- Network Access Options in Windows 7
- Network and Sharing Center 101
- Troubleshooting Network Connections
- Enabling Windows 7 to Connect with Windows XP Computers on the Network with LLTD
- Sharing Resources on a Windows 7 Computer with Windows XP Computers
- Configuring Windows 7 Networking
- Conclusion
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Enabling Windows 7 to Connect with Windows XP Computers on the Network with LLTD
With Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows, sharing network folders and resources required you to configure the computers on the network to be part of the same workgroup or domain. You can still use these methods to add your Windows 7 computer to an existing network. However, if your Windows XP computers run Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3, you can use Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) technology (introduced in Windows Vista) to enable Windows 7 computers on the network to use resources shared on Windows XP computers.
To determine if the LLTD Responder is already installed on a Windows XP computer:
- Open My Network Places.
- Click View Network Connections in the Network Tasks pane.
- Right-click the network connection and select Properties.
- Scroll through the listed components.
- If the LLTD Responder is listed and checked, your system can be detected by Windows 7 (and Windows Vista) computers on the network.
- If the LLTD Responder is listed but not checked, click the empty checkbox to enable it. After you enable the responder, your system can be detected by Windows 7 (and Windows Vista) computers on the network.
- If the LLTD Responder is not present (Figure 8), continue with steps 6-12.
- Click Install.
- Click Protocol.
- Click Add.
- Select Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder (Figure 9).
- Click OK. The LLTD Responder is added to the list of network components (Figure 10).
- Click Close.
)
Figure 8 The LLTD Responder is not on this computer.
)
Figure 9 Preparing to install the LLTD Responder.
)
Figure 10 The LLTD Responder is now installed
After installing the LLTD Responder protocol on your Windows XP computers, your Windows 7 computer can access shared resources on those computers, even if they're in different workgroups. When you use the Network Map feature in the Network and Sharing Center, computers with the LLTD Responder will show up on the map.