Where is LAN In Windows Explorer

[Bigaldoc]

My excuse is that I've only had one computer at home since I installed Win7, so I've had no LAN experience in all this time.

Now, I have a new laptop, Win7 HP64. Yesterday, I was somehow able to "see" my XP desktop and copied Macrium and Revo installer files from there to the new laptop for installation. Everything on the XP desktop is shared, including USB external.

This morning, I ran my first "virgin" backup image of the new laptop with Macrium AND selected a USB external that is connected to the desktop. No sweat you say? Correct as far as it goes.

Embarrassingly however, when I open Windows Explorer, I can't for the life of me find and "see" the desktop machine! When I open Network, it only shows the laptop. What in tarnation am I missing, for I somehow did it yesterday. I just found this blurb, linked to in another thread by Joe P and I'll read it fully after I submit this post: Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP - How-To Geek

[StuartR]

Al,

• Are the two computers members of the same workgroup?
• On Windows explorer on the laptop can you try Alt-T to bring up the Tools menu, then Map Network Drive, then Browse, then try to find your desktop PC
• Can you get to a command prompt on the laptop and type NET VIEW \\Desktop (where desktop is the host name of the desktop computer) and tell us what you see

[DaveA]

Do you have the same account and PASSWORD one both machines, Yes, BOTH machines need to be passworded.

This one account can be a "Backdoor' type that is not used, but they need to be the same.

You will see what I have for Computer names in the attachment. They include the OS version on most of them. The wife's machines are not listed as she is still out of town and her machines are down.

[Claude]

Do you have the same account and PASSWORD one both machines, Yes, BOTH machines need to be passworded.

I don't password protect any of my PCs, it is a futile exercise since it only takes me, (and therefore anyone who steals it from you), about 45 to 60 seconds to find all user-names and passwords on any version of windows.

I can communicate on our network with all versions of Windows as long as the workgroup is the same on all of them.

[StuartR]

I don't password protect any of my PCs, it is a futile exercise since it only takes me, (and therefore anyone who steals it from you), about 45 to 60 seconds to find all user-names and passwords on any version of windows.

I can communicate on our network with all versions of Windows as long as the workgroup is the same on all of them.

I have never understood why windows networking works fine without passwords for some people, but for many of us it is impossible to map network drives if we don't have identical usernames and passwords on the computers.

[Claude]

I have never understood why windows networking works fine without passwords for some people, but for many of us it is impossible to map network drives if we don't have identical usernames and passwords on the computers.

We are talking Windows here