Windows 7 Windows networking fixed!!(w7 to xp)

[stupidbiznitch9]

okay windows lovers, this is how i got windows 7 to accept incoming connections from XP so you can view files on the W7 computer from the windows XP computer:

THIS IS AFTER YOU HAVE SHARED THE FOLDERS AND FILES OF YOUR CHOICE!

1. unjoin any "homegroups."
2. make sure your connection is considered a "HOME" connection.
3. Open network and sharing center and click on Choose homegroup and sharing options...
4. Then click Change Advanced sharing settings.
5. Expand Home and Work.
6. Make sure these options are selected...

A. Turn on Network Discovery
B. Turn on File and Printer sharing
C. Select Either: Turn on sharing so that anyone with network access can open files
OR: Turn on sharing so that anyone with network access can open, change and create files.
D. Turn off password protected sharing
E. Use user accounts and passwords to connect to other computers.

I think that the last selection is the most important, once it works, feel free to tinker with the settings; once it sets the options for "Home and Work" it automatically changes those setting to "Public" network.

P.S. This was using windows 7 (32-bit edition). I also turned off my firewall, tinkering with that can be done by YOU, because most people's settings are different.

 

[jimbo45]

That Homegroup thingy is an abomination -- stick with "Classical networking" -- much better
cheers
jimbo

 

[dataccount]

If I may add one thing to what stupidbiznitch9 said, there may be one additional step required if you are intent on sharing the entire C:\ drive of the Win7 machine with other XP's on the network. After following stupidbiznitch9's instructions completely, you may still have to open Windows Explorer and right-click on the local C:\ drive in the left column. From the popup window select "Include in Library", and either add it to one of the available choices, or "Create New Library". Once in the Libraries section, it can be viewed or mapped from the XP machines.

 

[stupidbiznitch9]

Thank you data account for that side note, i was only intent on sharing a fixed number of folders; your extra info maybe helpful to some people

 

[jimbo45]

Sometimes all that doesn't even work unless you run the Network setup wizard on the XP machine(s).
My big gripe with all this stuff is that it NEVER seems predictable -- sometimes one XP machine is fine whilst the other just refuses to be seen -- and it's almost impossible to find what the difference is between them -- even with all firewalls off and AV software not running.

It will work eventually but why can't this stuff be just "Plug 'n Play". - Once I connect a machine to the network I should get a prompt -- allow others to see this machine etc etc. I shouldn't have to go through all this sort of stuff to get it to work.

In attempting to make it easier with the "Home Group" idea Microsoft have actually screwed this up BIG time by making a complex operation even more complex.

Networking is one area where Linux wins EVERY TIME over Windows by miles -- however that's not the issue here.

Send feedback to MS BTW as a decent SIMPLE Home networking system should simply be plug and play these days - especially for Home / small office networks.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ruggb]

WELL, I think I have tried everything.
I can share my printer attached to W7127 with XP
I can access XP from W7
I can see all the resources on W7 from XP but I can't access any except printer.
I can map a network drive on W7 from XP but can't access it.
I have firewalls OFF.
I have workgroups the same.
I turned off Homegroups.
I made the reg mod.
I can connect to XP from a W7068 laptop
I turned Homegroups back on
I cannot connect to W7127 to W7068 either direction.
I can't connect to the W7068 laptop from XP but can from W7068 to XP
I used to be able to connect to everything with W7068

SO WHAT CHANGED???????????????

 

[gjbnh]

I just fixed my problem of printing to a network printer that I had tried a couple of weeks to fix. Under Adminiatrative tools, open services, and check the roting and remote access service; make sure it is started on both machines. This worked automatically on my last RC 7100 install, but was turned off on this install. Making sure the service was working on both systems enable networking printing for me. The opther system was Win 2000 based.

 

[ruggb]

it was disabled, but starting it did nothing.
Also I do have printer access.
I can see the system resources - all the drive - It just won't let me access any of them.
they are ALL shared - but it is acting like they are not.

 

[stueycaster]

One thing that nobody mentioned here was that the workgroup names on all of the computers have to be the same. XP wants to call it Mshome while Windows 7 calls it Workgroup.

Another thing to remember is that networks take time to find themselves. It can be up to 15 minutes.

The other day I tried to call up my network and it wouldn't work. It had been a couple weeks since I tried it. I typed the IP address of the other computer into the Address Bar (\\192.168.?.?) and it went straight to the other computer. It started working after that.

