Unable to map to a shared network folder Windows 7

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Are you able to read/write files in the Public folder on the desktop? If not, it's been my experience the fastest way to get the network sharing going is to be able to read and write files in the already shared Public folder. If you can't do that then you can pull your hair out trying to share other folders.

No. What I mean is, can you create a file on the desktop PC inside the Public folder, from the laptop? The Public folder is already shared by default. So if you can't write a file there, you have some other network issue. That's why I say it's a good idea to use that as a test. If you can't copy or create a file there from another machine, you won't get other folders not under Public to work, because there's some network setting or service that's not right.

I have Vista and Windows Seven. Between those 2 once I get access to Public folders the rest seems to solve quickly. Between those and XP(I have a dual boot PC) is more difficult.

But the starting point is to be able to create a file in Public on one machine, from the other machine in both directions. Once you get that then you probably have your homegroup or workgroup set up correctly.

When Microsoft did Vista they change the workgroup stuff around. For one thing the default workgroup name in XP was MSHOME. They changed it to WORKGROUP. Also it's counter-intuitive because they make Public networks require a password while Private networks can be accessed without one. You would think it would be the other way around but they mean Public as in publicly accessible, like in a kiosk, vs private, machines only on your home LAN.

First thing is make sure your workgroup name is the same on both machines. Use a Private workgroup. Disable firewall. Turn off av programs. Also make sure Network Discovery service is running.

I'm not a network expert. I get mine going by trial and error. Maybe someone more skilled can take you from here. But get write access to the Public folder on each machine from the other or else there's not much point in messing around. That's the easiest. Then you can tinker with mapping a folder to drive letter etc..

If you can copy files back and forth between the Public folders without using login then you should be able to share a different folder that's not under Public. Like C:\MyDocs or something. When doing the sharing just make sure Everyone has read/write or full control, if you don't want to use logins. There's Sharing and Advanced Sharing in the context menu for a folder. I think if you use Advanced Sharing then you need to press the Permissions Button, add Everyone and make sure Everyone has Full Control. That's probably the easiest way to share folders. Once that works you can just use the Tools menu in Explorer to map that network share to a drive letter if you want. Rather than have Explorer auto-connect at startup I prefer to use batch files. I'd have one master .cmd file that call individual .cmd files with net use command. That way I could map all the drives or just one.
Check out "net use" command line as it can do some things quicker than clicking all that stuff in Explorer. As an example, to map the Public folder on my machine named AMD to drive T: I use this: net use T: \\AMD\Users\Public

If you don't always have both machines connected it can be a pain to set the shares to automatically map on every boot. It just makes for a wait when the other machine isn't there. Also if you are rebooting to solve problems or uninstall stuff it can slow things down.

Depending on how you work you may want to keep or disable the "access remote files when offline" or whatever they call it. It might be handy with a laptop if it's not always connected. But where I have 2 desktops I turn it off to get rid of the file syncing crap. All it does is keep copying the remote file to the local machine every time you change it. A waste of bandwidth unless you just have to do it that way.

If you click on Explorer, then Network that's on the Nav Pane, at the top of that window should be Network Sharing Center. If you go in there you should be able to change the network configuration. For example, as you say, WMP wants to share the files on the network. I turned that off because it will keep checking everything on your HD to see if you have more media files to share. But in there you should be able to choose Private Network and there's a radio box for Login or not. Make sure it says you don't need to use a password. Once you get that set, you should be able to set Sharing for the MyMusic folder manually. You might want to check out a site that explains all the Windows Services. I'm pretty sure there's a service I disabled that just shares media files. Unless you want WMP to do that, you can set it to manual.

But I can't explain them all here. You need a site that documents every service. Make sure you do Restore Points and Registry Backup. If you disable the wrong service the machine may not come up. You have to be careful.

Here's a tutorial to get you started:
Services - Start or Disable