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"Simple" File Share in OSX Like XP

O

OSXnoob

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi, I just got me a new 2008 mac pro, It's Awesome! I love it! But I am new to OSX and I cannot seem to find any guide on the net or in this forum anywhere, As to how to set up a "simple" file share folder!

Every guide I have found talks about setting up user accounts and setting passwords, I do NOT want to do that!

I want to simply set up an open folder as shared folder that anyone on my home network can access without putting in a password! The same way that XP dose it!

How is this done in OSX!

Thanks! 😀
 
Most simple is to go to System Preferences, then choose Sharing. Then click the "File Sharing" box. At that point, your public folder and drop box are accessible to anyone (assuming you have not disabled the guest account). If you login from another computer using your account credentials, you can access anything in your home folder (music, movies, documents, etc.). If you want to allow access to other folders for other users, you click the "+" symbol in the "Shared Folders" column (again, in the "File Sharing" section) and assign who can use it in the next column.
 
😕

Thanks for the reply, I have done that, And this is the step by step, And it still dont work

Step 1, Make a new folder on the desktop, Named "Share" Dropped in a jpg file,
Step 2, System Preferences -> Sharing -> Check File sharing -> Click "+" in the 1st box and added Desktop/Share and clicked "Add"
Step 3, Set Read & Write for all System Administrator/System Group/Everyone
Step 4, Checked options All box's checked on for AFP/FTP/SMB
Step 5, Goto XP computer, And my "Share" folder is not available!

So this is not working for me?!?!??!

I see the Mac in the network but the folder is just not sharing? However "Other" folders on the mac are available? Why is this so!
A default folder called "Public/Drop Box" Is the only folder on the drive that I can share!
I have just installed vista to a 2nd drive in bay 2, OSX can read but not write to the NTFS drive, But the above procedure works fine on this drive! I can share (Read only) any folder on the 2nd drive!

OSX is very weird and strange to me?

Is there some silly security setting that I need to remove to share other folders on my OSX drive??

😕😕😕😕😕
 
I remember having problems too with this when I first started using OSX.

I realised that OSX is less flexible than Windows in some ways - that's the price of security and reliablity.

What's wrong with just using the standard 'public' folder it gives you?
 
OSXnoob said:
😕

Thanks for the reply, I have done that, And this is the step by step, And it still dont work

Step 1, Make a new folder on the desktop, Named "Share" Dropped in a jpg file,
Step 2, System Preferences -> Sharing -> Check File sharing -> Click "+" in the 1st box and added Desktop/Share and clicked "Add"
Step 3, Set Read & Write for all System Administrator/System Group/Everyone
Step 4, Checked options All box's checked on for AFP/FTP/SMB
Step 5, Goto XP computer, And my "Share" folder is not available!

So this is not working for me?!?!??!

I see the Mac in the network but the folder is just not sharing? However "Other" folders on the mac are available? Why is this so!
A default folder called "Public/Drop Box" Is the only folder on the drive that I can share!
I have just installed vista to a 2nd drive in bay 2, OSX can read but not write to the NTFS drive, But the above procedure works fine on this drive! I can share (Read only) any folder on the 2nd drive!

OSX is very weird and strange to me?

Is there some silly security setting that I need to remove to share other folders on my OSX drive??

😕😕😕😕😕
Click to expand...

In System Preferences->File Sharing, click on Options and make sure that the "Share files and folders using SMB" is checked.
 
RedTomato said:
I remember having problems too with this when I first started using OSX.

I realised that OSX is less flexible than Windows in some ways - that's the price of security and reliablity.

What's wrong with just using the standard 'public' folder it gives you?
Click to expand...

The standard "Public" folder is annoying to navigate to, For speed and effishantsy reasons I want about 6 share folders on the desktop, For what I am doing, This is what I want! It's How I have setup every other system I am working with,

And I am not worried about security as the whole network is behind a secure gateway/firewall to the net, And I dont use wifi, Everything is hardwired over cat5 network,

edesignuk said:
What OS is your Windows system?

Reason I ask.
Click to expand...

Vista is no problems to me, It's easy to use, And what systems I run, Ok's here we go,

1 OSX/Vista 64bit (Mac Pro Dual boot)
2 XP Pro SP3
3 XP Home SP3
4 Vista 32bit
5 uBuntu

Every system I have used untill now has had no problems in setting up my Basic file shares (Without Authentication) OSX is the only system I am having this headarch with!

swiftaw said:
In System Preferences->File Sharing, click on Options and make sure that the "Share files and folders using SMB" is checked.
Click to expand...
Yes SMB is on (Without setting up a user password because I dont want to)

I got my mac under the impression that OSX was easy to use, So far it's been a pain!

There must be an easy way to do this? I'm sure I'm just missing something simple! Must be a security setting somewhere that needs disabling so I can do it! The question is! Where is it and how do I get my system setup the way I want!

