I have just connected my first Win7 64bit system to my wired network with 8 other XP Pro SP3 systems. I am able to see all of the XP systems from the Win7 machine and also I can see the Win7 machine from the XP machines. I can copy from the XP systems to the win7 as long as I do this from the Win7 machine using explorer. If I try to copy files from the XP machines to the Win7 machine it asks for a password. The system has no passwords set up so I can't figure out the problem. Also is there a way to share the entire drive on the Win7 machine with the network? It allows me to share the Root drive but no one can access it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Have A Great Day! Bill Meyer

Hi The Root Directory on Win t is protexted by default. If you are a sole user and do not care about LAN security. You can activate on all the computers the Guest Account, and give full read and Write permission to all the Guest users. That has to be done first under Sharing, and in the Security settings. In General. Win7 when configured on peer-to-peer Network has three types of Sharing configurations. HomeGroup Network = Works only between Win 7 computers. This type of configuration makes it very easy to Entry Level Users to start Network sharing. Work Network = Basically similar to the previous methods of sharing that let you control what, how, and to whom folders would be shared with. Public Sharing = Public Network (like Internet cafe) to reduce security risks. For best results log to each computer's System Screen and set all the computers to be on a Network with the same name while each computer has its own unique name. http://www.ezlan.net/Win7/net_name.jpg Make sure that the Software Firewall on each computer allows free local traffic. If you use 3rd party Firewall On, Vista/XP Native Firewall should be Off, and the active Firewall has to adjusted to your Network IP numbers on what is some time called the Trusted Zone (consult your 3rd Party Firewall instructions General example, http://www.ezlan.net/faq#trusted Please Note that some 3rd party Software Firewalls keep blocking aspects of Local Traffic even it they are turned Off (disabled). If possible configure the Firewall correctly, or totally uninstall it to allow clean flow of local network traffic. If the 3rd party software is uninstalled or disables, make sure that Windows native Firewall is On . Since you have a Network with Win 7 and other version of Windows you need to configure Win 7 as Work Network. In the Network Center, clicking on the Network type opens the window to the right. Choose your type of Network. Notice the check mark at the bottom, and check/uncheck it according to your needs. http://www.ezlan.net/Win7/net_type.jpg Win 7 - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Networking-home-computers-running-different-versions-of-Windows Win 7 Work Network specific folder sharing - http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windows7/windows7_sharing.htm Vista File and Printer Sharing- http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx Windows XP File Sharing - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304040 Printer Sharing XP - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/honeycutt_july2.mspx Windows Native Firewall setting for Sharing XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357 Windows XP patch for Sharing with Vista (Not need for XP-SP3) - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922120 When finished with the setting of the system it is advisable to Reboot all the hardware including the Router and all computers involved. *Note. Some of the processes described above are done Not for Windows sake but to compensate for different Routers and the way their firmware works and stores the info about the computers that are Networked. Jack, MVP-Networking. EZLAN.NET