Answers:
Use the Network Connection Wizard.
It doesn't help yourself to much, basically connect both computers to the router (wired or wireless doesn't matter). I don't hold a vista install handy, but the following should work from XP.
On the XP box:
* If you haven't already done so, make available your computer a heading: right click on "My computer" and choose properties. Go to the "Computer Name" tab and see what the computer is call (go ahead and renovation it if necessary). It will also be positive if your XP and Vista boxes are both using indistinguishable workgroup.
* Share a folder on the exchange cards. Find a folder that you want to be available to other computers. Right click on the folder and click on "Sharing & Security". Then check the "Share this folder on the network" checkbox and click OK.
To attitude shares from other computer:
* Option 1: If the two computers are bit of like workgroup, next try going to "My Network Places" (at most minuscule that's what XP call it, Vista may be different). You should see your XP computer tabled.
* Option 2: Open up an Explorer pane (I tight-fisted the record planner, not Internet Explorer although that should work too). Type surrounded by \\name_of_xp_computer and hit enter and you should bring back a schedule of adjectives the shares on that computer. To walk straight to the folder that you enable sharing on up to that time try
\\name_of_xp_computer\name_of_...
* Option 3: If the first computer doesn't show up by typing the computer's name, next try it beside the IP address of the XP box as contained by \\192.168.1.2 (replace beside physical IP).