How-to question : OSX and WIN2k

[plastic]

I have Win2k machine in my home studio handling 3d animation work available ONLY for the Win-doze platform, and I need to establish a network connection with it to dump audio files done on my Mac. Currently it is painful to keep using a ZIP to transfer things around. Firewire solution means more $$$ which I want to avoid. I read somewhere that in OS X you can mount a Win2k HD like Mac to Mac in Appletalk.

Anyone knows how? Please please please help.

[gibbs]

Not appletalk, but samba will work.

Share a folder on your win2k drive [make sure you give it proper permissions so your mac can write to it] , give it a name and password. Now on your mac, click go/connect to server. In the address type -

smb://ipaddress/sharename/

then hit enter

a prompt should popup asking for workgroup name and login. enter that info and it should mount the win2k share on your OS X desktop no problem.

Now, there are some samba bugs with win2k/os x that prevent them from talking to eachother sometimes, so I give your odds 50/50. Also, you cannot browse through the network from the connect to server dialog, you must enter the exact IP address AND folder/share name for it to connect.

Good luck and hope this helps.

[hazmat]

I have found that using the IP address of the Win2k machine in the smb line doesn't work. Using the machine name does.

[changomarcelo]

There is an easier way to share files between OS X and WINDOWS.
First of all, it´s supposed that you have set up a network the way is meant to be.
After that, you can allow FTP access to your Mac from the Sharing Control Panel. Then, from your PC Network Neighbourhood (or My Network Sites in WIn XP), you can add a new Network site with the following address:
ftp://username:password@mac_IP

:password and username:password@ are optionals. username and password are the ones from your Mac OS X account.

If you want to access your PC from your Mac, you can do the something similar using an FTP server for Windows 2k. Win 2k has an FTP server included with Internet Information Server, but I like Serv-U.
To access Win2k from your Mac, you´ll need an FTP client, like RBrowser Lite or Transmit (the first one is better but slower, at least in my G3 350)

[plastic]

Originally posted by changomarcelo
There is an easier way to share files between OS X and WINDOWS.
First of all, it´s supposed that you have set up a network the way is meant to be.
After that, you can allow FTP access to your Mac from the Sharing Control Panel. Then, from your PC Network Neighbourhood (or My Network Sites in WIn XP), you can add a new Network site with the following address:
ftp://usernameassword@mac_IP

assword and usernameassword@ are optionals. username and password are the ones from your Mac OS X account.

If you want to access your PC from your Mac, you can do the something similar using an FTP server for Windows 2k. Win 2k has an FTP server included with Internet Information Server, but I like Serv-U.
To access Win2k from your Mac, you´ll need an FTP client, like RBrowser Lite or Transmit (the first one is better but slower, at least in my G3 350)

Thanks for the tip. You are a star!

[plastic]

Tried installing Samba on the new iMac running 10.1.5 and it does not copy the preference pane into the /library/preference... what is happening? I have admin access, but it simply does not write... hmm... I think I will try the FTP method.

Anyone experience this on 10.1.5 while attempting to install Samba? hmm... weird...

[k-man]

If you know all of your network information you can use SMb browser after you have installed samab from the developer tools kit from apple. You can get the SMB browser from versiontraker.com. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the long way and SMB browser made things very easy if you have a password and network info you need. The only thing is the mac an access the pc but not the other way around
Good Luck!!

[plastic]

I tried the ftp method and it worked like a dream! Amazingly easy. I had problems installing Samba. Seems to have a conflict with Logictech OS X drivers and the PreferencePane in Logictech simply wipes out the Samba Preference Pane. Weird.