Help: PC refuses to connect to Mac on home network.

[Starhorsepax]

I know a million and one others have asked but no answers have worked. I've tried wizards and tutorials and help forums. I haven't quite tried threatening it with a hammer, but I'm tempted.
It will not add the mac to the workgroup at all. It will see it if I enable FTP but even then it won't open it. Either it doesn't see it or it doesn't have permissions or .... well name an excuse and it will give it.

I'm running Mac Snow Leopard and it can see both the stubborn PC and the Imac running Panther as well as open shared files.

The Imac sees both but can't open : it's been known to wink off with remote desktop, so I won't push that. I'm mainly interested in that it can, at least, 'see' the others, even the PC.

But the PC: No go. I've added a workgroup, added network place the mac never shows under the work group, and usually doesn't show under network at all. It won't acknowledge with any transfer method but FTP and that still doesn't access the shared folder.

Sadly I need the PC. Does anyone know how to get the darn thing to connect? They all go through a router (the PC thru the cord and the mac thru the wireless.) I don't need a 'full time' connection, just something to let me transfer more data than a flash drive.

(Yes, I know. If you want convenient get a Mac! It's most inconvenient moments are still better than a PC.)

 

[res1233]

I've been able to setup PC file sharing in the past, but I can tell you from experience, it's rarely easy... I don't know why Microsoft fails so hardcore at making things simple, but they do, and always have. Even Office has grown to be needlessly complex at this point. If the Macs can see the PC, then you "should" be able to send files to and from the PC just using the Mac. That's what I've done in the past. Then once the files are on the Mac, life will be a lot easier.

 

[Starhorsepax]

True enough on complications. Their problem is they force them on you instead of letting you select them in preferences.

My old Imac had the last version IE for mac and I liked it fine. Then for a few years went by before I saw the newer ones. Whoa! What did they do? And every program Office and on is the same mess.
First thing I did on the PC was download the other web browsers and set up Firefox as default. At least if the toolbar gets messy it's due to my choices, not theirs.