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Windows 7 has introduced a feature called HomeGroup that helps connect two Windows 7 computers together. The 'host' machine creates a unique pass phrase that must be typed into the 'client' machine in order for the two machines to talk to each other.
That is assuming the client machine can see the host, if it can't it prompts you to create itself as a host with a different pass phrase.
HomeGroups have a habit of dropping off the network occasionally and you may find yourself redoing the host-client steps a few times more than you would like.
Windows 7 support for older versions would be amusing if in a comedy act, but it can be a pain if you are wanting to share with XP. In XP, you set up a share by right clicking on the folder and choosing Sharing and Security and clicking the Share link. Two XP machines will share the folder happily unless there is a network issue.
Windows 7 shares the folder initially, since the file permissions set in the sharing process allow sharing. As soon as something is placed in the folder from outside the share area or created in that folder, Windows 7 can see it but can't access, copy or move it.
The fix is bizarre, you simply unshare the folder in XP and then share it again.
I have a slightly more complex setup with an external network drive for My Documents, which Windows 7 only allows access to occasionally, with the rest of the time reporting permissions problems.
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