| Author |
Message |
    
lefty
Citizen
Username: Lefty
Post Number: 26
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, January 31, 2004 - 7:08 pm: | 
|
So i picked up a linksys wireless b router today, hearing that macs can see pc's with that....is that wrong?
I have DSL going into the router. Both the mac and pc now have internet access, and at one point i was able to log into the mac from my pc. The mac has not been able to see the pc at all. I know this isn't enough information to really figure out what the problem is, but does anyone have recommendations or know anyone that would like to tackle this? |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1945
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 1, 2004 - 10:28 am: |
|
What are you trying to accomplish? I.e. do you want to share files or something else?
If both computers have access to the internet, then this has nothing to do with wireless. You'd have this problem if they were wired to the router.
What OS's do the systems run?
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
|
lefty
Citizen
Username: Lefty
Post Number: 27
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, February 1, 2004 - 11:09 am: |
|
i'm trying to share files between my mac and pc, e.g. playing my itunes library (which is located on my mac) off of my pc.
i'm running osx 10.3.2 and windows xp. i've heard that panther took a step backwards in the land of pc/mac file sharing.
hopefully magmasystems and i can whip it into shape tomorrow night. |
Chasm
Citizen
Username: Chasm
Post Number: 146
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, February 1, 2004 - 12:50 pm: |
|
I was able to do it. My two MACs came with Airport cards pre-installed, and they found my PC network (one laptop & a desktop) immediately. It took me a little while to get all the computer names recognized, mainly because I was unfamiliar with MAC OSX. But now it is up and running, all computers can talk to each other, share files and share printers. The only snag was that the MACs insisted on setting up their own network name that was different from my original network.
hang in there lefty, it can be done!
thirdgearrocks
|
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 306
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, February 2, 2004 - 12:19 am: |
|
I am trying to do the exact same thing. I want to share a printer attached to the desktop mac with a windows XP laptop and I can't seem to get the pc to see the mac printer. |
steel
Citizen
Username: Steel
Post Number: 405
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 3, 2004 - 9:54 pm: |
|
I too will also soon be trying to do the same thing,-connecting a Mac and a Dell via a router, (although I'm mostly only interested in having internet connection for both via the same comcast cable). Is there any advantage to a wireless router vs a "not" wireless router? |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1982
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 3, 2004 - 10:04 pm: |
|
Wireless means you don't have to have cables from the computers to the router. If you have a laptop, that's a big win. I can take my laptop from the kitchen to the living room to my bed without losing a connection. If I have to, I'll bring the power cord, but the computer can survive being off it for a while.
You can get wireless add-on cards for desktop computers. It's a win if it's going to be a pain to wire from room to room.
The disadvantage is that it's more complication and another way for hackers to break in.
A friend of mine heard about the perils of wireless and opted out. She had an electrician wire EVERY room for ethernet, so they can move room to room with the laptops. That's clever but not perfect either, because if you are doing something that requires a continuous connection, disconnecting the cable disconnects the connection, and you have to log in again. But she's happy. If you just do web and email, it might not affect you.
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
|
magmasystems
Citizen
Username: Magmasystems
Post Number: 209
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 6:42 am: |
|
Update on the Lefty situation:
The tag-team efforts of Lefty and I finally got his Mac and PC communicating. I was able to get the PC to see the Mac files in short order. But we struggled to get the Mac to see the PC's files.
Finally, a short while after I left, Lefty disabled the PPPOE support in the Mac (the PPPOE support for Verizon is done by the router), and everything worked. PPPOE is a protocol that Verizon DSL requires. You usually set it up on the router. FOr some reason, is was also set up on Lefty's G4.
This was my first real exposure to the Mac. OS X looks like a nice system, but it takes a little getting used to for us PC hacks.
Marc
www.millburnweb.com
|
magmasystems
Citizen
Username: Magmasystems
Post Number: 210
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 6:46 am: |
|
Steel,
One thing you have to watch out for with wireless routers is the distance between the wireless access point and the individual computers. In addition, make sure that the access point is not near anything which causes heavy magnetic fields (ie: wireless phone, washer/dryer, refrig, etc).
The only other negative point is that, once you have wireless internet connectivity to your laptop, it will be harder to tear yourself away from your laptop.
Marc
www.millburnweb.com
|
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1983
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 7:15 am: |
|
Oh, and you can get interference, too. A cow-orker of mine says his router stops working when he uses his cordless phone. Microwave ovens sometimes cause interference. Make sure you don't buy any 2.4 GHz phones. If you have any, you may have to replace them.
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
|
steel
Citizen
Username: Steel
Post Number: 406
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 10:22 am: |
|
Thanks guys,
-My two desktop computers, (Dell and Mac G4) are only 4 feet apart so I think that I shall router-wire them together. I need to get back into the graphics business, (at least partially temporarily) after a three year hiatus so I have to upgrade everything on the Mac, -so far it has been two steps forward and one back. The Dell I got mostly for my daughter for Word and the internet.
Computers are still a long way from what I would call consumer friendly. I'm a reasonably bright person, (on a good day) and have had a computer of one sort or another since '83 but frustrating problems still occur way too often with no clear solution path such as error messages which tell you nothing useful unless you are a tech-mechanic. I hope that it gets easier by the time my brain cells start to dissolve with old age. Either that or I develop a life that has little need of a computer. |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1984
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 - 10:24 am: |
|
Douglas Adams, the guy who wrote The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, said something like, the uselessness of computers is obscured by the difficulty of getting them working. Or maybe he used "triumph" instead of "difficulty".
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page