Windows Vista Tips & Tricks: Five Tips for Networking and File Sharing Viewing Vista PCs on Your Networked XP Systems Vangie Beal
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TIP #4: How to See Vista PCs on Your Windows XP Systems
One issue those running XP and Vista systems on the same network might have is being unable to see the computers running Vista from the Windows XP computers. If this happens, the first thing to check is the workgroup name that is being used on the XP computer and make sure the same workgroup name being used on the Vista computers. Here is how you check the workgroup name in Windows XP and in Vista:
On the Windows XP Computer:
From the Start Menu select Control Panel
In the Control Panel select Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
Click the tab for Computer name. here you will see the workgroup name. Use the change button to use another workgroup name.
On the Vista Computer:
From the Start Orb select Control Panel
In the Control Panel choose System and Maintenance then select System.
Under the Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings you will see the Workgroup name. It can be changed by clicking the Change Settings link.
Even if you use the default workgroup names rather than choosing your own, the default name in XP is not the same as the default name in Vista. Once you have set the workgroup names the same on both XP and Vista systems you should then be able to see the network Vista computers from your Windows XP system.
Changing the Workgroup name in Vista
Changing the Workgroup name in
XP
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TIP #5: Run an Application in Admin Mode
In Windows XP, most people will use their computer in Admin login mode. With Vista you can login as any user but still perform administrator tasks. One thing you'll notice right away in Vista is that some of your applications need to be run in administrator mode, especially some older applications or utilities you use that aren't supported by Vista. Here is how you can launch applications in Administrator mode:
The quick way is to simply right-click on the desktop icon for the program and select Run as administrator. You will need to do this each time you want to run that specific application in admin mode.
You can also set the program to always launch in admin mode. To do this right click on the desktop icon for the program and choose Properties. Under the shortcut tab click Advanced. Select Run as Administrator.
Right Click to Run
Application as Administrator
Change the application
properties to Run as Administrator
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BONUS HOTKEY TIP: Instantly Bring Up The Task Manager in Vista
Its been almost a year since I've used Windows XP, but I do know that one hotkey shortcut combo I used quite frequently with XP was the CTRL + ALT + DEL combination to instantly bring up the Task Manager. In Vista, CTRL + ALT + DEL brings up a full dialog screen, similar to the main logon screen. From here you can choose to start the Task Manager along with other options. The most useful hotkey tip I can offer for Vista is CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. This combination will what will instantly bring up the Task Manager in Vista.
