Computer Problem Both Mac and Pc

[josh_the_hot_boy]

I have a computer problem that I haven't been able to fix. If you are good with computers then hopefully you can help. First I'd like to say that I've already been down the road of the Google search. Been there done that bought the t-shirt and sold it on Ebay.

Okay see I am trying to connect my mac and my pc via Ethernet to share files back and forth. I have a G3 400 MHz Imac DV from like late 2000 running 10.4 (quite speedily in fact) and a pc laptop running Windows xp professional. Nothing I do seems to work, If you have any knowledge in this area hopefully you can help me out.

Thanks Josh

Ps wasn't trying to be rude earlier just been through the whole Google thing and other places. I've been trying to figure this out for like 3 weeks now.

 

[gb2000ie]

Hi Josh,

Lets start with some basic networking trouble shooting - can you describe your network setup? Are you connecting the two machines directly to each other? Or are they connected through a hub or switch or router of some sort?

If you are connecting them directly, are you using a special cross-over ethernet cable, or are you using a normal ethernet cable?

Regardless of how you are connecting the machines physically - how have you set up their IP addresses? Using DHCP? Or manually?

On the PC - can you open a command prompt and run: ipconfig /all and paste the results into this thread? On the Mac, can you open the Terminal and run: ifconfig -a and also paste the results into this thread?

There's no point in trouble-shooting higher-level protocols until we know the low-level stuff is right.

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

I am connecting directly using a standard Ethernet cable. DHCP (I think) I haven't really messed with that part meaning done any manual stuff.

It wouldn't let me copy so I took a photo.

And this is what the mac gave me

lo0: flags=8049<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 16384
inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000
inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128
inet6 fe80::1%lo0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x1
gif0: flags=8010<POINTOPOINT,MULTICAST> mtu 1280
stf0: flags=0<> mtu 1280
en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
ether 00:30:65:7d:78:68
media: autoselect (none) status: inactive
supported media: none autoselect 10baseT/UTP <half-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 100baseTX <half-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex,hw-loopback>
fw0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 2030
lladdr 00:30:65:ff:fe:7d:78:68
media: autoselect <full-duplex> status: inactive
supported media: autoselect <full-duplex>
joshua:~ joshuahaymore$


Thanks I hope this helps.

 

[gb2000ie]

In theory - and ordinary cable should not work on a direct connection - but a lot of modern network cards detect that you are attempting to make a direct connection, and re-wire themselves to effectively turn any cable into a cross-over cable. All modern Macs do this - but I'm not sure how far back that functionality goes. It's possible this is not working because you are using the wrong cable!

Anyhow - if you are doing a direct connection, you can't use DHCP because there is no DHCP server on your 'network' - you have to manually configure the IP addresses on both machines. Things would be much easier if you could connect both of these machines into your existing home network, rather than trying to connect them directly.

Lets assume you absolutely have to make a direct connection - you need to set up the IP addresses so that they are both different, but both within the same subnet. Strictly speaking you should also use one the officially sanctioned IP ranges for private networks. Lets pick the network 192.168.*.*, this means all the IP addresses that begin with 192.168. To specify that network, you need to enter the following details:

Network Address: 192.168.0.0
Net Mask: 255.255.0.0

You should not set a default gateway (or default route), or a DNS server, or a WINS server. You should then give the two machines different IP addresses within the specified range, say, 192.168.0.1 for the Mac, and 192.168.0.2 for the PC.

Once that's done, and assuming you have made no typos and that the cable really is working, you should be able to test the connection with the ping command. At the command prompt on the PC type:

ping 192.168.0.1

You should get replies if the network is working, otherwise you'll see timeouts.

Do the reverse in the Terminal on the Mac (subtly different command):

ping -c 4 192.168.0.2

If you can ping in both directions then we can move up a level and get Windows File Sharing working between the two machines. If not, then it's probably the cable that's the problem, and I'd advise you pick up an "ethernet cross-over cable" from your local computer shot.

B.

 

[gb2000ie]

Here's another question? Are either of these machines connected to the internet, perhaps over wireless? Or, are both machines completely disconnected from the world while you are trying to connect them together?

