GUIDE: Networking Windows with OS X

[edesignuk]

OK, this question comes up all the time, "How do I share files between my Mac and PC". So, here is the answer. I'm hoping we can make this "Sticky" and save everyone time
I think I have remembered everything, if you think there is somthing I've missed then please post and let me know.

Networking Windows (2000/XP/2003*) with Mac OS X (10.3/10.4)

Information you will need to know

• The IP Address of your PC (Start > Run > CMD {return} > “ipconfig” {return})
• The IP Address of your Mac (Applications > Utilities > Terminal {Run app} > for ethernet connection “ipconfig getifaddr en0” {return} or for wireless "ipconfig getifaddr en1" {return})
• The workgroup the PC is in (Right click on My Computer, select Properties, and select the Computer Name tab)

System Configuration

It is important that the account you log in with on your XP system has a password set, if it does not you will not be able to login to your Windows share from OS X.

You need to put your Mac in the same workgroup as your Windows PC. To do this open “Directory Access” (Applications > Utilities > Directory Access). Click on the padlock in the bottom left corner to make changes; you will be prompted for your password. If “SMB” is not ticked off, then tick it off. Select “SMB” and hit the “Configure…” button. Now enter the name of your Windows workgroup. In my case the name is “AD”.



Setting up the PC to share files

You need to create and share a folder on your PC that you will then access from your Mac.
To do this create a folder (or select and existing one) right click on it from Windows Explorer and select “Properties”. Select the “Sharing” tab and share out the folder. I’d recommend you use a one word name for the share. For example “mac”, not “Apple Mac Share”, it just narrows the risk of complications.



Setting up the Mac to share files

Open “System Preferences” (Applications > System Preferences). Go to “Sharing” under “Internet & Network”, and tick off “Windows Sharing”, and if it doesn’t start by itself, click “Start”. This will share out your entire home folder.



If You're running Tiger (10.4), you will also need to click the "Accounts" button and tick off the box next to your account name so that OS X knows to share out your particular home folder.



Accessing your Mac from your PC

Click “Start > Run” and enter “\\192.168.1.2\edesignuk”, replacing the IP address with the IP address of your Mac, and “edesignuk” with the short user name of your account in OS X. When asked to authenticate enter your Mac accounts short user name and password. All being well you should now be able to see you entire home folder on your OS X system. You can also map this share like you would any other Windows network share so that it is accessible from a drive letter.

Accessing your PC from your Mac

To mount a Windows share on your Mac, click on your desktop so that Finder is the active application, from the Finder menu go to “Go > Connect to Server”. In the “Server Address” field enter “smb://192.168.1.3/mac”, replacing the IP address with the IP address of your PC, and “mac” with the name of the Windows share you created earlier.



When asked to authenticate enter the name of your PC in “Workgroup/Domain” (Unless your PC is part of a domain and your PC account is held on a domain controller, in which case enter the domain that you normally log on to Windows with). For “Username” and “Password” enter the username and password which you use to log on to your Windows machine with. Click ok and your shared folder should be mounted as a network drive on your desktop.

Get error "The alias "<shared folder>" could not be opened, because the original item cannot be found."?
Read this post by EWTHeckman.



*Windows Server 2003 Authentication

By deafult Windows Server 2003 will try to encrypt everything sent to and from it. With this enabled you will not be able to log in to the share from your Mac.
To fix this there are a couple of options.
Case 1, your server is nothing more than a regular file server. In this case open up regedit (Start > Run > "regedit" {return}), and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ LanManServer \ Parameter \ RequireSecuritySignature, and set it's value to "0".
Case 2, your server is also a Domain Controller. In which case you need to open the DC's Security Policy (Administrative Tools > Domain Controller Security Policy). Navigate to Local Policies > Secuiry Options, and disable "Microsoft network server: Digitally sign communications (always)" & "Microsoft network server: Digitally sign communications (if client agrees)". Reboot your sever, and you should be good to go.

[mms]

Just wondering, is there a way to network Win98 with Panther? And what about networking Windows with Jaguar?

I'm sure there are still some people out there with older systems with that question. I can't try it out because I don't have a single PC in the house .

[edesignuk]

@mms

With regards to Win98, there probably is, but I have nothing running Win98 to try it on. Win98 was never great at networking with other windows systems anyway. Windows NT was for networking.
As for Jaguar, I think most of it should be the same, except where you enable Windows Sharing in System Preferences (I'm sure it's in a different place in Jag), but again, I don't have Jag to be able to check things.

[Rower_CPU]

Thanks for the write-up, edesign, something we've been lacking in the help forums.

[mnkeybsness]

YAY!... perhaps we could start a simple site that gives step by step instructions for a lot of these frequently asked questions. I know it would help out a lot of people, especially those who don't like joining forums for whatever reason they have.

