Am I thinking right

[Steve]

Not a 2 wire user but can anyone else recall any additional setup requirements for file and printer sharing on LAN?

[Simon]

Not that I can recall, Steve, as long as both computers can be 'seen' by the 2700 in the network.

I wonder if the McAfee firewall might have been blocking Henry's laptop?

[henryp]

Update. On desktop I have found my network places and on clicking it opens up to public on my Mynotebook. Clicking on that opens up documents/ downloads/favourites/music/pictures/videos.Am I getting somewhere at last But still cant share my printer which was my main goal

[Rik]

Whereabouts are you, Henry? This is one of those "If I could see your machines..." kind of problems.

[henryp]

I want to thank everyone that has tried to help me on this BUT I,m calling it a day for the time being
as it,s beginning to take me over.

Thanks to all

[Rik]

Understood, Henry, these things can quickly dominate our days and sometimes it's best just to stand back for a while.

[dudwell]

As a computer ignoramus I hardly dare to intervene here but remember the struggle I had a while ago to get media sharing to work between my PC and Roberts internet radio?

I learned eventually that from each fresh start it can take anything from "instant" up to an (estimated) 3-4 minutes before the PC and radio will find each other. I think I was sometimes concluding that nothing was sharing when all might have been OK if only I'd waited longer. Is it conceivable that something similar could be frustrating Henry? 

[LesD]

When I get a chance I will check if it is shared and see if my Vista box can see it!

OK this evening I checked that the old HP840C on the XP Pro box my wife uses was shared and it was.
Next I went to "Printers" from the "Start" button on the Vista machine and used the "Add a printer" button.
The HP840C showed up as a "networked printer" so I accepted it and was prompted to install the appropriate driver, which Vista found and installed for me. I took the option to print a test page and print it did OK.
I am a 2Wire 2700 user and am sure I have no special settings to allow printer sharing in it.
In the Vista Security Centre I have the Firewall "On", the Malware protection "On" (This in my case is PREVX CSI) and Other security setting "On" (This being the recommended levels for Internet Security and UAC On).
Vista also runs Windows Defender so none of these thing prevent my Vista machine seeing the printer on the XP machine.

I have seen dudwell's post and what he says rings true with me. I have a recollection that maybe the first time round detecting shared device from Vista can take a longer than expected time. (Back on one of my hobby horse's about Vista of too much mamsy-pamsy protection slowing things down beyond the reasonable!) Have I mentioned that within family circles I have coined a new word for things that don't work in the way they did or that you could reasonably expect in Vista. Now my Vista mysteries are know as Visteries! Do you reckon it will make into the dictionary


Henry try sharing files using the Public folders. This way you will be able to settle the fact that things will share but make sure you enable the "Public folder sharing" as shown in the screenshot I attached last evening.

BTW

I,m calling it a day for the time being
as it,s beginning to take me over.

I can quite understand where you are coming from. Vista has had me contemplating a lie down in a darkened room on a number of occasions! 

[Rik]

Thanks Les and Dud.