😀
 
OSXnoob said:
Vista is no problems to me, It's easy to use, And what systems I run, Ok's here we go,

1 OSX/Vista 64bit (Mac Pro Dual boot)
2 XP Pro SP3
3 XP Home SP3
4 Vista 32bit
5 uBuntu

Every system I have used untill now has had no problems in setting up my Basic file shares (Without Authentication) OSX is the only system I am having this headarch with!
Click to expand...
You've completely missed the point.

So you are using Vista, yes? There will always be authentication involved, always. if you haven't changed the way Vista encrypts authentication data (as per the instructions I linked to), it wont work.
 
OSXnoob said:
The standard "Public" folder is annoying to navigate to, For speed and effishantsy reasons I want about 6 share folders on the desktop, For what I am doing, This is what I want! It's How I have setup every other system I am working with,

😀
Click to expand...

Ok, it doesn't quite solve your problem, but it is a workaround. You say the standard Public folder is difficult to navigate to, so why not create an alias to it on the desktop. Or create those 6 share folders inside the public folder, then place aliases to all 6 on the desktop.
 
This is how you set it up on your Mac. In this example, I am sharing my entire drive.

http://www.jeremyronking.com/mr/sharing.mp4

Then from your Windows machines, I would suggest using the drive map wizard.

From XP Explorer:
Tools > Map Network Drive
Enter a drive letter and folder with the path \\ip.add.re.ss\sharename

The shares don't always show up in Network Neighborhood (or equivalent) on the PC - so don't expect it to just show up.
 
swiftaw said:
Ok, it doesn't quite solve your problem, but it is a workaround. You say the standard Public folder is difficult to navigate to, so why not create an alias to it on the desktop. Or create those 6 share folders inside the public folder, then place aliases to all 6 on the desktop.
Click to expand...

As I described above in Leopard this isn't needed.
 
edesignuk said:
You've completely missed the point.

So you are using Vista, yes? There will always be authentication involved, always. if you haven't changed the way Vista encrypts authentication data (as per the instructions I linked to), it wont work.
Click to expand...

Well Without "Requesting" a password then 😉

kingjr3 said:
This is how you set it up on your Mac. In this example, I am sharing my entire drive.

http://www.jeremyronking.com/mr/sharing.mp4

Then from your Windows machines, I would suggest using the drive map wizard.

From XP Explorer:
Tools > Map Network Drive
Enter a drive letter and folder with the path \\ip.add.re.ss\sharename

The shares don't always show up in Network Neighborhood (or equivalent) on the PC - so don't expect it to just show up.
Click to expand...

Not quite what I was looking for?
XP/Vista/Ubuntu are already setup Work fine, Thay all see the Mac and some folders that are already shared, Just not the ones I want, I am trying to get OSX to play nice with them, Not the other way around!

swiftaw said:
Ok, it doesn't quite solve your problem, but it is a workaround. You say the standard Public folder is difficult to navigate to, so why not create an alias to it on the desktop. Or create those 6 share folders inside the public folder, then place aliases to all 6 on the desktop.
Click to expand...

Thanks, This will have to do me for now, I was hoping that I could do it without having to do this,

I just dont understand why OSX is like this? Strange, Very strange 🙄
 
OSXnoob said:
Not quite what I was looking for?
XP/Vista/Ubuntu are already setup Work fine, Thay all see the Mac and some folders that are already shared, Just not the ones I want, I am trying to get OSX to play nice with them, Not the other way around!
Click to expand...

I guess I don't follow what you are asking for. You wanted to share a folder that exists on your Mac with the other computers on your network, right? That is how you do it. What I am saying is that in my experience, not every share from my Mac will automatically show up on a Windows box. Sometimes the share just needs to be mapped to a drive letter. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean the share doesn't exist.
 
kingjr3 said:
I guess I don't follow what you are asking for. You wanted to share a folder that exists on your Mac with the other computers on your network, right? That is how you do it. What I am saying is that in my experience, not every share from my Mac will automatically show up on a Windows box. Sometimes the share just needs to be mapped to a drive letter. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean the share doesn't exist.
Click to expand...

This is what I thought he wanted also.
 
Would not creating the 6 shared folders on the desktop most easily be shared without authentication if OP simply allows "Guest" account file sharing. Then change permissions of the 6 various shared folders on the desktop to "Everyone" Read/Write?
 
OSXnoob said:
Hi, I just got me a new 2008 mac pro, It's Awesome! I love it! But I am new to OSX and I cannot seem to find any guide on the net or in this forum anywhere, As to how to set up a "simple" file share folder!

Every guide I have found talks about setting up user accounts and setting passwords, I do NOT want to do that!

I want to simply set up an open folder as shared folder that anyone on my home network can access without putting in a password! The same way that XP dose it!

How is this done in OSX!

Thanks! 😀
Click to expand...
Isn't it already there, the Public folder in your user directory?

Make sure file sharing is turned on in System Preferences (as you would in WinXP) If you click the File Sharing Box, then your Public Folder, you can make sure it's available to Everyone
 
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