I know I'd be in to help with some write-ups.

PS: edesignuk: nice job, very thorough and easy to follow.

[Ryan1524]

this will come very useful. thank you.

[billyboy]

For what it's worth, you can avoid using Terminal for your IP address by going Apple>About this Mac>More Info>Network.

[abhishekit]

very nice article..
i got my first mac about 2 months back..and to network it with three other windows machines in my house, it took some searching on google..so i am sure it wd be very useful to other newbies like me

[toughboy]

a very nice collection of recent threads and other networking solutions which brought a lot of things together very nice.. thanks edesignuk..

I want to say that most of the things can be implemented on Jaguar too.. but you should enable "windows file sharing" on Sharing menu in System Preferences..

by the way, what is Windows 2003?? I have used Win2000, I'm using XP but never saw the Win2003? is it longhorn? ???

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by toughboy
by the way, what is Windows 2003?? I have used Win2000, I'm using XP but never saw the Win2003? is it longhorn? ???

2003 is the latest server OS from Microsoft, but some use it as a desktop OS.

[Ben Kei]

It is also worth mentioning that there is a nice APP called DAVE which is designed to allow mac-pc networking.

This will link a mac with any microsoft OS from WIN 95+

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by Ben Kei
It is also worth mentioning that there is a nice APP called DAVE which is designed to allow mac-pc networking.

This will link a mac with any microsoft OS from WIN 95+

And not free I would imagine? + another thing installed on both systems that can go wrong, no, this is the way to do it, using what is built in to both systems.

[cb911]

thanks edesignuk, exellent guide. sure would have saved me alot of trouble if there was something like this when Jaguar came out...

[Ben Kei]

Originally posted by edesignuk
And not free I would imagine? + another thing installed on both systems that can go wrong, no, this is the way to do it, using what is built in to both systems.

You are right it is not free... but you only need to install it on one system not both.

The reason I mentioned DAVE is that the method you described only covers WIN 98 and above, DAVE also covers WIN 95 which someone mentioned in this thread.. I just forgot to quote them!

[neoelectronaut]

How do I know the name of my workgroup in windows?

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by neoelectronaut
How do I know the name of my workgroup in windows?

Right click on My Computer, select Properties, and select the Computer Name tab. It should tell you the computer name, and the workgroup/domain name in there.

[CmdrLaForge]

Thanks a lot. This is very useful. It will help me and quite a lot of other users.

BTW - what windows version are you using ? The GUI looks not familiar. Is this how XP looks like ?

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by CmdrLaForge
BTW - what windows version are you using ? The GUI looks not familiar. Is this how XP looks like ?

It's XP, but with a different theme

[edesignuk]

Guide has been amended to include instructions for use with Server 2003 authentication issues

[pdgnyc85]

Does this apply to more enterpeise level netwroking or only for small (home) networks.

Also how different is this to using 10.2.8 and win2k server.

I'm tryingto help some PC network people become more mac friendly in a corporate world

Thanks for the help

[edesignuk]

@pdgnyc85
This should apply to any network, it's all the same.
I think the only difference in 10.2.8 is where you enable Windows File Sharing on the Mac, it's still in System Prefs, but in a different place (can't remember where, and I don't run Jag anymore to check).

[live4ever]

Ok, for the life of me I can't get networking between my Powerbook and Win2K IBM box. I've tried all the online guides I could find (about 10 thorough ones or so). They are connected by a Netgear router and both have no problem getting on the Internet.

I'm running 10.2.7 and 10.3.2 on the Mac both will not connect. I've made a new user account on the IBM just to see if that'd help, no luck.

In Panther's Finder (Network) the workgroup of the IBM shows up as NET (what I named it from Control Panel) but no shares can be seen. In Jag when I Connect to Server I get -36 error.

Please can someone tell me what else to do, check or try.

[derboy]

unless i've missed something, Can you share a mac folder or hard drive that isnt in a home folder to everyone using xp. - just like you can do with a few macs

[dstorey]

I've had this working before on my brothers xp box but i have to log on using my username/password. is there anyway so that the win computer can access certain folders i wish to share without having a user account sert up on the mac or using my un/pass, possibly using the Public folder? I dont want to give my brother my password just so he can access some files i want to share from my mac. I can access shared folders on my win98 box from my mac...when they want to show...its very hit or miss whether panthers network icon in the finder shows the windos boxes or not.

[edesignuk]

Originally posted by derboy
unless i've missed something, Can you share a mac folder or hard drive that isnt in a home folder to everyone using xp. - just like you can do with a few macs

Yes, but that will envolve manually editing your smb.conf, something that I don't know much about, sorry.