StuartR wrote:I am nervous of offering advice, as I have never used computers without passwords.
In general if you have identical passwords and usernames on your Windows 7 computers then they can connect to each other with no problems. Also if you have a homegroup and you enter the same homegroup password on all the computers then they can access the documents you selected for sharing in the homegroup.
Thanks but you need not be nervous.
I am trying to familiarize myself with how the passwords would work and though my computers will not have the same name as far as the administrator account is concerned, which is the only account that is ever used on my machines, I could have the same password to access them if I set up a password at all. From what I can determine, and I could be all wrong, if I do have passwords to log on to my administrator accounts on each machine, and I don't believe they need be the same, I then believe those machines would be recognized in the Homegroup that each is a member of and work fine being able to have shared folders on each.
I am having one of my newer XP machines updated right now to Windows 7 and when I pick it up I am going to discuss exactly how to assign passwords to these administrator accounts on each machine even though I am still not sure I will put them on. I have been thinking a lot about this and since 95 percent of the time there will be no XP machines turned on I will have no concern. When they are turned on it will be for my grandkids to play games on or for me to run programs that will not run on Win 7 computers. Even then I will be protected because the Win 7 machine or machines that will be turned on at the same time I will make sure the Password Protected Sharing is on by having that be the default state of my Win 7 computers. Then the times I need to share files I will turn it off but only if there are no XP machines on at the same time. I believe that will work. It may not be ideal but I think it is a viable solution.
I may have another solution tomorrow if MS support follows through on their promise to contact me which they were supposed to do today but failed. I have a paid support program with them and after working on my problem for almost 2 hours yesterday, with no solution, they scheduled a second level support call back for me but, as I mentioned they failed to call me. After firing off an email informing them I never got the call they did call me and reschedule for tomorrow. So if they have a solution other than what I just suggested I'll let you know. However, their support desk never even mentioned the Password Protected Sharing option so I am not at all sure how good they really are. I found that Password Protected Sharing option after hanging up after the 2 hours with them. I'll mention to them about what I found and see if there is a way around using passwords but I doubt there will be just because the name Password Protected Sharing seems to suggest that passwords are needed.
Thanks again for your help because you, my computer builder, and google are the only reasons I at least have one solution today.