How can I access file shares on my Windows Vista computer without entering a password?

First, please make sure that you have told Windows Vista that your network is a Private (Work or Home) network and have enabled sharing by following these instructions.

To allow access to shared folders on your Windows Vista machine from other computers without requiring a username and password, you will need to modify your network sharing settings. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Control Panel
  3. Click Network and Internet
  4. Click Network and Sharing Center
  5. Look under the Network heading
  6. Click the Customize link to the right of the network heading
  7. If this is not set to Private, click Private, click Next, and then Close.
  8. Look under the Sharing and Discovery heading
  9. Make sure Network Sharing and File Sharing is turned on. If they aren't, click the down arrow next to them and click the option that turns them on.
  10. Make sure Password protected sharing is turned off. If it isn't, click the down arrow next to them and click the option that turns it off.

Note, however, that allowing everyone access to your shared folders does not bypass system security; even though everyone will be able to see most of the files that you are sharing, the system will not permit modifications to those files unless they are located in a public place (such as the Public folder).