Share Files Across Operating Systems
Today’s savvy computer users are die-hard, committed patrons of one or the other of the two main operating systems on the market, Windows or Apple. Apple users usually have to work with Windows at their jobs, and Windows users may find certain Apple applications are better at accomplishing certain tasks, such as video and desktop publishing. Many individuals use a dual-boot system, or start their computers with one operating system and run a virtual system to access the other. Sometimes it becomes necessary to share files across systems.
The process of sharing files from one Mac to another Mac is a very easy step, located in the System Preference pane. Turn on file sharing and the deed is done. It’s the procedure of sharing files from a Mac to a Windows PC, or from a PC to Mac that requires a few steps.
File sharing on a Mac to other PC users is as simple as choosing which files and folders you want to share publically, and set the appropriate permissions. This is accomplished by opening the System Preference, go into Sharing, and provide your administrator password. Choose the File Sharing checkbox, and choose the Options button. Look for the Share Files and Folders Using SMB (Windows) checkbox. Now that you have picked the files for sharing, decide which accounts will have access to the files and folders. Entering the account will authorize shared user access.
Select user access can be achieved through permission settings. By choosing specified users or selecting everyone in the user listing, Read and Write, Read Only, or Write Only access can be set.
From the PC side, in Windows XP, My Network Places has to be selected from the Start menu. From the Local Network, find the Mac computer connection. (On a Windows 7 machine, the Mac machine should appear under Network.) Double-click the small icon, and provide the username and user password. The file sharing access is now open.
Sharing files from a PC to a Mac is a bit more in depth, but still achievable. If using Windows XP, go to the Start menu and open My Network Places. Choose the Set Up A Home Or Small Office Network option. A wizard walks the user through the steps. Once reaching File Sharing and Printing, pick Turn On File and Printer Sharing, and choose Next. As always, Windows will have to reboot to initiate the new process. When Windows has returned, go to the Shared Documents folder, right-click and choose Properties. Once you open the Share tab you will be able to indicate your particular options.
In Windows 7, if you did not set up an administrator account, this is the time to do it. From Control Panel, go to User Accounts, Create A Password For Your Account, and answer the screen prompts that appear.
Now you will be able to successfully configure file sharing. Again, from Control Panel, choose the Network and Sharing Center. When it opens, go to Choose HomeGroup and Sharing Options, and open up the Change Advanced Sharing Settings. This is where the meat of sharing resides.
Look for the Network Discovery and turn it on. Do the same for File And Printer Sharing, Public Folder Sharing, and Password Protected Sharing. Also find the section named File Sharing Connections and allow 128-bit encryption. Save all of your edits. If you desire to allow sharing of certain files and folders, open your Windows Explorer and right-click the folder in question. Choose Share With, then choose Specific from the menu. Now you will be able to select users you want in your sharing circle. Access choices will be Read, or Read Write.
On the Mac side, locate the Shared icon in Finder. Choose the specific PC machine, enter the username and user password for the particular account. The shared folders will appear once the log in is accepted.
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