Home networking Imac with windows pcs

On my Mac I have enabled Windows sharing, printer sharing and personal file sharing for all my family members (the users) of the Mac. I also have file sharing enabled for folders on my Win ME pc. However, my Mac computer name is not visible in "network neighborhood" in the windows pcs. I "see" only the other pcs in the windows MSHOME network. Isn't the Mac supposed to be shown as part of the "network neighborhood" too. How do you view the other pcs on your network? Do you see them on your Mac network and vice versa? I don't. What is it that I am doing wrong?

Not sure what's wrong here but to make things a little less complicated and to remove one more variable from the equation, connect the Mac directly, via an ethernet cable, to the Router. Configure the Mac to get online, it should be fairly automatic, and start from there.
Here is how mine is set up:

On the PC:
Only one person uses this machine, they have an account with Administrative rights.
The PC is part of a workgroup called Workgroup. (that appears to be the default)
I have one folder shared, My Documents, and it has a share name that is NOT My Documents.
On the security and permissions, All have access to Read and Write.
Make a note of the IP address of the PC.
I've just noticed that I have the NetBEUI protocol installed on the PC. I do not think this is necessary, it may be a leftover from something else.

On the Mac. Only one person uses this machine. File Sharing is turned on. Windows file sharing is also on. Firewall is off. The Mac has a name in the File Sharing Pane. Make a note of the IP address of the Mac.

At this point, check to see if the Mac appeared magically in the Network Neighborhood. If yes, get back with us. If no, continue:

On the Mac, go to the Menubar/Go/Network and, depending on your OS, you should see a bunch of stuff there. Hopefully, some of them will have names that you recognize. If so, double click one of them and at the login prompt, use the name and password of the person who has administrative rights on the PC.
If nothing appears, go to the menubar/Go/Connect to Server and enter the IP address of the PC:
smb://192.168.xxx.xxx/The_name_of_the_PC it should connect at this point. Note, the name of the share is not included.

On the PC, go to Network Neighborhood, Entire Network, Computers near me, (or whatever) and see if the Mac is there. (I don't know if this MSHOME network thing is throwing us off) If it is, double click and log on using the Username and Password of the person with Administrative rights on the Mac. This give complete access to the Mac. You can get into the selective sharing but in my case it is not necessary. I have mapped the Mac to the PC so that it appears as a drive letter. If nothing appears, can you ping the Mac?

Back to the wireless thing. It is possible that the Wireless side of this problem is actually preventing anyone from seeing the Mac and Vice Versa. That is the reason for attempting the File Sharing with the Mac, and PC's directly connected to the Router

Good Luck and let us know what happens


P

On the Mac, in the Accounts pane, make sure there is a check mark on the "allow user to connect from Windows" box for all users that are going to access the Mac from a PC.
Also, in the File sharing pane, when you click on the File Sharing box and the Windows File Sharing box, at the bottom of that window is the address at which other users can access the Mac.

There may be more

P

Don't bury your posts in other posts. Try 2 forums if you don't find the answer and wait a few hours. Then check back in or better yet, SUBSCRIBE to the discussion.

Your issue smells of firewall settings.

Bob

Didn't want to get too many same subject posts going... already have a similar post on the networking forum and I joined the "advanced networking" course so as to read their lessons (which didn't cover mac at all). Tell me to move this one and I will but first I wanted to add these details.

The firewall thing ? already tried turning everything off and no result. I've never networked a mac before so I may be looking for the wrong thing. I have both file sharing and windows sharing enabled.

I believe whatever networking link is made is being done via WiFi as disconnecting the cat cable has no effect on the finder but turning off the airport card makes network folders disappear.

Let me describe what I'm looking at right now. The Network/Finder window shows the ...

1 - Server shortcut
2 - Local folder
3 - Workgroup folder
4 - MSHome Folder (the default name given by the home network wizard to the workgroup name on the PC)

Why the finder displays a generic workgroup folder and the mshome folder I do not know. Both these folders and the Local folder show "no items".

I can not drag any items into these folders nor the network finder window with out a "The item can not be moved because this folder can not be modified" message.

