ibook and pc

[ricojsuave]

Hello,
I just got an ibook and want to be able to transfer files and photos to my existing pc. Let me first say i am an idiot and my first time owning a mac to boot, so am looking for help on the most basic level. Can anyone recommend what I need to buy to do this?
I have comcast cable and the airport extreme. Also since the comcast cable modem only has one ethernet connection, I have to choose between the pc and the ibook for which one has access to the internet. (manually plugging and unplugging as needed)

Thank you in advace,
Rico

 

[niter]

Can you burn a CD on your exsisting PC? That would be a reallly fast option. You could also use an external zip if you have one.


If you are going to keep the PC, you could get a router and network the computers together and transfer like that. Alternatively, you could purchase a cheap cross over cable and make a computer to computer network. This latter option works with PC to PC, so I guess it should work for PC to Mac and vice versa.

If the cross over cable can be done, it is a real cinch to get one. If you cannot find one for cheap, get a regular cat 5 (ethernet cable) and take it to a local ma and pop type of comptuer store. The one local to us crosses the wires over for us for no more than $1. FH and I could have done it ourselves, but we needed only 1 cable and wire cutters were $7 so it was more economical to pay the $1.

 

[vitrector]

connect the two computers via ethernet cable and transfer. I believe the new apple products don't not even need cross over cable, as they auto-detect (not true for older models).
How to get your files/folders to show up on each computer, that I don't know, but anyone that knows anthing about networking may be able to pitchin here.

Also, you should check out the "switcher" pages on apple.com. There may be some advice there.

For your cable modem issue, just get a router with or without wireless capabilities. They now sell for less than $100.00 ...and it does not have to be an airport base station, though they have some (minor) advantages. Any router with wireless will work. know, I use a netgear box.
Colin

 

[grapes911]

Originally posted by vitrector
connect the two computers via ethernet cable and transfer. I believe the new apple products don't not even need cross over cable, as they auto-detect (not true for older models).

Colin

You believe correct. plug an ethernet cable into you mac and pc. An ftp server will be the fastest way to transfer files. Bullet proof and guild ftp are very good for windows.

But if you don't have a lot of files and can burn, I'd do that like niter said. It will be the easiest way.

 

[mkrishnan]

If you use an ethernet cable to directly connect your PC and your mac, I think you need to give the Mac the windows workgroup settings. You definitely have to do this if you use a router.

If you right click on "Network Neighborhood" on the Win desktop, and choose properties, there should be a tab in there with three blanks -- identification, workgroup and description.

I think these have to be put into the network preferences on the Mac -- at least, if you use a router, they do. Not in front of my ibook right now, so I can't confirm.

I can say I went through figuring this out only a few days ago.

Setup:
Windows PC -> Linksys router ->Yahoo/SBC DSL modem
iBook -> Airport Ex base station -> Linksys router -> DSL modem

What I found by trial and error:

1) If you have one, you need to disable the firewall or change the settings on the computer from which you are *taking* files (that is, if you want to open the PC hard disk on the mac, then you have to temporarily disable the PC firewall, or at least make it allow file sharing).

2) You have to tell the Mac the PC's windows workgroup ID stuff as mentioned above (can anyone help on specifics? otherwise I'll try to do it next time I'm by my iBook). Also in the Network Neighborhood properties, on the first tab, is a button marked "File and Printer Sharing." You have to click this and in the window that pops up, choose file sharing.

3) On the PC, you have to define which devices can be shared. If you want to share the whole C: drive, you go to My Computer, right click on the C: drive, and choose the sharing tab (which will only be there if you did the second half of step 2). The options here should be self explanatory. You can also do this to individual folders (if you make a drive or folder shared, everything inside it becomes shared).

4) Then, when you plug in, you open a Finder window (iBook) and click on the network icon on the left side. You should see your PC in the list with the name that was in the "Identification" field in Network Neighborhood / Properties / Identification. When you open it you will get prompted for the password you created in step 3.

Notes:
For me, at least without too much hacking, I found the following to be true:

- If the PC is cabled into the router / DSL, and the Apple is on the Airport, this DOES NOT WORK. (OT: is this a simple setting issue or designed in for security? AFAIC, I would prefer the latter). The PC and Apple must both be on the same router (or maybe plugged into each other directly).

- Sometimes you have to try clicking the network icon in Finder a few times before the PC comes up. Maybe if you reboot the Apple after you followed steps 1-3 this wouldn't be an issue?

Anyway, long and confusing, but that's how you go about it....

 

[mkrishnan]

How to specify Windows wkgroup on Mac

The way to do this is to run Directory Access, which is in Applications/Utilities (it's a program, not a sys prefs button...I'd ask why but I'm guessing it's a MAC-FAQ. ).

In here, you double click SMB in the list under the Services tab, and you enter the same thing in "Workgroup" as was in the same field in Network Neighborhood in Windows. For my settings, I could leave WINS server blank in this box.