Maria’s Guides

Stuck? This might help.

I’ve been working with Vista on my new PC for a few months now. I’d originally done an install over Windows XP, but the other day I did a clean install of the Vista Gold Master, wiping the computer clean so there was no old stuff on there. (When the only thing you use a computer for is to run software you write about, this is pretty painless to do.)

This resulted in a problem: My PC could no longer access folders on my Mac. I simply could not log in. (For some reason, my computer insisted on inserting its name in the User Name field in the Connect dialog; see screenshot.) And, on the Mac side, I could no longer mount a predetermined folder from my PC on my Mac.

This was a big pain in the butt. When I write about Windows stuff (in this case, Excel 2007), I use screenshot software that dumps the resulting screenshot in a folder on my Mac. I then open the file in Photoshop, do some basic image editing, and save it for use in the manuscript, which I’m working on on my Mac.

So now I could no longer have Windows screenshots automatically saved on my Mac.

Okay, so I was going to have to do some extra work with Vista installed. But the problem was, I couldn’t get networking between the two computers to work at all. And that was something I could not work with.

I spent a lot of time searching Microsoft and Apple tech support databases for help on the problem. (Do you know that if you search the Mac tech support databases for “vista” you come up empty? At least this week.) No answers. But one lead.

As you read this, keep in mind that I am not a Windows person. I’m a Mac person through-and-through but am often asked to write about Windows software. I was recently asked to write about Windows OS stuff and I told the editor that I barely knew enough to keep myself out of trouble and I certainly didn’t want to learn more. So if you’re a Windows person and am amazed with what you are about to read, remember this paragraph, have patience, and use the comments link to gently lead me on the correct path.

That said, Vista, unlike XP, does not appear to support the “network places” feature. Instead,there’s a Network and Sharing Center where you can set up Sharing and Discovery options. I found that if I followed the following steps, I could create a Public folder that was accessible by my Mac:

In Windows:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Under Network and Internet, click Set up file sharing.
3. Turn on the following Sharing and Discovery options:
   Network Discovery (may not be necessary)
   File Sharing
   Public Folder Sharing
   Password Protected Sharing (may not be necessary)
4. Close the Network and Sharing Center Window. The settings are saved.

In Mac OS:

1. Click Network in the Sidebar of any Finder window.
2. Double-click the alias for the Vista PC.
3. If prompted to Authenticate, enter a Vista User ID and Password.
4. Choose Public from the pop-up menu.
5. Click OK.

The Public folder is mounted on your Mac and can be used as a conduit for moving files between computers.

If that helps you, great! But if that was child’s play and you’re wondering why I bothered to take the time to write it and add the screenshots, maybe you can help me.

How can I access a Mac folder from Vista? Yes, I have file sharing turned in Mac OS on and a user specified on Mac OS. I’ve done all the basics, everything covered in the documentation. The problem seems to be that the Vista machine insists on adding the computer name to the Name field of the Connect box (see the first screen shot in this article). How do I get it to stop doing that? What am I doing wrong?

Use the comments link if you have some ideas for me to try.