File Sharing With Wireless Prompting For A Log In

So I have a Windows 7 desktop.  A Windows XP laptop and another Windows Vista laptop.  Getting the three of them to play nice together can be a bit tricky at times.

I remember, when I had all XP devices file-sharing was a simple process...you allowed something to be shared out, then from another computer you accessed it.  With Windows 7 it's a little more involved.

So, for anyone out there that cannot access shared folders remotely, try this.

In Windows 7, when you share out, let's say your F drive - you right click it, select "Share With" > "Advanced Sharing".  Down at the bottom of that window is a section entitled "Password Protection" with a link to the Network and Sharing Center.

Click that link and scroll down a bit to the section called "Password protected sharing".

Make sure to turn it off like the picture above.

Of course, this is all dependent upon you actually wanting to simply share out your stuff without having to log in all the time.  I personally think it's redundant, but a nice security feature none-the-less.  I'm already behind a firewalled router, with WPA2 encryption and Zone Alarm locked up tighter than a nun's corset.  It's a tiny, itty-bitty layer of security I'm comfortable with leaving open especially considering the following:

On top of all that, Windows 7 uses another layer of packet encryption on top of everything I just mentioned.  That is configured in the dialog directly above the one I just showed you.

 See, that's another 128 bits of encryption across your share pipe.

Anyway, I hope this might help someone out there googling for the answer to why they can't share files on their home network.