Accessing Mac Book Pro from a Windows XP machine

My router is Linksys. I can access the server (my main Dell dimension 800 computer) from the Mac Book Pro laptop, and I can see the Macbookpro from the Dell in the Network places. But when I want to add the place then I get a log in screen when I supposedly put in my username and password, but no matter what I put in (the Macbookpro user name and password) it doesn't accept and returns the screen with usernames as e-mail addresses (eg. moorty@pacbell.net). I can't seem to get past that screen. What could I do?

Similarly, I also have a problem of connecting by the airport to the Printer attached to the main computer. For a while, I could see the printer when I add the printer, but it wouldn't print anything giving the error message "_nt_status_access_denied_ ". Apparently, the problem is being able to connect to the Samba. I tried some samba spool software for an earlier version of Mac, but that doesn't seem to work. It only made that printer disappear frm the add printer network screen.

I would appreciate some help in resolving these couple of problems.

 

I am not familiar at this time with Macs and their security features.
( Used to have a mac many years ago - learnt of the basis of functionalities of computers to most users rather than tech soup_
Two options

1) You could use vnc for remote access of the computers one to another.
2) You could create a vpn hamachi network to share files and / or allow for easy remote access with vnc.


https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/vpn.asp?lang=en



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamachi


both products are available in windows and mac formats

I should get one of the newer macs
an easy way to have the functionality of linux- I may learn linux one day before I die