Making XP visible in mixed Windows networks

In my home network all PCs running Windows 7 could see each other, but not the ones running XP. You could ping the XP PCs from Windows 7 all right, using their internal IP address (like ping 192.168.1.100), you could see all PCs in the XP computers, so they all definitely were part of the network, but you couldn’t see XP machines in the Windows Explorers of the Windows 7 machines.

If nothing else helps, use force. -- my old rule for software programming.

The easy solution is a free program called Advanced IP Scanner. You donwload it from www.Advanced-IP-Scanner.com, install it, and run it across all, or just across your usual range of local (internal) IP addresses, eg. from 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.200. Half a minute later you’ll see all connected devices and PCs, like this:

Result of IP Scan

You can then click an entry and open it, as if you were in the Windows Explorer. Change language? Click Settings (or Einstellungen). Access folders or files directly from the Explorer? Address \\192.168.1.109\Foldername for my ThinkpadX61S for example. (Let me know if I inadvertetly opened my network to the world by publishing this!)

Wikipedia's Topology Illustration

Topology is a mathematical art and not just another added layer to Microsoft complexity.
I say. 

And now the tedious solution. Install LLTD, Link Layer Topology, in (all) your XP systems (which you wanmt to be seen). Otherwise they won’t be seen by newer Windows’. This applies to Windows Vista, Windows 8 etc. as well. At the end it looks like this, within each Windows ≥ 7 system and within each network connection:

You must install and run LLTD in each XP System that should see newer software. It’s a one-time patch. The procedure was desribed back in 2008 by “X3S” here. I went through it (a bit differently) and it worked! Just reboot all involved PCs after the patch. (The German equivalent for “Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder” is „Antwort für Verbindungsschicht-Topologieerkennung“.)
   Basically you need "responder" file
• rspndr.exe (11 KB) in folder C:\Windows\System32\
• rspndr.inf (5 KB) in folder C:\Windows\Inf\ and
• rspndr.sys (61 KB) in folder C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\
   Then you must run rspndr.exe once, commanding rspndr.exe -i in the command box. (-i stands for install). A good explanation of the whole thing, “How-to Install LLTD Protocol on Windows XP SP3” is here.
   I won’t spare you the patching process, but I allow myself to make the three files available in zipped form for download in www.Joern.De/LLTDpatch.zip. I tried to download Microsoft’s responder addon KB922120 / rspndr-Addon, but in vain*).
   Good luck!
Incidentally: The visibility does not work all the time. If all systems are freshly rebooted, perhaps. But don’t rely on it. Scroll up here and use an IP scanner.

I take no resposability if you mess up. That’s why I don’t explain all steps in detail. You should know how to make all your files visible, including system files, and to use the old DOS commands in the command box. See the English original for more if you like.
   By the way. The command to uninstall the patch is rspndr.exe -u, with u like uninstall.

The original English explanation here. An even better one here.
A German explanation how to get LLTD running on XP here.

*) Microsoft’s solution won’t work, as the validation process can’t be done. All they tell you is that

 “this version on the Genuine Advantage Validity Proof Tool is not supported any more. Please download the newest version ...” – but they don’t tell you, where this “newest version” would be! Dead end. You can try by yourself:
   English: Link Layer Topology Discovery Responder (KB922129) here.
   German: Verbindungsschichttopologieerkennungsantwortprogramm (KB922120) here.

Kindly send questions and suggestions, as well as thank-you messages directly to Fritz@Joern.De.

Direct link to this blog entry: http://blogabissl.blogspot.com/2013/09/making-xp-visible-in-mixed-windows.html