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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Windows 7 to Windows XP: Peer-toPeer Networking

Below is a list of instructions for getting Windows 7 and Windows XP to communicate via peer-to-peer networking. I have compiled them from notes and forum posts I have found all over the internet. None of the posts I have found were anywhere as complete as these so I thought these might be helpful for someone.

Note: a large part of these notes use a concise GUI notation system called GCGUINS™ that I have devised for brevity.

Create separate accounts just to use for sharing:

  • This is only necessary if you are not going to be the only person sharing the files on these computers.
  • Can be standard user. In fact more secure if standard user.

Disable Simple File Sharing

  • WinXP: In Windows Explorer: { Tools / Folder Options… ; <View> ; ( ) Use simple file sharing… }
  • Win7: In Windows Explorer: { Tools / Folder Options… ; <View> ; ( ) Use Sharing Wizard… }

Set as part of a Home Network

  • { System Properties ; <Computer Name> ; [Network ID] ; [Next] ; (x) This computer is for home use… ; [Next] ; [Finish] ; [OK] ; [OK] ; [Yes] } computer will reboot.
  • This step will reset the workgroup names so you must not skip the next step.

Workgroup:

All computers must be in the same Workgroup.

  • WinXP:
    • Logged in with administrator rights: { RC:My computer / Properties ; <Computer Name> ; [Change] ; (x) Workgroup = "desired_workgroup_name" ; [OK] ; [OK] ; [Yes] } Computer will reboot.
  • Win7:
    • Logged in with administrator rights: { RC:My computer / Properties ; Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings , [Change Settings] ; <Computer Name> ; [Change] ; (x) Workgroup = "desired_workgroup_name" ; [OK] ; [OK] ; [Yes] } Computer will reboot.

Network Protocol Settings:

{ Control Panel ; Network Connections ; RC:appropriate network connection / Properties ;

  • <General> ;
    • (x) Client for Microsoft Networks
    • ( ) QoS Packet Scheduler
    • (x) File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
    • ( ) IPv6
    • (x) Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder
    • (x) Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) (IPv4)
      • [Properties] ;
        • <General> ;
          • (x) Use the following IP address ;
            • IP address = 192.168.1.1  (other machine 192.168.1.2) ;
            • Subnet mask = 255.255.255.0 ;
            • Default gateway = 192.168.1.2  (other machine 192.168.1.1) ;
          • (x) Use the following DNS server addresses ;
            • both blank ;
          • [Advanced] ;
            • <IP Settings> ;
              • IP addresses = default from previous dialog. ;
              • Default gateways = default from previous dialog. ;
              • [x] Automatic metric ;
            • <DNS> ;
              • DNS server addresses = blank ;
              • (x) Append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes ;
              • [ ] Register this connection's addresses in DNS ;
            • <WINS> ;
              • WINS addresses … = blank ;
              • [x] Enable LMHOSTS lookup ;
              • (x) Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP ;
            • <Options> ; [Properties] ; All filtering turned off ; [Cancel] ;
            • [OK] ;
            • [OK] ;
  • <Advanced> (<Sharing> on Win7);
    • Windows Firewall = Set to allow windows networking through this connection (Not found here in Win7) ;
    • [ ]Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection

Windows 7 Advanced Sharing Settings:

  • Getting there:
    • { Control Panel (with All Control Panel Items view turned on) ; Network and Sharing Center ; Change advanced sharing settings }
  • Settings:
    • Home or Work section
      • Network discovery
        • (x) Turn on network discovery
      • File and Printer Sharing
        • (x) Turn on file and printer sharing
      • Public folder sharing:
        • All this controls is whether the "Public folders" such as the "Public Music" of "Public Pictures" are automatically shared.
        • If you want the public folders to be shared choose "(x) Turn on …"
        • If not then choose "(x) turn off …"
      • Media Streaming:
        • This is apparently an entirely separate issue. I do not know what protocol it operates on or how it affects or is affected by regular networking.
      • File sharing connections:
        • Most say to use 128 bit.
      • Password Protected Sharing
        • (x) turn on …
          • Just make sure that the user of the XP machines will have the user-name and password of an account on this machine. This may be the main account if no one else is going to share files on this machine or you can create a separate, standard user account just for this purpose.
          • It seems that, if you use a separate account then you must share your files with that account on this machine in order for the other machine to then see those shares. The idea is that you are sharing the folders with another user on this machine but then someone is logging into this machine as that user from somewhere else.
      • Homegroup connections:
        • (x) Use user accounts and passwords …
      • Note: Click [Save Settings] before going on to the Public section or it will not save your settings for this section.
    • Public section
      • Network discovery
        • (x) Turn off network discovery
      • File and Printer Sharing
        • (x) Turn off file and printer sharing
      • Public folder sharing:
        • All this controls is whether the "Public folders" such as the "Public Music" of "Public Pictures" are automatically shared.
        • If you want the public folders to be shared choose "(x) Turn on …"
        • If not then choose "(x) turn off …"
      • Media Streaming:
        • This is apparently an entirely separate issue. I do not know what protocol it operates on or how it affects or is affected by regular networking.
      • File sharing connections:
        • Most say to use 128 bit. I got it to see the shared folder contents with this setting so it must be OK.
      • Password Protected Sharing
        • (x) turn on …
          • This is just to make it harder for anyone in the "Public" to get access to any shared folders.
      • Homegroup connections:
        • (x) Use user accounts and passwords …

Group Policy settings (Win7 & XP)

  • Getting there: { Win+r ; Open = "gpedit.msc" }
    • All the following settings are under: { Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Options }
      • Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level = Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated
      • Network access: Allow anonymous SID/name translation = Enabled
      • Network access: Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users = Enabled
      • Network access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts = Disabled
      • Network access: Do not allow anonymous enumeration of SAM accounts and shares = Disabled
      • Network access: Restrict anonymous access to Named Pipes and Shares = Disabled  (Win7 only)

Modify the hosts file on both computers:

Edit the Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file. Enter the static IP addresses of both machines along with their computer names.
For instance:

192.168.1.1      First-PC
192.168.1.2      Second-PC

This will enable you to enter the actual computer's name in the address bar and shortcuts instead of the IP address.

Conclusion:

With all these settings I have been able to get my Win7 laptop see the WinXP desktop in the Win7 laptop's network map. Everything is working fine when viewed from Win7. However, I still cannot browse the network and find the Win7 laptop from the WinXP desktop. If I enter the static IP address of the Win7 machine into the address bar of the WinXP machine then the WinXP machine will see the shared folders on the Win7 machine. I also have been having trouble getting the WinXP machine to go directly to the Win7 machine by entering the Win7 machine's computer name, even though I put it in the hosts file. So, at this point, I still have to use the statid IP address of the Win7 machine when I want to address it from the WinXP machine. But at least they can communicate.


The contents of this post are hereby released to the public domain.

3 comments:

  1. Update: I changed the LAN Manager Authentication section to a more inclusive section on Group Policy Settings and expanded it a bit. This seems to make the Win7 machine see the WinXP machine more reliably. But the WinXP machine still can't see the Win7 machine in Network Neighborhood. I get to the Win7 machine from the WinXP machine by typing its computer name in the address bar of Windows Explorer.

    Again, all these notes were gathered up from various postings on the internet. I am certainly not the expert in this topic. I am perhaps just a bit more organized in my approach in that I recorded and organized everything that I found.

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  2. After all this work, I still cannot get either machine to reliably browse to the other. In the end, I have to use the direct IP address in all my shortcuts and in my synchronization software. It was a pain to make all the changes but at least I can get to the files on each machine.

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  3. thank u , good posting, I am very helpful with this post

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