Homegroups only work between computers that have Windows 7. It works with no other operating system.

 

[gjbnh]

There is a commercial Program called Network Magic that has a 30 day trial as I recall. Download it, install it in Vista Compatibility Mode and see if works. Let's see if it works with your printer. If it does, then we're missing something in the setup. If not, something fundamental is the OS is broken. Read the manual to get the max out of the program. I don't use it unless everything else I know fails.

 

[ruggb]

I HAVE AN ANSWER (at least for me) - IT IS TRULY ABSURD.
It seems like each version changes the default security config.
The screens seem to be changing with each version.

I have three versions of W7 loaded on three computers and one XP computer.
version computer
7127 - 64bit = BL
7127 - 32 bit = 6210
7137 - 32 bit = FL
XP = 8200

Now remember this networking worked fairly easily with 7068 and I think 7100 but I used that one very little.

After initial install FL & 6210 talked to each other -- I have no Idea why.
BL talked to 6210, FL, & 8200
FL talked to 8200
6210 Talked to 8200

NONE could talk to BL
8200 would get a LOGON FAILURE - the rest got NOT ACCESSIBLE error, but I could see the BL drives on those computers.
8200 got NOT ACCESSIBLE error from FL & 6210.

OK, checking the network config, I realized it was set to require passwords. Since XP is not on HOMEGROUP that had to be the answer. It was, and when I changed it the error went to NOT ACCESSIBLE - same as the rest.

OK, NOT ACCESSIBLE must mean no permission. Since I see the drives I must be logged on.

THIS is what I had to do to make XP see BL - SET Security for all drives individually so that EVERYONE had full control.
BUT FIRST I had to create EVERYONE as a user. Where did EVERYONE go and why? no idea.

WHY WHY WHY - I don't think I did anything to cause this to be configured this way. It happened out of the box. BUT then why did FL and 6210 talk with no configuration. note, FL has ONLY the OS loaded, nothing else. Maybe there is a program interaction????

Adding EVERYONE --
NOTE: if u already have EVERYONE on the list maybe this isn't ur solution - try checking EFFECTIVE PERMISSIONS. (last part)

On the computer that u can't access - the W7 one
in Windows Explorer rt clk the drive
Properties
Security
Edit
Add
Locations
OK
Advanced
Find Now
select EVERYONE
OK
OK
select Full Control
OK
clk thru to the finish - it will complain about some items, just ignore.

That added the user EVERYONE -- now u have to set the EFFECTIVE PERMISSIONS

from where u are (Properties/Security window) clk
Advanced
Effective Permissions
Change Permissions
select Everyone
check box REPLACE ALL CHILD ................. on the bottom of window
OK
Yes
let it run.
clk thru any complaints
OK
OK

U have to do it for each drive u want to access.
Obviously if u want to limit the access u must refine this to add that detail. ur on ur own.


IF someone has the answer to WHY let me know please.
If it works for u let me know too.

thx

 

[stueycaster]

Sometimes all that doesn't even work unless you run the Network setup wizard on the XP machine(s).
My big gripe with all this stuff is that it NEVER seems predictable -- sometimes one XP machine is fine whilst the other just refuses to be seen -- and it's almost impossible to find what the difference is between them -- even with all firewalls off and AV software not running.

It will work eventually but why can't this stuff be just "Plug 'n Play". - Once I connect a machine to the network I should get a prompt -- allow others to see this machine etc etc. I shouldn't have to go through all this sort of stuff to get it to work.

In attempting to make it easier with the "Home Group" idea Microsoft have actually screwed this up BIG time by making a complex operation even more complex.

Networking is one area where Linux wins EVERY TIME over Windows by miles -- however that's not the issue here.

Send feedback to MS BTW as a decent SIMPLE Home networking system should simply be plug and play these days - especially for Home / small office networks.

Cheers
jimbo

I always had problems networking XP Home. XP Pro x64 Edition worked a little better. Then Vista and Windows 7 work very well.

Whenever I had trouble connecting, if I used the IP Address it always worked. That's also true of an Ubuntu Linux and XP network. Even when I was using Ubuntu 8.10 which had real networking problems.

 

[Mike89]

I'm trying to set up network between a Window 7 (64bit) machine and a XP machine in the same house running through a router.

