XP Network - Vista Home Basic Laptop Troubles

Hello!
I have a problem trying to Map an XP drive on my Vista Home Basic Laptop that is proving a nightmare:

• We have several computers on our netwrok, including the XP server itself where we have our shared documents. (place where all shared files go that we want other users to see) I have mapped the same shared docs folder accross all of out XP machines.
• Plugged my Vista Home Basic Laptop into our network, couldnt map the shared docs folder on my server.
• After reading many how to's, i followed this guide: Microsoft Corporation
• I have downloaded and installed the LLTD responder on the server with XP
• All computers were restarted, now when looking on the laptops "Veiw full map" I can see FILE_STORAGE (our server) but the guide above says right click on the computer running XP, however when I do this nothing happens, it is a solid icon and clicking it does nothing.
• All computers including the laptop are on the same workgroup
• The laptop has appeared when looking on the XP machine under viewing the network
• I have opened ports UDP: 137, 138, 1900 and TCP 21, 139, 445 2869
• We have AVG Antivirus and Firewall on all machines including the laptop. AVG does not allow you to open ports, so the above ports were opened on my router.
• When I plugged the laptop into the network AVG asked me to select a profile, I selected ALLOW ALL for the time being as "Computer In Domain" was not there to select.
• The vista laptop has Network Disc. ON, File Sharing ON, Public Folder Sharing ON and Printer Sharing ON
• One thing I couldnt get my head round was the differance between Workgroup and Network. The workgroup is the same on all computers, but I wasnt aware that I had ever given a "Network" name on any of the XP machine. Vista did ask for a "Network" name. For safety i put the same name as is in the workgroup.

Anyone any ideas, im desperate? Thanks in advance

Computers must have the following to network

Be in same workgroup or domain
Be on same subnet or have a router capable of advance Microsoft networking
Install file and printer sharing on every computer
Turn on the proper port security on your router
Setup sharing on those partitions and add the correct security rights for the users to access the shares
Configure the Windows firewall to allow file and print services to use subnet level security

You are probably on a switch / router like a linksys. Enable MAC filtering with all computers in the list

Verify every computer belongs to same workgroup

Check your share security to make sure the users are in it

Done all of the above, its more of the vista computer not finding any other drive to map. As mentioned all other computers on XP are fine, found the shared drive to map no problem. The laptop does not find any other drives other than its own. However on the View Full Map, i can see our server (FILE_STORAGE) on the map.

can you see the share doing

\\computer_name\share_name in windows explorer? Or do you get a security error?

when i type:
\\FILE_STORAGE\
or
\\FILE_STORAGE\Shared Documents on FILE_STORAGE

On any of our machine on our network it either opens up a window with all computers on our network OR opens the shared docs folder on our server

When I try this on the Vista Home Basic Laptop I get:
Windows cannot access \\FILE_STORAGE\
or
Windows cannot access \\FILE_STORAGE\Shared Documents on FILE_STORAGE

When I click more details on the error message i get:
Error Code 0x80070035
The network path was not found.

Any ideas? Thanks for helping

Share is working, good. Check Vista's firewall for file and printer sharing security to make sure its allowing subnet traffic through to the share. Try disabling UAC and seeing if that is stopping your sharing. Verify the IP address and subnet are similar.

Got it!
It was my AVG Antivirus and Firewall - I had it on allow all
Reconfigured the firewall profile to Computer in domain
Using the start button was able to access:
\\FILE_STORAGE
and
\\FILE_STORAGE\Shared Documents on FILE_STORAGE

it still woulnt let me map the shared docs/shared drive using vista's map a network drive as it was still only displayin the laptops computer and no other computers. I got round it by typing \\FILE_STORAGE and right clicking the sahred folder and clicking map network drive.
Thanks youve been a MASSIVE help.
close thread

I hate AVG. I use Avast and Windows firewall along with my Dlink router.