The "shared documents" folder from the PC does not display in the apple finder nor did a custom made folder designated to be shared appear either when I created it.

The PC shows no recognition of any network in "my network places". "network connections does show the Linksys wireless g card I use to connect the tower to the westel wireless router/dsl modem I use.

If I knew what I was looking for I might get it but never doing a network before, let alone a Mac/windows net, I can only follow the instructions I have... which got me this far and no further.

grim

"Apple network utilities fails to ping the PC."

Fix that and you may fix the issue.

So far I don't read any clue as to why the ping fails. Maybe you installed Zonealarm which has no real off setting.

Bob

OK, I'll answer here.

The PC is brand new and came with Norton Firewall as a default supplement to the internet security demo and anti virus. I turned it off but is that just a dummie switch ? Do you know what port the mac would try to connect to the PC with ? If so I could go in and manuially configure it in the Norton firewall.

grim

BTW... Thanks for the patience... Been up since 5 am studying for a college final in adobe indesign... not as easy when your in your 40s. LOL

It's an ICMP (packet.)

While there are more clues about the firewall that has no true disable in your post or that you don't have a firm grip on the controls of the firewalls, the PING failure is the item to fix.

Too bad no one can read what IP addresses and netmasks were used. It could be clueful and not a security risk if it's the ubiquitous 192.x.x.x or the 169.x.x.x numbers

Bob

The IP addresses on the PC's connections control panels were

192.168.*.** and

169.254.***.***

sub net masks... 255.255.0.0

which is what I input for the "connect to sever" panel on the mac.

the mac designated its address as

\\192.168.*.**\ ''my computers name''... and it also said that other computers on the local subnet can reach me at ''my computer name''.local

I was a bit taken aback by the slashes heading opposite of what I expected. Your correct that I don't have a firm grip on the firewall... it's been a year since I had to deal with PC security issues and then I ran ZoneAlarm not Norton. I also should tell you I haven't explored all the XP control panels so I probably need to configure that (although the ''sharing with windows'' apple help said the local network config wizard should do all that was needed on that end).

I gotta go take a test so I will work on this as time allows... thanks for the help and get back to y'all soon.

grim

BTW sorry about the double threads. I misunderead you you wrong... or not... I wonder if I should take this final LOL. Got to go sacrifice Fluffy for good luck ! See Ya !

but if you have an IP address of 169.xxx.xxx.xxx it is no good.
Something is not right on the machine that has this address. With an IP address like this, it is no wonder you cannot ping. This address did NOT come from the Router. You might want to shut everything down. Modem, Router and Computers and bring them back up again in that order until all of the computers have IP addresses beginning with 169.

Just a thought


P

to be 255.255.255.0


P

The netmask could be either 255.255.255.0 or 255.255.0.0 and work for most.

Bob

I got a Ping and we aint talking golf clubs.

I tracked down and corrected all IP addresses. Reset several connection wizards. Turned off windows firewall and.... NOTHING ! So when in doubt with a microsoft product you restart, which I did and Norton Firewall pops up and asks if I really want the windows firewall to be on and supplant the norton personal firewall ?

I followed the apple help sections to the letter, remember? I went to the control panel/Network connections window and did every thing the apple help said including turning on/off/on the WINDOWS FIREWALL... all the while forgetting all the extra demo software including (drum roll) Norton Personal Firewall. So I configured Norton to allow the iBooks IP Address and now I've got a shared Network icon in my Finder side bar.

Stoopid windows! I blame it all on these kids today, with their fancy iPod thingies and their regular bathing. Why when I was a kid we lived in a hole out in a field...

You can say I told you so Bob. Peter was a big help as well so thanks to both of you. Now I just have to read up on security and make sure I didn't open up a gate to hell with this network. Remember my post about how I just bought this thing and its been nothing but patch here and configure there ? Fluffy ! You shall not have been sacrificed in vain! How do you get hamster blood off a keyboard ?

Konbonwa !

grim

as long as you set everything up correctly.

Printing "may" be a problem depending on the printer and its method of connection to the network

P