A number of people now have home workstation that includes computers running both WindowsVista and WindowsXP. While both versions of Windows are designed to share files and printers with each other, problems can arise. Here some steps you can take to ensure hassle-free sharing on a mixed network:

Make sure every the processor on your home system are in the same work station.
When you’re set up for home workstation, Windows automatically configures it as a workgroup and gives this workgroup a name. In WindowsVista, the default name is work station. In WindowsXP Home version, it's MSOFFICE. File sharing works easily in Windows if you give all your computers the same workgroup name. Here's how:

1. Release scheme by tick on the Start button, click on Control Panel, click on System and defense, and then tick on System.

2. Under processor name, domain, and work station settings, you can see the work group name. If you would like to alter it, clicks modify settings. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or offer verification.
3. On the processor Name tab, tick transforms.

4. In the processor Name vary dialog box, type the new work group name in Work station, and then tick okay.

5. Tick well enough, and then tick Close. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart Now.

Make sure everyone who needs to access common records on a system of a computer has a user account on that computer. By default, computers operation WindowsXP doesn’t need a user name and code word to share files and printers. But computers running WindowsVista do. For more information, see Create a user account.

If you trust each one on your home workstation, you could option to turn off sharing password-protected, which is turned on by default in WindowsVista. This will avoid the need to create identical user accounts on all the computers on your home network.

You can turn off password-protected sharing by following these steps:

1. Release system and Sharing Center by tick the Start button, clicking Control Panel, tick system and Internet, and then tick system and allocation Center.

2. Under distribution and detection, click the arrow button next to sharing Password-protected, click Turn off sharing password-protected, and then click Apply. If you are prompted for an administrator password or verification, type the password or provide verification.

While not necessary for sharing, if you want a processor run on WindowsXP to show up on the WindowsVista network chart, you might be need to fit somewhat called Link-Layer Topology Discovery .WindowsVista uses LLTD to notice devices on a network and place them on its network map. To learn how to set up LLTD on a computer run on Windows XP, see Network Map Does Not Display Computers Running Windows XP on the Microsoft TechNet website.