Networking is stupefied . You ’d think it ’d be real darn soft to share stuff and nonsense between PCs and Macs , but it ’s not as nearly simple as it should be . So , here ’s how to make ’em talk and share stuff like best friends .
What You Need
• A Windows PC ( Linux dudes , you already know how to do this , right ? )
• A Mac
• A router to connect them

Before we get into sharing between computers immediately , are you sure youdon’t just want a NAS ?
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-choose-the-best-connection-storage-for-a-mac-pc-hom-5067201
Talk to Me, Girl
So , assuming that your personal computer and Mac are both sitting comfortably on your mesh , wirelessly or otherwise ( if you have n’t gotten that far , you need more help than I ’ll be providing correctly here ) , there are a couple of dissimilar shipway for the various machines on your meshing to sing to each other and divvy up data file . call up of ’em sorta care linguistic process .
•SMB ( Server Message Block)aka CIFS ( Common Internet File System ) is Windows ’ preferred connection filing cabinet sharing protocol , and luckily , Macs speak it , so this how your computer will most likely be speak and sharing stuff . Vista and Windows 7use SMB 2.0 , which is mo ’ faster for file cabinet transfers .
•FTP ( File Transfer Protocol)is one you make out and bed , if you ’ve ever spent any time on the cyberspace . It ’s one option for apportion stuff between your Mac and PC .

•NFS ( web File System)is the communications protocol Unix - free-base system like to use for partake in files , which both Windows and Macs can understand . A lot of NASes apply it .
•AFP ( Apple Filing Protocol)is like a secret language for Macs , ’cause Windows sure as crap do n’t talk it . But from Mac - to - Mac , it ’s what get to sharing just work ( when it does ) .
Things That Will Help
My goal here is to show you how to share filing cabinet between your microcomputer and Mac easily , and for the most part , without worry about things like IP addresses or diddling with your router ’s context . But ! If you desire to make troubleshooting easier — this sort of networking is more voodoo than science — there are a few things you could fend to know and do beforehand .
1 . make out your router . Or really , know how to get into it . For most router , punching the number soup 192.168.1.1 ( Linksys , for instance ) or 192.168.0.1 ( D - Link , for example ) into your web internet browser will take you to the router ’s circumstance , where you could fiddle with thing ( which you hopefully already did to protect your connection ) .
2 . Make everything static . If you take your figurer on and off the electronic web a muckle , betting odds are , your router is n’t going give it the same IP address every the computer jumps back on , because it hands those addresses out dynamically ( you might recognize this asDHCPin activity , if you ’re wondering what that acronym refers to ) . For consistency ’s saki , it ’s not a spoiled musical theme to assign your computers static IP address on the electronic web , so they ’ll always have the same address — I at least give my desktop PC and Xbox static IP addresses — just in grammatical case something else is broken .

Look in the router configurations for a reference to DHCP reservations or static DHCP , which is most likely under the worldwide configurations tab . Hit that up , like so , and you should see a inclination of information processing system on your mesh , along with their MAC addresses ( an ID marry to the actual networking card in your computing machine ) and currently portion IP address ( something like 192.168.1.102 ) . If your computer ’s already connected to the meshwork and list here , it ’s real easy to give it an firm savoir-faire on your web , a topic of a couple checkboxes .
If , for some reason , your calculator ’s not on the net and you wanna give it a static address , like 192.168.0.104 , you ’re gon na involve to lie with its MAC speech . On a Mac , just open up the internet Utility app and select AirPort — it ’s the “ hardware address . ” In Windows Vista and 7 , go to internet & Sharing Center , and tap scene status link next to your connection . Hit “ detail ” in the pa up box and take down the “ strong-arm computer address . ” On XP , bring your connection connection , double click the one you need , flip to the “ accompaniment ” tab , and off details . It ’s the forcible address . Now that you have the MAC name and address for your computers , you’re able to assign a set IP address to each one , that it ’ll have every exclusive sentence it ’s on the web , which is a ready to hand inclination to have .
Getting Ready
Okay , let ’s get our machines ready . We ’ll start with the Mac , ’cause it ’s a small easier .
Mac
1 . Setup a user account for share-out , either under Accounts or Sharing - > File Sharing in System Preferences . ( Unless you just wanna lumber in from Windows using your regular Mac login , then you could skip creating a communion account . ) get through the little plus house under users , and then you pull can a name out of your address book of account to apply for the account , or setup a whole new one .

