PC Does Not Recognize Mac on Network

I recently changed iMacs, and now I cannot get my PC to recognize it on my network. I know I am missing something here, and I've searched the forum but did not find an answer.

My little Toshiba Netbook is running Windows 7. I am able to share from the Mac to the Netbook - moving files back and forth etc. - so they are connected. But I am unable to get the Netbook to recognize the Mac from that end of things.

If any of you guys have any ideas I would be most appreciative.

What macOS version is your iMac using? Do you have sharing enabled in System Preferences > Sharing?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204445

Hi ferrarr. Thanks for the reply.

The old iMac was running Snow Leopard. My new iMac is running El Capitan.

Yes file sharing is enabled. And in fact the PC shows up in finder. I am able to log into the PC from the iMac as admin and move files from the mac over to the PC - and drag files from the PC to the mac.

My issue is that the PC does not recognize the iMac as being on the network from its end. So I cannot do anything from the PC (which of course is what I need to do).

See this article, it should help you identify where the problem is.

https://www.itworld.com/article/2844141/how-to-share-mac-os-x-yosemite-files-with-windows-10.html

It is for a newer OS X version (Yosemite), but the procedures should be the same.

I just did something that I had not done before. I clicked the "refresh" icon on the PC explorer window and presto - there's the iMac. (smh!!)

<edit> Well progress anyway. It's now showing up but I cannot access files on the iMac. I'll keep digging...

You have to map the network drive on your windows pc. First open up your mac and look at sharing in system preferences. Click on the Shared folders and select the drive/folder you want to share. Notice at the top, under Computer name it will say "Computers on your local network can access your computer at: computername.local - in my case is says Lisa-MacPro.local.

Now go to the pc and open file explorer. Click on This PC then go to the top of the screen and select Computer ->Map Network Drive. In the screen that pops up type in the folder box: \\computername.local\foldernameOnMac. For example in my case I typed: \\Lisa-MacPro.local\Data1

If you have any problems post back!

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

This does not work. It fails and then when I click diagnose I get "your computer appears to be correctly configured but the device or resource is not responding".

I did bring back the old iMac and I can still access folders on that one ok frpm the pc. I'm going to try and figure out what is different between the two Mac's settings..

The only difference I notice between the 2 macs is that the one I can access has no workgroup name under WINS. On the one that I cannot access, the workgroup name is the same as the workgroup name on the pc.

I tried to blank out the workgroup name but it won't let me. So I renamed it to something else and of course that does not work.

I changed the workgroup name on the PC from WORKGROUP to MYGROUP. And then changed it to MYGROUP on the Mac I can't connect to as well. Restarted the PC and then neither mac would connect.

So I changed the PC workgroup name back to WORKGROUP and restarted it. (I did nothing else) After that both Macs appear in explorer again, and I can connect to the old one but not the new one still.

Changed the workgroup name on the mac back to WORKGROUP and restarted it. Same as before.

I'm puzzled why the workgroup name on the old mac is blank - and that's the mac I can connect to.

I don't think workgroup has anything to do with it. My PC is on a Windows Active Directory network but the mac pro is not. Does the PC have file sharing turned on? The setting is under Network and Sharing Center -> Advanced settings.

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Yes Network, File & Printer, and Public Folder sharing are all turned on. And I am able to connect to the PC from the mac in finder. I am able to "push" files over to the PC from the mac and drag them back from the PC to the mac.

But I cannot do anything from the PC end.

When you map the drive from Windows to Mac the username you put in on the Windows side must match the username on the share in the mac and the password used on the Windows side must be the same as the password on the mac for that user name. (I hope that makes sense!)

Lisa

I think I understand what you mean.

I am logged into the PC under my admin userid and password, and I am linked to the pc from finder with the same admin userid and password.

It may finally be time for me to take a look at parallels or crossover so I can run this one windows app that I need to run that way..!

- Ken

I have a Mac Pro and a Windows PC that sit next to each other and I have all kinds of shares set up between them. The one factor I do have that you may not is I am on a Windows Server network. What this means is when I request anything from either computer the server software translates. I don't have to depend on my Windows PC to know how to read the MP's HFS+ drive. I do have NTFS for mac on the Mac Pro but that is because I occasionally share external drives. I am not sure if you have server software/app between your two systems also you said it work fine under Snow Leopard which makes me wonder if that OS had translating abilities that are no longer a part of El Capitan???

Just reaching here. I had Parallels on my MP for a while but I found I never used it. Until I finally decide to give up my Windows PC totally I don't plan to reinstall it. One of my biggest gripes what the constant version updates to Parallels that required more $$$.

Lisa

Here is another article, that may have more detail pertaining to the Windows configuration, https://www.groovypost.com/howto/network-windows-10-os-x-share-files/.

When in Windows, are you inputting your Mac user name and password, when asked to log in your Mac? Also, that user (I believe) needs to be logged in on the Mac being accessed.

This article refers to something that Lisa alluded to - logging into the mac from the pc.

The article is for Win10 and I am using Win7, but it states "Click Start > File Explorer > Network. Double-click the Mac icon, and then log in."

I don't understand this because I have never performed a login to the mac from the pc - nor have I been prompted to. I also have never logged into the older mac (the one I can connect to) either. So I'm not sure what this means.

I think this is the difference between the two Mac OS versions. The older version, Snow Leopard (10.6) did not need to be logged in from the Windows PC, but, and I believe this is new with El Capitan (10.11), requires the Mac user and password for login. I haven’t used it since Snow Leopard/Lion, so I can’t confirm this.

You have two Macs, do you have the same users and passwords on both Macs?

I don't log into the mac from the PC by clicking on the mac icon in the network screen. My mac does not even show up on the network because it is not part of active directory. I will say my username and password on both my mac and pc are the same. The login from the PC to the mac occurs when mapping the drive. When the window opens for mapping there is a section that says to input "connect using different credentials". That is were you would input the username and password for the mac IF it is different from the ones used on the PC.

Lisa

The admin user and pw is the same on both macs, yes.

lclev said:

I don't log into the mac from the PC by clicking on the mac icon in the network screen. My mac does not even show up on the network because it is not part of active directory. I will say my username and password on both my mac and pc are the same. The login from the PC to the mac occurs when mapping the drive. When the window opens for mapping there is a section that says to input "connect using different credentials". That is were you would input the username and password for the mac IF it is different from the ones used on the PC.

Lisa

Click to expand...

The admin name on the pc is different than on the macs.