Since Microsoft has three operating systems in use, chances are you’ll find yourself needing to share files between XP, Vista, Windows 7, or some combination of the three. Here we take a look at sharing between a Vista and XP on your home network.
Share Without Password Protected Sharing
If you’re not worried about who’s accessing the files and folders, the easiest method is to disable Password Protected Sharing. So on the Vista machine open Network and Sharing Center. Under Sharing and Discovery make sure Network Discovery, File Sharing, and, Public Folder Sharing are turned on.
Also turn off Password Protected Sharing…
Now go into the Vista Public folder, located in C:\Users\Public, and add what you want to share or create a new folder. In this example we created a new folder called XP_Share and added some files to it.
On the XP machine go into My Network Places and under Network Tasks click on View Workgroup Computers.
Now you’ll see all of the computers on your network which should be part of the same Workgroup. Here we need to double-click on the Vista computer.
And there we go…no password to enter so we can access the XP_Share folder or anything else that is located in the Public folder.
Share with Password Protected Sharing
If you want to keep Password Protected Sharing turned on, then we need to do things a little different. When it’s turned on and you try to access the Vista machine from XP, you’re prompted for a password, and no matter what you think the credentials are, you can’t get access…very annoying.
So what we need to do is add the XP Machine as a user. Right-click on Computer from the Start Menu or desktop icon and select Manage from the context menu.
The Computer Management screen opens up and you want to expand Local Users and Groups, then the Users folder. Then right-click any open area an select New User.
Now create a new user name and password, you can also fill in the other fields if you want. Then make sure to uncheck User must change password at next logon and check the box next to Password never expires. Click the Create button and close out of the New User screen.
You’ll then see the new user we created in the list and you can close out of the Computer Management window.
Now back on the XP computer when you double-click on the Vista machine, your prompted to log in. Just type in the username and password you just created.
Now you’ll have access to the Public folder contents.
Set up Sharing on XP
If you want to access a shared folder from the Vista computer located on the XP machine, it’s the same process in reverse. On the XP computer in Shared Documents, right-click on the folder you want to share and select Sharing and Security.
Then select the radio button next to Share this folder and click Ok.
Go into Computer Management and create a new user…
Now from the Vista machine double click on the XP machine icon, enter the password, then access the folders and files you need.
If you have multiple versions of Windows on your home network, you’ll now be able to access files and folders from each of them.
If you want to share between Windows 7 and XP check out our article on how to share files and printers between Windows 7 and XP. You might also want to check out our article on how to share files and printers between Windows 7 and Vista.
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