Can access Vista shares from XP but not from Windows 7 (access denied)

[frankvw]

Hi, everyone,

I'm mostly a Linux guy these days, so I'm no longer clued up about even simple Windows issues. Bear with me.

I have one PC running Vista (home basic), one running XP (professional) and one running Windows 7 (home basic). There is a printer connected to the Vista box, which is shared.

On the XP box I can both see and use the printer on the Vista box (i.e. a "net view \\vistabox" shows the printer, and under "printers and faxes" I can install and use it).

On the Windows 7 box, however, I can see the Vista box (i.e. a "net view" shows it in the list of available PCs on the network) but a "net view \\vistabox" gives me an "access denied" error.

The Windows 7 machine has a password on it, the Vista and XP machines don't. All machines are on the same workgroup name (which is "WORKGROUP"). On the XP box I don't need a password to access the shared printer on the Vista machine; it just works.

Extensive Googling has failed to render enlightenment, nor has browsing this forum. I'm sure it has something to do with security and passwords, somewhere, somehow, but I have no idea in which direction to look for it, let alone fix it. I have also read some things about workgroups and homegroups not being the same in Windows 7, but I'm not sure if this is correct (and if so, relevant).

All suggestions on where to go from here would be greatly appreciated!

// FvW

 

[Darryl Licht]

Welcome to the forums frankvw!

Try this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/53830-file-sharing-between-xp-w7-vice-versa.html

 

[frankvw]

Hi, Darryl,

Welcome to the forums frankvw!
Thank you!

Try this: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/53830-file-sharing-between-xp-w7-vice-versa.html

Thanks, but that article deals with file sharing between XP and Windows 7. That part works fine for me. Sharing between XP and Vista, XP and Windows 7, and vice versa (i.e. sharing in both directions) works fine, without any need for passwords anywhere. Only when the Windows 7 box tries to access the shared printer on the Vista machine (e.g. "NET VIEW \\Vistabox") I get an "Access denied" error, and Windows 7 is unable to detect the shared network printer (or even the Vista box) when adding a network printer using the GUI. :huh:

Any ideas?

// FvW

 

[paul1149]

Frank, what is the status of all users involved when the problem manifests: administrator or standard accounts, logged in with a password or not?

On the Vista "server" box, go to Control Panel / Network and Sharing, is Password protection is turned off?