Cross platform networking (Mac/Windows)

[d1scg0lf3r]

Please help me before I pull my hair out

I am working on a peer to peer network involving 2 windows xp pro machines and a mac running os X (10.3.3). One of the windows xp pro machines is acting as a file server and a print server for this workgroup. I have been trying to get the mac to access the shares on the windows xp machine with no luck. Here is how I am trying to set it up:

1. Open System Preferences
2. Open Accounts
3. Navigate to Startup Items Tab
4. Click the + sign, to add a startup item.
5. Navigate to the share.
6. Click Add

This seems to work but when I open the share it is empty.

I have a user created on the windows xp pro machine that has the same user and password as the log in for the mac.

The share has been given permission to let that user have full control of the share.

Dont think it matters since the Mac is viewing the share across the network but the Windows machine is formatted NTFS.

Am I doing something wrong?

Also they have 3 printers shared off the windows xp pro machine that I need the mac to be able to access as well. I attempted to set this up thru the print center utility located in the utilities folder. I set it to "Windows Printer via Samba", but when I got to the Printer Model drop down it did not list the hp7660 as an option. So I tried downloading the driver from HP's website and installing it. Not 100% sure where it installed it but I do not think it was the right place because the Printer Model drop down still does not list the hp7660 as an option.

I am somewhat Mac challenged from not having worked on one in about 4 years, so talk to me like an idiot when you explain what I am doing wrong.

 

[Aptmunich]

Is your mac setup to find your network properly?

Go to system prefs, network and make sure you are on the same subnet and that dhcp is on...

Can the windows pc see you in 'my network neighbourhood'?

 

[d1scg0lf3r]

Go to system prefs, network and make sure you are on the same subnet and that dhcp is on...

Yes the mac is setup for DHCP. It should be on the same subnet since it is pulling its info from the same DHCP server as the Windows machines are.

Can the windows pc see you in 'my network neighbourhood'?

This I did not check. I found a writeup of how to setup the mac to join the workgroup I will test this on Tuesday and post back if I am still having problems.

Here was something I found while doing some Google searches:

If you're trying to access a remote network share from a Windows / Linux box to you Mac, you can only user your short name.

I am going to use an example say my user name is Jane Doe and the short name for this account is Jane does that mean the user account on the Windows machine needs to be created using the short name? or the full user name? In other words, would I create a user account on the Windows machine using just Jane as the login name?

Also thanks much for the reply.

 

[zanoncello]

do an update on your mac. I had similar problems networking with my windows pc's but after i updated my os (i'm not sure if it was 10.3.4 or 10.3.5) but one of them updates the networking and makes you mount the share folders on your mac. Since I updated I have had no problems networking with my pc's.
As for the printer get gimp drivers. I have a HP P1000 which i also did not have drivers for. The drivers on the HP site can not be used to print over a network. The gimp drivers I have now work perfectly for me and my P1000 is connected to a winXP machine.

 

[debaldeb]

Cross-platform file share

Dear Aptmunich, Thanks for your helpline. I tried yours and a lot of other suggestions that were offered on MacForum, but all failed to help me connect between my Mac OS X 10.4 and Windows XP. After all the required changes, the Windows does not show Mac laptop in 'my network neighbourhood'. On teh other end, when I try to "connect to Server" on Mac using the Windows laptop's IP address, (smb://192.168.1.3), each time it fails to connect, and shows Error code- 36. I spent the whole day tinkering with Network connection, Windows firewall exceptions, and wireless connectivity, but to no avail. Please help! N.B.: (1) The two laptops are connected by wireless (Airport). (2) In the Mac OS, I cannot open Terminal.

 

[Dysfunction]

-36 is an I/O error, which tells me the connection's at least making initial handshake. Try enabling Guest on the windows machine. See if you can connect that way. If so, it's a permissions issue on the windows box. Also, try turning OFF the firewalls, this will rule those out completely.

 

[debaldeb]

I updated my Mac, and turned off firewalls on the Windows box too. As before, there is no problem connecting to, and sharing with, the Mac Powerbook from the Windows, but to my consternation, Mac cannot connect at all!

 

[Dysfunction]

Did you try the guest account?

 

[debaldeb]

Sorry, I don't understand. Guest account on which computer - Mac or Windows? Where and how can I open/ link the Guest account?

 

[Dysfunction]

On the windows computer. We're simply looking to rule things out at this point.