Difficulty seeing computers on my home network

[scs0]

I have two computers on my home network and both of them are on the
same workgroup. They can both connect to the internet without any
trouble, but I have nothing but trouble when I attempt to access
shared folders from other systems.

For example, let's say I have computers named "Bedroom" and
"LivingRoom" on my workgroup named "HOME". Each have one or more
shared folders.

BTW: Bedroom is a Vista SP-1 PC and the other is XP-Home SP-2, but I
had similar problems when everything was XP. My network has never
worked right.

Why is it I can go onto Windows Explorer on "LivingRoom" and type "\
\Bedroom\" into the address bar and get an error? But then if I do it
another couple times the PC will magically appear? In other words,
why does this work on such an irregular basis? Either it should work
or it shouldn't.

Likewise I can go to the Network icon on Windows Explorer and the
other system never appears. NEVER! That's even when I am able to
access a folder from another system.

Another problem I'm having now is a mapped network drive that worked
when I created it, but now after rebooting this PC a couple times the
mapped drive no longer connects?

When the connection does work it seems very slow. We're talking
transfer rates that range from a few hundred bytes a second to about
500KB/sec. Also when "LivingRoom" was set to copy a large folder from
"Bedroom" I went to the "Bedroom" PC to surf the web and the entire
system was running extremely slow.

This is about as basic of a network as a network can possibly be.
What could possibly be missing? This is 2008 isn't it? Do I need an
advanced degree in networking in order to get this to work?

 

[Mick Murphy]

A bit of info for you re Networking XP and Vista:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

Have a read of the above link re Vista File and Printer Sharing.

Permissions/Share info is there as well.

If using Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro I.S., make sure file and printer
sharing is enabled in THEIR firewall (or LAN allowed, depending on how their
Exceptions are worded in their Firewall)

1st thing to do is make sure that the Workgroup Name of ALL the computers is
the SAME.

In Vista Network and Sharing:

Network Discovery: ON (So it can see the other computers)

Network set to Private (Public is for hotspots, airports, etc)

File Sharing: ON

Public Folder Sharing: ON (Vista’s Public Folder is the same as XP’s Shared
Docs)

Password Protected: OFF (unless you want to set up identical usernames and
passwords on ALL computers in your Network) If you have it ON, and no
identical usernames/passwords, you will be asked for a username and password
when you try to access a Vista computer from an XP computer, or a Vista
computer.

Also, run the XP’s Home or Small Office Network File and Printer Sharing
Wizard, even if you had an XP Network set up prior to adding a Vista computer
to it(redoing the Wizard seems to work for XP machines!).

In “My Network Placesâ€: “Set up a Home or Small Office Networkâ€
OR under Accessories > Communications > Network Setup Wizard > Allow File
and Printer Sharing.