This guide shows you which ports need to be opened in order to share files and printers in Windows Vista.
When you enable file and printer sharing in Windows Vista it automatically opens the ports needed to share files or printer in the Windows Vista firewall for you.
What if you’re not using the Windows Vista firewall or you’re using a hardware firewall like a router, firewall appliance, Linux firewall, or a Cisco PIX?
Below is a table that lists all the ports that need to be opened in Windows Vista to share files and printers. You can manually open these ports to enable file and printer sharing on your computer.
Ports Used for File and Printer Sharing
| Rule Name | Port | Protocol | Notes |
| File and Printer Sharing (NB Name In) | 137 | UDP | Used for NetBIOS Name Resolution |
| File and Printer Sharing (NB Datagram In) | 138 | UDP | Used for enabling NetBIOS Datagram transmission and reception. |
| File and Printer Sharing (NB Session In) | 139 | TCP | Used for enabling NetBIOS session Service. |
| File and Printer Sharing (SMB In) | 445 | TCP | Used for enabling Server Message Block transmission and reception via Named Pipes. |
Still need help? Ask your computer question now.
i facing a problem in connection in network which is stated that
“network is not set up to establish a connection on port ” Files and Printer Sharing (SMB )with this computer.
im using windows vista currently
this problem create a lot of headache course i need to connect to the network to get my notes
hope anyone there could solve my problem.
laptop is not setup to stab lose a connection on port file and printer sharing (SMB) with this computer.
Solution, on xp computer
Go to run and type in services.msc find a service called
NET TCP PORT SHARING SERVICES if it’s disabled enable it click start service and see if that works fixed the same problem I was having hope it works for you
Hey CJ,
Thanks for the tip. I have been working on & off again on file sharing between Vista Business and Windows 7 Pro for the past 5-6 hours-lots of breaks and other stuff to do but I must have done 6-7 google searches and looked at 10-12 maybe more website about this none mentioned NET TCP PORT SHARING SERVICES. Now Windows 7 can access my Vista box files perfectly! Now I just have to get Windows 7 to give the Vista box access. BTW: I enabled “NET TCP PORT SHARING SERVICES” on both machines. Just wondering why the heck Microsoft does not enable this automatically when file sharing is enable? I am liking Linux more and more.