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#11
Some things to check on the Windows 7 machine
Can you ping the XP machines?
Can you access them by name - enter "\\machinenane\sharename
What firewall are you operating - the Windows 7 firewall is a lot stricter than the one on XP. you could try switching off the firewall for testing purposes. the correct ports should be opened automatically when setting the file sharing to on but it can sometimes get confused.
if this is the case or if you are using a 3rd party firewall the ports 135 to 138 and 445 need to be open for bi-directional communication.
As for the reboot changing things - this is always a potential issue when making multiple settings changes at one time - some take effect immediately some require a reboot - not all inform the user
Are you running the latest service pack SP3 on the XP machines - additional network services were added to improve communication with Vista and Windows 7