The XP machine can see and access files on the Windows 7 machine but the Windows 7 machine cannot access files on the XP machine. When trying to connect to the XP machine, I get a box asking for a Network username and password. Neither machine is set up to require username and password at bootup.

What do I need to do?

 

[Sabaidi]

I just bought a new laptop with windows 7 Home Premium and attempted to give it access to the internet through a wireless network where I had 2 xp laptops and a mac laptop with OSX (all wireless).

I had no problems accessing the wireless router with windows 7, but a new network was created, the old network is no longer useable, and the xp computers and mac can not access the internet using the new network. I have attempted to use the network key win7 gave the network, but still no luck. All the computers can see the new wireless network, but can not access it.

Any help to fix this is greatly appreciated...

 

[ruggb]

I THINK the key W7 gave you was for the HOMEGROUP. This is not accessable via anything else but W7 systems.
The other systems should still be able to access the router and the internet and themselves but not the W7 system.

The key to connecting W7 with XP is to set the network to HOME and make the WORKGROUP the same name as the XP systems. You then must configure W7 to allow access to the folders you chose to EVERYBODY or to specific people whatever your preference.

 

[Sabaidi]

thanks ruggb...

in classifying the network, i have three options, "Home network" "Work Network" and "Public Network"

Home says it is for Win7 Only. So I set up the network as a "Work Network" which says the other computers have to be XP, Vista or 7 . So that looks like the right choice...

Then when looking at the WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTION window there are 5 buttons; details, wireless properties, then below PROPERTIES, DISABLE, Diagnose. In the properties button there are two tabs; networking and sharing. In the sharing tab I have both boxes (Allow other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection" and Allow other network users to control or disable the shared internet connection" ) There is also a box in between those two check box sections tha tis titled HOME NETWORKING CONNECTION. the entry is different here than anywhere else. (??)

Then in the wireless properties, the security tab shows "WPA2-Personal" as the security type and "AES" as the Encryption Type. then below it has the network security key.

I have this information written down. Then also in the wireless properties section there is a link to 'copy this network profile to USB Flash" which I did.

I tried to use this flash in the 2 xp computers only to receive the error message that "can not find information or information is useless" (slight paraphrase).

I tried to manually set the information on xp and still no good. I get the error message " Problem applying profile"

 

[tblount]

That Homegroup thingy is an abomination -- stick with "Classical networking" -- much better
cheers
jimbo

So you are saying you don't need it at all? All I know for sure is that it fixes the internet slowdowns for a LOT of people who could never find any other way. I hesitate to mention somethign that will turn off another feature that may be used by default.

 

[ruggb]

OK, I think I am sufficiently confused. I think u need to start over.
It originally sounded like u were connecting thru a wireless router.
Now it is sounding like u are using the W7 machine as an ICS.
I fought with that method a long time ago, then bought a router.
I could never get it to work reliably so if that IS what u are after I can't help.

There is a HELP screen that may help.
open NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER
search for INTERNET CONNECTION SHARING
click on SELECT WINDOWS HELP AND...........
click on # 5 Set up a shared Internet connection using ICS (Internet Connection Sharing)
good luck

Otherwise go back to my last post.
This is a home network, right?
The W7 machine needs to be set to HOME.

The W7 machine's HOMEGROUP will not connect to anything but W7.
Since you have no other W7 machine, forget about it.
If u have another W7 machine then HOMEGROUP is the easiest way for those machines.

 

[ruggb]

"Home says it is for Win7 Only. So I set up the network as a "Work Network" which says the other computers have to be XP, Vista or 7 . So that looks like the right choice..."

I don't know where u found this, but HOME NETWORK is NOT for W7 only.

HOMEGROUPS are for W7 only.

I don't fully understand the difference between home and work networks except that in a WORK network you cannot setup a HOMEGROUP. For your situation, since you don't have any other W7 systems, you can't set one up if you wanted to so I suppose it makes no difference for you unless u upgrade another system, then u have to redo it all if u want a homegroup.

 

[Sabaidi]

Thanks for the help...

As suggested, I just reset the internet connection from the modem, added the router with the Win XP Laptop first, and added the W7 to the network. It all seems to work fine now...

As a side note, the wireless router is a belkin bought last year. I was unable to set it up with the W7 Laptop as it did not recognize w7 as a compatible OS.