So I spent most of today trying to sort out Windows File Sharing over a  cluster of Vista and XP machines using Hamachi. I could access all files and folders, except I had no access to any computer from the Laptop. The weird part to that is that I could access the laptop’s files from all other machines.

After playing with my firewall, flushing my DNS settings and re-registering them, and tweaking my registry, I came to a great and simple (not to mention the first working) solution.

1. Go to Start Menu >> Control Panel >> Network & Sharing Center >> Manage Network Connections
2. Right-click and select “Properties” for your network connection du jour.
3. Select “Internet Protocol Version 4″ and press the “Properties” button.
4. Press the “Advanced” button in the box that appears.
5. Click the WINS tab and select the radio button marked “Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP”
6. Press “Ok”, “Ok”, and “Close”
7. Repeat steps 2-6 for your virtual Hamachi adapter, in the event you have one.
8. Stop swearing already. Jeesh!

Technorati Tags: windows file sharing, file sharing, troubleshooting, vista, NetBIOS, Hamachi