. setup your firewall to allow access from another computer, mine was norton so i cannot tell you exactly how to do it. but it was rather in depth as far as all the options i had to change on mine.

3. i had to list my ip address from the vista laptop to be able to bypass the xp computers firewall(also norton) so that it allowed the access to go through.

4. then you might have to wait for a little while before the xp comp shows up on the network screen for vista(the microsoft site listed up to 15 minutes wait, mine probably took 5).

here is a few sites that are pretty helpful, make sure that all of the listed options from both sites are checked out.
http://chicagotech.net/netforums/viewtopic.php?t=273

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/evaluate/vista_fp.mspx#E1C