OSX/Windows Networking Issues

[EmeraldICE]

I can't seem to figure out how to get my Macbook Pro to see my Windows PCs on my network.
All of my computers are in the same workgroup (WORKGROUP) and both of my Windows computers (Vista and Windows 7) can see my MBP and they can both connect to it/access files/etc.
I just can't seem to get my MBP to see the Windows PCs. They don't show up under Shared in the finder.
However, I can connect to both Windows PCs from the MBP by using Finder to 'connect to server' through SMB://.
They just won't show up automatically.

Any idea on what I'm doing wrong?

 

[jzuena]

I can't seem to figure out how to get my Macbook Pro to see my Windows PCs on my network.
All of my computers are in the same workgroup (WORKGROUP) and both of my Windows computers (Vista and Windows 7) can see my MBP and they can both connect to it/access files/etc.
I just can't seem to get my MBP to see the Windows PCs. They don't show up under Shared in the finder.
However, I can connect to both Windows PCs from the MBP by using Finder to 'connect to server' through SMB://.
They just won't show up automatically.

Any idea on what I'm doing wrong?

Are the Windows boxes actually sharing any folders? I don't see my Windows laptop in Finder (under Shared) until I right click on a folder and click on sharing and security and then share this folder on the network. If I then stop the Server service, the share eventually disappears from the Finder sidebar as well.

I am running XP, and I know Microsoft has updated their CIFS networking code which breaks compatibility with older SMB installs on Linux and OS X, but I do have Service Pack 3 which should have those updates as well.

 

[EmeraldICE]

I'm trying to share my entire D drive on my Vista system and sharing an entire drive is a bit tricky.
I'll go try just sharing a single folder and see if that changes anything.

EDIT: Nope. Still nothing. :/

 

[jzuena]

I'm trying to share my entire D drive on my Vista system and sharing an entire drive is a bit tricky.
I'll go try just sharing a single folder and see if that changes anything.

EDIT: Nope. Still nothing. :/

I know what you mean about trying to share the whole drive. I have no experience with Vista... my one laptop that came with it was "up"graded back to XP within an hour. My only Windows 7 machine is a virtual machine on my Mac, so that might affect the results. I am able to get it to show up in the Mac's finder when VMware is set to bridged networking (acts like a second physical machine connected to the same Ethernet card as the Mac). I had to turn on homegroup sharing and define a share. Then when I tried to browse the Win 7 network, it told me that network sharing wasn't turned on. When I turned it on, it could see my Mac as well as several Linux and NAS shares. Then it popped up in the Mac's finder as well. It is all more complex than it was in XP, but I bet if I had two Windows 7 machines and used the homegroup feature it would be much easier than with XP.