W7 - XP shared folders

I have a fairly typical LAN with 3 computers using XP and each have shared folders. The router is a WRT54G with DD-WRT but I doubt that has any impact. Using any OS except W7, those shares can be seen and accessed without a problem. In W7 beta (build 7000 I believe) i never had a single problem, this only happened when I upgraded (fresh clean install) of W7 RC 7100. This problem is happening on both a Laptop and Desktop, wired or wireless.
I have checked over the services to make sure the related services are running (there were a few that were not)...


It does see and able to print to my wireless printer (Lexmark X4550), and sees my wireless music player (Linksys WML11B), but no other computers. I have tried by IP (192.168.1.x), computer name (//screwballlXP3000), computer name plus exact folder (//screwballlXP3000/Movies), and it just refuses to see any network shared folders. I have tried it with the Windows firewall on and off, I have tried it with and without the Comodo software firewall which leads me to believe it is within W7 itself. Plus add in that I get this both on my laptop and my desktop, that definitely points to the OS. When I have both the laptop and desktop loaded with W7, they cannot even see each other without HomeGroup...

The real kicker was that I never had a problem using the first publicly available Windows 7 beta, it was only after I started using the RC 7100 that this happened.


The conspiracy theorist inside of me thinks this is a ploy by MS to wean people off of previous OS and go with W7...

I did find at least a temporary fix... since this laptop also dual boots with Ubuntu 9.04, I can boot into linux, get to my Windows Shared folders that way and copy whatever is needed back and forth and have access to those files from either Ubuntu or Windows 7.

Another reason why I have been spending more time in Linux than Windows lately... because it just works and works well.

this is needed, try this

Download details: Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) Responder (KB922120)


[edit] and if you have any FAT32 drives with shares, you may need this : Download details: Windows Desktop Search: Add-in for Files on Microsoft Networks

Nope, they already have the LLTD (because I also have a Vista x64 installation I use for work software testing) and they are all NTFS

edit: strange update: since I enabled the HomeGroup on the Desktop, and setup the laptop on the same HomeGroup, I can now see network shared folders from the desktop, but not the laptop... on the laptop, all I can see is the desktop via HomeShare. This is all on the same local LAN, same software installed, same security settings...

screwballl said:

Nope, they already have the LLTD (because I also have a Vista x64 installation I use for work software testing) and they are all NTFS

The XP machines? have you tried to reinstall, reboot? I have similar setup here, same router etc, no problems viewing the XP machines. Does the XP account have a password setup? Also, in network sharing center/advanced sharing under Home or Work/Homegroup Connections, have you chosen "use user accounts and passwords to connect to other computers " ?

The LLTD does work fine (see my edit update in previous post) in both Vista and now the W7 on the desktop. I can also see the Windows shares via wired or wireless from the laptop in Ubutnu...

The XP accounts themselves do have passwords but they are always signed in, and the folders themselves do NOT have password protection.

Under the advanced sharing settings, both the desktop and laptop are set to "Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections"

screwballl said:

The LLTD does work fine (see my edit update in previous post) in both Vista and now the W7 on the desktop. I can also see the Windows shares via wired or wireless from the laptop in Ubutnu...

The XP accounts themselves do have passwords but they are always signed in, and the folders themselves do NOT have password protection.

Under the advanced sharing settings, both the desktop and laptop are set to "Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections"

do the following, create passwords on XP machines, and change the Homegroup from allowing it to manage to "use user accounts and passwords..."

what OS and build is the laptop running? And when you join a HomeGroup with two pcs running 7, you have to configure each user's settings for their own HG shares. Or else they will not show up under Homegroup.

I already tried that.

It is W7 7100, official build from Microsoft, x86, same disc was used for both installs, the only thing that is different is the key on each. Shares have already been taken care of.

screwballl said:

I already tried that.

rebooting the machines afterwards i hope.


Do you have network discovery turned on?

ok, i just recalled something, that i did at the first initial install when testing this and a few other things and triple checked my settings again... now that you mention this and i think a little more about it. Try changing the encryption from 128 to 40-56.


Other than that I'm running out of ideas, other than some other customized settings made or software installed. I have tested every single way here and it works with the given settings, both ways on both machines.