Cannot find network computer to share

You can share folders in Windows 7 with 2 steps -- used to be one step before Windows 7. Right click on the folder that you want to share and select properties. You need to make changes under BOTH the Sharing and Security tabs. Under sharing tab select the option to share the file and then in security if it is an internal share, you can just click edit, then add, and enter an object name Everybody so that all users on your network can share the folder. You can instead select a specific user, but you have to make changes to both the sharing and security tabs to share a folder.

That is what I am trying to do. I want to add a specific user on my laptop, but my desktop cannot see the laptop when I try to select the laptop user. basically, the only location I can search is the pc, when I need to search the laptop.

Your security is blocking you from seeing the user and the user from seeing the folder -- just alter the sharing and security tab info on the folder that you want to access, not on the computer that you want to make the access to, but on the computer where the folder resides and you should be fine.

You will not be able to search the entire computer from a remote machine -- that is the whole point of security, to only allow the local machine to control the file access by remote users. You have to allow the remote users access on the local machine folders or volumes.