Help on setting up Mac/PC file sharing...

[Kenazo]

I really know nothing about networking PC and Macs together but I know it is possible. In the simplest form all I need to do is to share files between the two computers (iMac G3 600 and laptop running XP). So can I do this with something as simple as a crossover cable? USB "crossover"? Or do I have to set up an ethernet network?

Any help is appreciated, even the simplest b/c that's what I need🙂

 

[n0cmonkey]

Which OS on the Mac? If the Mac is lucky and running Mac OS X, all you will need is SAMBA. Do a search for XAMBA on sourceforge.net. Its a simple Mac OS X package. Read the docs on samba.org for information on how to make your smb.conf. If it is Mac OS 9.x, look for an application called DAVE. It allows file sharing between Macs and PCs. The iMac comes with an ethernet port, so if you have an ethernet card in the PC you can put a crossover cable in there and be fine with it.

Hope that helps.

 

[wedi42]

if your not running OS X
you need software to allow the Mac and PC to talk to each other
dave
pc maclan
there are USB 'crossovers'
but since the mac already has 10/100 just get a 10/100 Nic for the PC and a crossover ethernet cable
it will be much faster, and about the same price

 

[Tallgeese]

Another vote for Ethernet.

OS 9 or earlier
Depending on how extensive your filesharing needs are, the lowest-end sharing solution would be to setup an ftp server (preferably freeware) on one or both of them, then use ftp to copy and swap files. Depending on the workflow, this may not work for you, but it's MUCH cheaper than DAVE or PC MacLAN.

OS X or later
As n0c already said, the best option is the XAMBA package.