XP SP3 computers not working with Vista?

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have chosen to complicate networking Windows Vista computers and Windows XP SP3 computers. They have integrated this new-fangled technology called "Link Layer Topology Discovery" in with Vista. Great. The bad news is, now Vista can't see your Windows XP computers. Even worse news is that if your computer is running Windows XP SP3 (that's service pack 3), even the patch Microsoft provides doesn't help.

For the sake of this rant, I'll assume you have already done basic network troubleshooting/the following is true:
 

• Both Vista and XP are in the same Workgroup (By default they are not the same)
• You have removed/turned off or allowed ports/IP's/networks/LAN's/local traffic on your Firewalls
• You can access the internet from both computers or otherwise know the network configuration is good
• You can ping between the machines

Symptom is they just don't show up in the Network. Well, it may be one of these two reasons: 

1. You are running Windows XP SP1/SP2 and haven't applied Microsoft KB922120
2. You are running Windows XP SP3 and receive an error when you try to apply Microsoft KB922120

This rant addresses the second reason. Microsoft was supposed to include the link layer topology discovery responder with XP3, and didn't. But the patch detects you are using SP3, so it won't let you apply it! Catch 22? Well, pretty much, but here's the solution:

1. Download rspndr.exe and place it in your C:\Windows\System32 subdirectory
2. Download rspndr.sys and place it in your C:\Windows\System32\Drivers subdirectory
3. Download rspndr.inf and place it in your C:\Windows\Inf subdirectory
4. Open a command window/DOS prompt, and type: C:\Windows\System32\rspndr -i [And press ENTER]

Viola! Problem solved. Note that one of the above files is an EXE (executable). If you don't trust me, you're gonna need to get it from somewhere else. You can request a hotfix directly from Microsoft. Or you can download it here.

HUGE props go out to X3. Check this post for the inspiration for this rant.

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