The dreaded network question
 

This is a solicitation for help. Feel free to stop reading at any time.

I have an PC running Windows XP Home edition. My wife has a MAC running OS 10 (jaguar). we both connect to the internet via an external DSL modem through a hub.

All I want is to be able to share files, and maybe a printer within a workgroup. Is that too much to ask?

I tried running the network setup wizards in XP, and she did some Mac voodoo, but we have gotten nowhere.

My question is this, is this something that should be easy to do, or should we call in an expert ($)?

Suggestions?

Okay.....I'll take a stab.

I assume that both computers are able to access the Internet at the same time. So, the only problem would be linking the two PCs together, right?

I did some researching (I know very little of the Mac world)
Here's what I found....

1- It is more likely your brain will implode before you ever get a viable network between PC and Mac without software.

2- If you enjoy using your brain, I found a cheap piece of software that will do all the configuration and allow you to transfer files.

http://www.crystalfiresw.com/products/Wormhole.html

If your desperate for printer sharing Miramar Systems makes a program called PC MACLAN. It's fancy; it does all the work for you; and it runs about $150.

I can't vouch for wormhole, but PC MACLAN works great. It's used at the University where I intern and they assure me it's stellar ;)

I'm sorry I can't help out more with your problem, but maybe a big Mac head will see this and enlighten us all.

Good Luck

On the XP box:
go to computer management
click shared folder
create a new networks share
enable mac
you're done

You can do it natively in OSX, but I cant tell you how, only do it.

Be sure she has 10.2, as it is much, much easier with that.

From what I've heard, Mac OSX supports connecting to SMB (Windows File sharing) shares. So all you should have to do is share a folder from the XP machine as normal, and then point the OSX machine at it.

As for sharing the network connection, that's the same regardless of Operating System - they go through the hub to the DSL modem.

in jaguar you should easily be able to mount your windows shares by using cifs mounts. Just try this

cifs://windows_machine/share_name

To connect from the windows side make sure you have windows sharing services on in Jaguar. I can't remember how to do it in Jaguar as I'm on a dev of Panther now. Sorry.

Goto The apple menu (upper left corner)
Goto System Prerfs
then Sharing
check the box marked "Enable Windows Sharing"

Done. Windows can now see the Mac.

Just do normal shares in XP and to see them (on the mac) do
Go menu (in the finder)
connect to server (also apple-k)

In XP goto network neighborhood and you should see the samba share.

Sharing on the mac is a cinch, it even tells you what address to type in windows.

make sure you don't have software firewalls in the way.

I had no idea it was this easy.....