2 . Open system preferences , go to sharing if you have n’t already , and check the box for file communion . Click options , and enable AFP ( if you ’ve got other Macs you wanna share with ) and SMB . Crucially , check that the business relationship you ’re gon na be logging in from Windows with has SMB enable .
3 . To cull the booklet you wanna partake with other substance abuser , click the trivial plus sign and browse to the leaflet you wanna give access to . Maybe it ’s your pictures , perhaps it ’s your whole Home brochure . You ’ll need to add each booklet individually , specially if you wanna give unlike people access to different folders . ( If you ’re enter from Windows with your standard Mac account , you ’ll have access code to your whole hard movement anyway . )
After you ’ve blame the folder you wanna share , then you just pick the exploiter you need to share with , and how much accession you require them to have . Read - only , write - only or read and write .

4 . Note your computer ’s name on the local electronic web . It ’s sitting on top of the master file share-out setting page . And , if you ’ve got AFP work off , you ’ll get this dialogue , note the IP address Windows users can access your stuff and nonsense .
5 . Go back to the main system preferences foliate , then clack on connection . Go to the main connectedness you ’ll be using , like AirPort , and chatter sophisticated . Go to WINS , and set your Workgroup to the same one as your Windows PC ( probably either WORKGROUP , on newer Windows machines or MSHOME on XP ) .
Windows 7 and Windows Vista

In Windows 7 and Vista , the web and Sharing Center is where we ’ll be spend our prison term . ( Here’sMicrosoft ’s own guide , if you wanna hold back it out . )
1 . First , ensure in your little path to the net up top , you ’ve catch a photograph of a home model between your data processor the internet Earth at the top . That intend you ’ve got it set to private internet , so stuff ’s a fiddling more debunk to other computers on the internet . If not , click customize to the right wing of the net name , and set it to private mesh .
2 . In Vista , you ’ll notice the large ol’ Sharing and Discovery department up front and center . In Windows 7 , it ’s under ripe sharing setting . Go in there , and you ’ll want to enable mesh discovery , and make government note of your Workgroup ( so you may verify your Mac is on the same one ) which is name here . Also , you have the option to flex off password - protected share-out , so that you do n’t need an account on the motorcar jell up for sharing . apparently , it ’s less secure , but if you prefer public toilet , that ’s up to you .

3 . Now for some voodoo that ’s not required , but it ’ll make life well-heeled and might be something you take to amount back to if stuff and nonsense is n’t wreak , because OS X and Windows shake hands like goons ( really it ’s about tweak theLAN Manager Authentication Level , so OS X has an easier meter plug in to Windows ) . If you have Windows 7 or Vista Ultimate , go to the Control Panel , then Administration Tools , then local security measure insurance policy . Hit local policies , then security selection , and look for connection Security LAN Manager Authentication Level . There , you want to trade it to “ send LM & NTLM , use NTLMv2 session if negotiated . ”
If you ’re in Windows 7 or Vista Home Premium , you do n’t have access to that , so you ’ll call for to register hack it up . Open up regedit , and look for this :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlLSA

Double select LmCompatibilityLevel , and place the time value to 1 .
For more on this , just Google “ vista mac NTVLM2 . ” ( Sans period . )
4 . Now , we ’ll demand to determine up an account to share with . ( Again , you may skip this if you ’re just buy the farm to use your veritable Windows login from your Mac , though you ’ll need to have a word on the account for it to work best in Vista . ) Go to User Accounts in Control Panel , then to Manage Accounts . Create a young account .

5 . If you ’re going to be enter with your main administrator account , you could bound off this step , since you ’ll have access to everything anyway . For all other chronicle , go to the folder you want to partake in , right - tap it and come to properties . Click the sharing tab , hit “ share , ” and then you could add drug user to the share list , along with their permissions . Windows will share it , and give you the web way of life where you’re able to get at it . or else , go to Computer , correctly - click , and check out the organization properties and note your reckoner ’s name on the meshing and its Workgroup ( make certain the Workgroup is the same as your other computing machine , it makes life easier ) .
Windows XP
XP ’s port feels pretty all-fired ancient when it comes to Networking . Anyways , it ’s mostly the same poppycock , just with a slightly uglier interface . I foundthis guidehelpful when I was trying to commemorate where everything was .

