[artistjoh]

I felt very confident after installing a mixed LAN with an eMac OS 10.3.9, iMac OS 9.2 and PC Windows 2000 to cable with wired ethernet router NetGear RP614. All can access the internet without problems.

However when trying to set up file sharing I have big problems. The OS X can see the iMac easily and can drag and drop files without problem.

(1)What I can't figure out is how to 'see' the eMac on the iMac and therefore transfer files etc. I am a native OS X user and OS 9 is foreign territory to me. ie I need the idiots guide. I don't know what is the equivalent of the 'Network' icon in the OS X sidebar.

(2)Using David Pogue's Missing Manual for Panther I tried to set up file sharing PC to eMac (to my administrator account.) Well I have trouble even using a PC mouse and have no idea beyond click 'start' and hope for the best, so I found the wizard in network connections so much gobbledygook. I considered avoiding the problem by downloding a free FTP server for PC and using Fetch, but discovered that I don't even know enough about Windows to install a simple program. I need the idiots guide for the sort of idiot who is the village idiot for the capital of the land of idiots.

Under 'Network' on the eMac OS X sidebar I get aliases to:

(1)iMac OS 9 (it works)

(2)RAWLINS (what in heck is that?) It gives me a box for SMB/CIFS Filesystem Authentication then WORKGROUP username and password that filled in gets a box that says 'The alias RAWLINS could not be opened because the original item cannot be found'. I presume this is the PC as I found a 'RAWLINS' folder there, but don't know what it is about.

(3)Servers clicking it gives an icon for 'Tony Johansen's Computer' (it appears to be my own computer, the eMac running OS X)

(4)TONY-JOHANSENS-C Refers to my computer but gives a '...could not be opened because the original item cannot be found message'.

After 14+ hours of trying to figure it out I am ready to tear my hair out. Anyone able to point a beginner in the right direction or link me to a guide to network filesharing between OS X Win 2000 and OS 9? Please help.

Tony

[artistjoh]

From information in another thread here I have been able to find in PC 'System Properties' that the PC's full computer name is rawlins and that the work group is WORKGROUP The link to a guide for using Samba in that thread unfortunately refered to Jaguar not Panther, and then quickly submerged me in stuff I didn't understand. Still confused...

[ghporter]

On the Macs, under System Preferences, select Sharing and enable sharing, then check file sharing and windows sharing. On the PC, using Explorer, right click on the folder you want to share on the PC (you MUST share at least one to get sharing to work right), then select Sharing and Security and follow the very simple instructions on the tab.

Now also on the PC, right click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Computer Name tab then click on the Change button. On the page you get, give the PC a meaningful name in the Name box, and then put in a meaningful name in the Workgroup box. (Meaningful means it should be better than "Tony's Computer" and "Workgroup".) Click OK until you've backed all the way out, and then restart the PC.

Let me know how this goes for you.

[John Strung]

You will find guides to networking OS X and Windows in the two links at the left side of this page:

http://www.joelshoemaker.com

and also here:

http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/index.html

You should also install the freeware Sharepoints on your OS X computers: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12512

You will not be able to share files between Windows and OS 9 without third party software. See http://www.macwindows.com

To share the OS 9 computer with the OS X computers, on the OS 9 computer, open the File Sharing Control Panel and turn on file sharing and tick the check box for sharing over TCP/IP. Open the AppleTalk Control Panel and turn on AppleTalk and set it to Ethernet (assuming you have a wired connection). Click on the hard drive icon on the desktop and type Command-i (for GetInfo), then change "general" to "file sharing" and allow sharing of the drive and set up usernames, passwords and give read and write permissions.

You will be able to connect from the OS 9 computer to the OS X computers by pulling down the Apple Menu to Chooser, then selecting AppleShare in the left panel. If the OS X computers do not show up in the right panel, you will have to click the IP address button and enter their IP address.