XP/Vista Network
 

I have a desktop pc running XP and a Vista laptop. I want to create a wireless network so that I can access the files on my pc from the Vista laptop. I am having no success in this. Is there an easy way that i am missing?

Connect both devices to your wireless router . Right click the folder you want to copy the info from and click on share. Go to the other pc and click on my computer and on the left you will find my network places click on that and then check for your pc in the new window.

Easy? Probably not!

The best advice is to search the MS site for Network, Vista, XP and trawl the knowledge base. They have some useful guides for setting up home and wifi networks.

There's some useful information in the FAQs on this forum.

Bear in mind that the basic principles of IP networking don't change just because one PC is running Vista. MS just seem to want to make it appear so with Vista.

Bottom line:

• Both PCs need to be on the same shared access medium, be it wired or wireless.
• Both PCs need to be on the same IP network.
• Both PCs need to have File and Printer Sharing enabled (whatever it's actually called).
• Both PCs need to have their firewalls configured to allow IP traffic from each other to pass in and out.
• You need to create Shares and allocate appropriate access rights.
• You may also need to assign NTFS security permissions.

The above are essential (except the last - XP home doesn't support it, neither does FAT32).

Nice to have (but NOT essential):

• Both PCs in same workgroup
• Same account name on both PCs

It just makes life slightly easier!

SD

Been there, done it. It is possible - follow SD's instructions.

However, Vista seems not to like allowing XP into its file systems, so be prepared to spend several hours poking it in the eye until it sees things your way.

I found networking Linux with XP far easier.

Vista not seeing XP files
 

I too have a similar setup to yours. I found that Vista would not list the shared XP folders even though they were all on the same network. I discovered this update that needs to be run on the machine with XP. I did it and all shared files on XP became visible in Vista.
The hyperlink function on this Bulletin Board makes no sense to me so here's the address:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/Window....mspx?mfr=true

I had exactly this set-up and had no joy with various set-ups including that listed by SD above. I could bizarrely see MP3s on the desktop but nothing else.
A Google search will reveal you are not alone. I ended up upgrading to Vista on the desktop - for other reasons as well.

JT

<cynic>
Another victory for MS interoperability policy!
</cynic>

SD

Indeed - needless to say it made me very grumpy to have to do that. I was going to upgrade anyway but not just yet.

The Vista/XP network issue seems well known even within Microsoft and yet they seem to do very little about it. Speaks volumes that people are asking for new PCs to be "downgraded" to XP rather than Vista.