1 . Like before , you ’ll need a user account and password setup . Go to control venire , exploiter account and create a new one , if you need to .
2 . check that you ’re on the same workgroup as everything else — XP Home default to MSHOME , so if you need to change it , right - press My Computer , score properties , then go to Computer Name , and go to “ Change ” if you postulate to switch over up the Workgroup .
3 . Go to the folder you wanna share , right - dog , hit properties , and switch over to sharing . Allow it to be shared over the connection , and allow users to change files .

Sharing Stuff
Okay , if you ’ve done everything aright , and the gods are proud of , what you should see on your Mac in your Finder Sidebar under the Shared pill is your Windows computer . ( verify Shared is enable in your Finder sidebar preferences , or you wo n’t see it . ) Then , you should be capable to just press it , enter your user account and watchword , and voila , you could get right at everything just like you hoped .
On your Windows 7 or Vista machine , you should be capable to click connection , and see all of your affiliated computer , include your Macs . To login , as Ross McKillop point out , your username is the name of the Mac survey by the OS X username , like this , minus the quotes and period : “ MATTBOOK - PRO / matt . ” In XP , you ’ll go to My web Places or Workgroup , and it should be the same mountain , though you could just stick to the factual Mac username and watchword . spirit ’s good .
Update : BTW , if you have Apple ’s Bonjour — Apple ’s zero configuration networking dealio , which powers music share-out in iTunes — installed on your Windows machine ( it amount with iTunes ) , the breakthrough part of the guide above — the part pertaining to place the other machine on your connection , should just work . That is , your Windows machines should just show up in your Finder sidebar and your Mac in your PC ’s Networking pageboy , though you still postulate the history setup in good order to in reality share clobber .

Sometimes , things do n’t act upon like that . personal computer do n’t show up in the Finder automagically , you ca n’t login easily from your personal computer . web discovery just is n’t always that reliable . In that case we go all manual mode . retrieve earlier , when I had you observe your computer ’s name on the meshwork and setup a static IP ? That ’s where this comes in handy . So , know either your computer names , or their IP address on your internet .
On a Mac , it ’s jolly simple . Go to Finder , tap command+k and perforate in :
smb://computername or smb://192.168.X.XXX

The latter is the PC ’s IP address , which should be something like 192.168.0.105 — unless you have a weird frame-up — though the last two act of it will apparently motley . The computing machine name is easier and usually better , especially if you do n’t have a static IP destination set up up .
It ’ll need you what volume to mount ( what folder you want stuck on your Finder Sidebar under shared , essentially ) , and a login , and then you ’re good to go . If prefer the cmd+k glide slope , you could contribute figurer you tap a lot as a favorite , so you do n’t have to type it in every fourth dimension .
It ’s pretty simple in Windows too , actually . Either in the Windows Explorer address legal community , or the Run command type :
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\MACNAMEFolder or \192.168.X.XXXFolder
And it should give you the option to login there , giving you access to all of your stuff . Using the full address of the folder you ’re attempt to get to will serve with check that the authentication kill - up appear — otherwise you might just see mechanically what ’s publically shared and not the stuff and nonsense you ’re attempt to lumber into .
Shortcuts
Logging in every single time would be a pain in the dick , but luckily you could make shortcuts to this stuff . On a Mac , asGina level out here , under score , you may bestow a electronic connection portion to login detail , so it ’ll connect every time you bug out up your figurer . In Windows , you’re able to either produce a shortcut by right - clicking on the share , or you’re able to add your Mac ’s divvy up folder as a mapped web drive , so it ’ll connect to the booklet every time you fire up your computer .
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-mount-a-windows-shared-folder-on-your-mac-247148
Your Tips and Tricks
And if you have any theme you ’d like to see covered here , please countenance us know . Happy communion !
Other Helpful Networking How Tos :
•How to Remote Control Your Computer From Anywhere With VNC

•How to Back Up All Your Stuff for Free , No Hard Drive Needed
•How to plain Your BitTorrent Addiction with Usenet
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-remote-control-your-home-computer-from-anywhere-5197759

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