Quote Originally Posted by Jun aka Pekto View Post
I'm also assuming each pc is connected directly to the router. So, if you have a typical home-use router, all 4 ports plus the WAN port are filled........

I'm just making sure this is the case and it's not some Cisco industrial-strength router (I haven't worked with those in a while*).

*Actually I still do, but from more of a customer rather than a troubleshooter perspective.

That's half of it. Actually, there's no need for ping because both Vista and XP can see each other's shared folders. They just couldn't access. So, it had to be a permissions thing.

Both my Vista laptop and XP desktop can see and make changes to each other's shared folders even through the software firewalls of each machine. But, I still turn off sharing when anyone is surfing the web. I turn it back on after powering down the cable modem.
Network guru.

Anyway, to the TS, try what pekto said. If all else fails, check these things first.

*Vista has a lot of bugs in it so sometimes the main source of connection it would pick is the wireless. disable or turn off the wifi capabilty of the laptop.

*Check if the Vista laptop is getting an IP address from router. Since you've said that there are 4 computer in the network, the network is set up this way. Modem>Router>Switch/hub>PC's. Unless of course you're using industrial grade router as what pekto said.

*If you are using a switch, try other ports or better yet, directly connecting the Vista PC to the router and see if it gets an IP address.

Just post any observations that you've done and the settings you've changed. Let us know what happens.