Windows 7: Sharing folders

I am trying to share a folder that has subfolders (for example, username>documents). I change the sharing to share the folder of username, and I allow the network users to change the files. this is in xp. i access it from my win 7 machine, and when i try to access documents, it says that it cannot access it because I don't have permissions. Is there a way to cascade this sharing change, instead of having to manually change the sharing permissions of each folder?

Yes,

Go into the properties of the folder you are sharing and navigate to the security tab.
Choose Advanced (On lower left side).
Click Change Permissions.
Place a checkmark on Replace all child object permissions with inheritable permissions from this object.

Everything inside the folder will now have the same permissions.

there are only three tabs - general, sharing, and customize.

Is the format of the drive FAT32 or ExFAT?

NTFS.... you mean the C:, right?

Whatever Drive the folders are on that you're sharing.

What Version of Windows 7 do you have?

Yes; they are on the C: drive.

I am running xp pro for the server, and then windows 7 as the client.

What permissions do you have set on the XP machine under the main share folder?