Working with Windows: Sharing files

TipsMake.com - Sharing files between two Macs is a very simple task: You just need to enable file sharing in the Sharing Preference window to be able to share . However, it is not easy to share files from a Mac to a PC, the way to do it will require some more complicated steps. In this article, I will show you how to share files between these two systems.

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Share files of Mac

Configuring the Mac to allow Windows users to access its folders is far different than performing such tasks for Mac users: You need to show OS X which folders you want to allow access and set privileges for them.

On the Mac , start by opening the Sharing window in System Preferences . Click the lock icon in the lower left corner and enter your administrator password to unlock it (if necessary). Then select the File Sharing checkbox. For File Sharing to be selected, click the Options button. Select the Share Files And Folders Using SMB check box (Windows) .

In the list of users below that checkbox, place a checkmark next to the account you want to share. Enter that account password in the Authenticate dialog box and click OK . Repeat these steps for the other accounts you want to share, then click Done .

By default, OS X will share Public folders for users you have just activated. You can choose other folders to share if you want: Click the (+) sign below the Shared Folders list and select the folder or drive you want to share.

You can define access privileges for each shared folder in the Users section. If you are a user who will share files between two systems, then you need to be on the list, with Read & Write privileges.

If there are multiple users on the network and are not picky about who can access Mac files, you can select Everyone in the Users list and set the permissions ( Read & Write, Read Only, or Write Only ). To control the access of each user, click the ( + ) button at the bottom of the Users section and select someone from your Address Book or click the New Person button and enter the name and password there.

The Mac folders you just shared will be available on Windows PCs.

On your Windows XP computer , click the Start menu and select My Network Places . If you don't see the Mac listed under Local Network, click the Folders icon in the toolbar. In the Folders column on the left, search for the Mac under My Network Places . (It may be inside Entire Network / Microsoft Windows Network / Workgroup ). Double-click the Mac entry and enter the username and password of the account you want to access.

On a Windows 7 computer . Click the Start menu and select Computer (or go to Windows Explorer window). In the sidebar, click on the triangle next to Network . You will see the name of the Mac here. Click on it and the shared folders will appear in the right window.

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Share PC files

The process of setting up a Windows PC to share its files with Mac depends on which version of Windows you are using.

On Windows XP . If you haven't set up file sharing before, open the Start menu and select My Network Places. Click Set Up A Home Or Small Office Network in the left column. When the Network Setup Wizard appears, click through the screens until you reach File Sharing And Printing . Select Turn On File And Printer Sharing, and click Next. Windows will ask you to restart your PC to make changes.

By default, the Shared Documents folder will appear to other users on the network. However, to share other folders, right-click on the folder to share in any Windows Explorer window and select Properties . Open the Share tab and select the necessary options.

In Windows 7 . First, create a password for the Administrator account: Go to the Start menu and open the Control Panel as an icon view. Click User Accounts , then select Create A Password For Your Account , and follow the instructions there.

If you have not set up file sharing for Windows 7, open Sharing (in the icon view) and select Network And Sharing Center . Here, click Choose Homegroup and Sharing Options , then select Change Advanced Sharing Settings .

In the window that appears, turn on Network Discovery , File And Printer Sharing , Public Folder Sharing , and Password Protected Sharing . In the File Sharing Connections section , enable 128-bit encryption; In the HomeGroup section, keep the default settings. When done, click Save Changes .

If the PC does not appear in the Mac's sidebar, select Go -> Connect To Server (or press Command-K ). In the Connect To Server dialog box, enter smb: // ipaddress or smb: // computername . (To find the PC's IP address or the PC's computer name, see the section 'Computer names?'). If not working, you can add port number : 139 at the end of the IP address ( smb: // ipaddress : 139 ).

Computer name?

To share PC resources with a Mac, you often need to know its computer name or IP address. Here's how to find them in both Windows 7 and Windows XP versions.

In Windows XP , go to Start -> Control panel (Classic view), double-click Network Connections , then click the name of the active connection; You will see the IP address in the Support tab. To find the computer name, go to Start -> My Computer , click View System Information , then open the Computer Name tab.

In Windows 7 , go to Control Panel , click View Network Status And Tasks in the Network And Internet section , then click the name of the active connection. In the Status dialog box, click Details ; IP address next to IPv4 Address . To find the computer name, go to Start -> Computer . The computer name will be in the lower left corner of the window, next to the computer icon.