Direct Connecting OS X and Windows 7 via Ethernet

I have read other threads on this topic but cannot seem to find the right info. Here's the deal. I have lots of Gigabytes I would rather transfer via a direct computer-to-computer ethernet connection from my Macbook to my Windows 7 desktop machine than use tons of DVDs or wait 20 days for it to transfer over my wireless network.

That's the thing. My macbook and Windows 7 desktop communicate with no problems wirelessly, but when I turn off the Airport on my Macbook and try connecting directly via ethernet (have used both patch and crossover cables), I cannot connect from the Macbook end and the Windows desktop does not recognize it either. And yes, I have restarted both machines multiple times with no difference. I connect to the Windows machine using smb://windows_computer_name

I have a feeling that the solution lies in my ethernet network settings on both the Mac and Windows, but I'm not sure which of the network parameters to modify and to what values. I have tried setting the IPv4 IP addresses and subnet masks the same on both ethernet controllers, and also making one IP different, but neither works. Both machines' ethernet ports are working.

Macbook: OS X 10.6.4
Windows: Windows 7 Home Premium

Are you directly connecting -> as in plugging 1 end of the ethernet wire into the Mac and the Other end of the wire into the PC? Or is there a router involved? It sounds like there is a router/hub/switch involved but I want to verify that.

If there is a router -> does your PC connect wirelessly normally? I.E. for this copy you are changing both the Mac and PC to wired. If this is the case then smb://<some name> probably won't work. Have you tried smb://<ipaddress of the pc>? The IP address probably changed when you plugged everything in.

IvanLasston said:

Are you directly connecting -> as in plugging 1 end of the ethernet wire into the Mac and the Other end of the wire into the PC?

Click to expand...

Yes.

I have a wireless router in another room, and both the Mac and PC connect to the internet with wireless adapters (Airport in the Mac, obviously, and a PCI WLAN card in the PC) through that router. I can also share files between the two computers over this wireless network. BUT, I'm attempting to establish a direct ethernet connection between the two for faster file transfers. So, no router or hub is involved with what I'm trying to do, just a direct computer-to-computer ethernet connection.

Ad-hoc Mac
Ad hoc networking | Utilities - Page 1 | Macworld
Ad-hoc Windows
Connect two computers using a crossover cable

Note - I never liked doing it like this, and in all honesty I've never tried it between a Mac and PC, it was always PC to PC. If this is temporary - I would recommend using a switch with a router - not Ad hoc.

Also consider a program like Flow - I use this all the time to transfer large files.
Flow - Mac OS X FTP and SFTP Client

Hey, I really appreciate the links and advice. I still want to try the ad hoc solution when I get home tonight, but will keep especially the switch in mind if the ad hoc fails. I could have swore I had an ad hoc between a Mac and PC before, but it may have been to PCs. It is temporary in any case, just to transfer files over.

Got it to work!

Just an update for those who might be trying to do the same thing. Here's what I did:

Turned off the wireless adapters on both the Macbook and PC
1. Connected crossover ethernet cable from ethernet port on Macbook to ethernet port on PC (I didn't try a regular cable)
2. On OS X, went to System Preferences-->Network and on the Location drop-down menu, selected Edit Locations...; I then clicked the Add (+) button and named the new location "Ad Hoc" and then clicked Done
3. The Configure IPv4 drop down menu should have "Using DHCP" selected
4. clicked Apply; the IP Address is self-assigned after a few seconds
5. on Windows 7, opened Network and Windows offered to automatically detect the network settings; I clicked Yes and the Macbook appeared under the network places and I was able to access the shared volumes and transfer files at ethernet speeds

Not sure if steps 2-4 were even necessary