If - and I'm making assumptions here - if your Mac has an AirPort card, and if you have a wireless network at home - a very easy way to connect the machines, assuming the cable you have actually works, would be to use the Mac's Internet Connection Sharing feature to effectively turn itself into a DHCP server, and hence let the PC connect to it using DHCP, saving you the need to do any manual configuration. If this assumption is correct, then you'll find Internet Connection sharing in Sharing Preference Pane in System Preferences on the Mac - you want to share the connection from the airport to the ethernet.

B.

 

[diklik]

from the PC ipconfig window, wireless is hot, ethernet is cold. If you are running both computers wirelessly through your router/gateway, check if file sharing is active. You may want to verify that each machine has a firewall and that it only allows local traffic to pass for file sharing, no active connection to the internet. That may not be possible (separating the internet access) unless you can configure your router for port-by-port permissions and can verify which port each OS will use for file sharing.

I'm not the total guru that Bart is, but I've done the exact same thing myself, linking multiple computers in a home network, both macs and pc's - I prefer to use ethernet ports and cables for this, safer than a wireless link which, if misconfigured, might leave one or more machines open to intrusion and hacking.

{posted this one during the time that Bart updated his remarks, and it's now sorta redundant}

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

I'm confused on how to make the changes on the pc side I've figured it out for the mac.


I think I got it. now

 

[gb2000ie]

I've done the exact same thing myself, linking multiple computers in a home network, both macs and pc's - I prefer to use ethernet ports and cables for this, safer than a wireless link which, if misconfigured, might leave one or more machines open to intrusion and hacking.

Couldn't agree more - all this stuff is so much easier to do over a home network- and so much safer to do over good old fashioned copper cables!

The less manual network configuration you have to do the better - and that goes double for any laptop that you plan on using outside the home on any other network. The last thing you want is to have to do is change your network settings each time you change networks!

What we're doing here is basic networking - the OS in question is irrelevant, be it Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, what ever - it's all TCP/IP, and you can't get any sharing to work until you have the low-level stuff right. By far the easiest way to get that to just happen, is to have a DHCP server in the loop somewhere - either in the form of your home router, or some form internet connection sharing service on one of the computers in the network.

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

Okay my pc said it timed out and my mac said No route to host.

My laptop is stationary because the backlight is out and I use an external monitor so its not moving and the network I'm on is complicated. Plus I'm connected to a wireless network on my pc and my mac doesn't have a wireless card in it.

Oh and did I mention that my mac doesn't connect to the internet.

 

[gb2000ie]

Okay my pc said it timed out and my mac said No route to host.

OK - so you have a very low-level problem.

I expected this to be the case - because, neither Windows nor the Mac were seeing the ethernet connection as active. I think it's safe to assume that the cable is the problem.

Do both machines have wireless?

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

No only the pc does but see I used this same cable to connect my mac to my brothers mac no problem but It just won't connect to my pc.

 

[gb2000ie]

No only the pc does but see I used this same cable to connect my mac to my brothers mac no problem but It just won't connect to my pc.

I'd imagine that's because your brother's Mas is newer, and has a network card that can effectively convert any cable into a cross-over cable by internally re-wiring itself. My advice is to get a real cross-over cable so you can be sure the cable will work.

The other possibility is that you have disabled the Ethernet card on the PC or the Mac, but that seems unlikely somehow. In general, as soon as you plug in a working cable, both cards will activate themselves, and, if the cards have link-lights, those lights will light up. I'd imagine the PC definitely has a link-light, does it come on when you plug in the cable?

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

Yes my brother has an intel based mac and no the light doesn't come on.

 

[gb2000ie]

Yes my brother has an intel based mac and no the light doesn't come on.

That explains it then - all the IntelMacs have the more modern ethernet cards.

No light means no connection - so you'll need the Cross-over cable.

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

Okay Thanks a lot I will get one in the next week or two and get back to you. You've been a great deal of help.

Thanks Josh

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

Umm any thing I should be looking for when I buy one or just as long as its a Cross-over Cable?

 

[gb2000ie]

Umm any thing I should be looking for when I buy one or just as long as its a Cross-over Cable?

Yup - that's all that matters. Get the cheapest one you can find - no need for gold plating or any such BS.

B.

 

[josh_the_hot_boy]

Thanks for the help.