Ok i have a problem i'm trying to figure out that way my brother can print and file share with my Windows Vista pc. I personally can print and see his shared folders on the network. He can't see my shared files or the printer, so he can't print.

Does anyone know what i need to do in order for him to see me on the Network and get printer sharing to work. As far as i know i've done everything correctly, all file and printer sharing is enabled to my knowledge. So help would be appreciated.

Disable password-protected sharing.

i heard that there is some kind of problem at the moment with vista and printing or connecting to network printers all i can say is

-get latest drivers
-make network a private one
-turn media sharing on
-and share network printers

other then that i can't really think of much more...worst comes to worst could always try a fresh install

I think it's not far from this.

I went crazy trying to network my XP and Vista computer. At someone's suggestion, I installed SyncToy. Didn't even really use it... just installed it and ran it. Somehow, the computers could "see" the files fine after that. Sorry but I was so frustrated at that point. So, I'm not exactly sure what I did. Gotta love how Microsoft makes everything backwards compatible!

It's perfectly backwards compatible... I had no trouble enabling sharing between Vista and XP once I followed the proper steps.

i found the following in the windows help and support of windows vista; my xp machine is currently d/ling sp3 so i haven't tested to see if microsoft's "help" actually resolves my issues; i too am unable to file share or network my vista (sp1) desktop with my xp media center laptop; i have tried to file share/network the two since vista beta and have never had success; i don't recall microsoft ever even addressing the issue prior to my discovery of this forum post which means it took them way too long to learn that there is an issue with vista networking/file sharing with xp!
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well this is what i've found:
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Troubleshoot problems with computers not appearing on the network map
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The network map is a graphical view of the computers and devices on your network, showing how they are connected. Sometimes Windows can't detect all of the computers and devices on a network, or can't place all of the computers and devices in the right location on the map. Here are some reasons for network map problems and related solutions.
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The computer is running Windows XP and the LLTD protocol is not installed. Before a computer running Windows XP can be detected and appear on the network map, you need to install the LLTD protocol on that computer. For more information, go to Network Map Does Not Display Computers Running Windows XP on the Microsoft website.

The computer is running Windows XP and firewall settings are preventing Windows from detecting it. Check the firewall settings and make sure that file and printer sharing are enabled. If you are using Windows Firewall, see Understanding Windows Firewall settings. If you are using another firewall, check the information that came with your firewall.
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if you know how i can get my xp and vista machines to file share (ie: successfully access by '\\yourname-pc\c$' from xp machine and vice-versa) please post a reply in this thread, thank you!