We we're trying to connect to a Mac running OS X 10.5.1 from a Windows machine running XP over the network...
Following the instructions the Sharing Preference on our Mac gave us, we were without a chance.

OS X 10.5. suggests the following path: smb://10.0.1.9. - we got nothing but error messages on our Windows machine. I remembered in OS X 10.4. it used to be backslash, - and indeed, without the "smb" and using double-backslash instead of double-slash it works.

To avoid problems with routers blocking your connection, use a network (ethernet) cable to connect your mac and your PC directly.
- Switch off the AirPort on your MAC, for this will give you the wrong address in the Windows Sharing pane.

(Backslash on the Swiss MacBook Keyboard in Bootcamp is ctrl (command) + alt (option) + that key I don't know what it's called, - see picture. On the external Mac keyboard it is ctrl + cmd + ?.



- On a german keyboard it is ctrl + al +ß)

Why the hell do Apple tell us "Windows users can access your computer at smb://10.0.1.9." when this obviously doesn't work? Maybe I don't know enough about Windows (true!) and using this path somewhere other than in Run from Start Menu would work..?

However, the Sharing Preference Interface in OS X has gone from bad in 10.4 to worse in 10.5 - this is not what a Mac should be - which is to offer an intuitive and user friendly interface. Although it must be said, technically it has improved, for example by offering the long missed option to allow access to specific folders.

On Windows enter your Mac's address 10.0.1.7. in the Run app:

If you can't see the smb://... path in your Mac's Sharing Preference, remember to click "options" located bottom right in the sharing preferences window and select "Share files and folders using SMB" and deselect the AFP checkbox - this used to simply be "Windows Sharing" in 10.4 Tiger...

To configure your Mac so you can access more than just your shared folders from the PC, add whichever directory / folder you want by clicking on the plus below the Shared Folders pane in the Sharing Preference window (in my example this is the folder "Larne" - with you it might be the "Documents" folder. Then grand Read & Write acces for yourself in the Users pane.

Troubleshooting: If you still can't connect, try...
- with your firewall on your Mac turned off (remember to turn it back on when you're done).
- try using a direct computer to computer ethernet cable connection instead of going through your wireless network.
- If you have a direct connection with a cable, make sure to turn off the AirPort on your MAC!

naereid @ 22.11.2007 23:28 CET
Thank you, THANK YOU. I had already thought I was going crazy when it didn't work even after following all the instructions from both their site and computer! I can now move stuff from my PC to my Mac without a hitch. :)

Jimmty Coffey @ 08.01.2008 03:52 CET
Thank you for the advise about the smb option, you solved my connection problem.

Edge @ 11.01.2008 15:51 CET
thanks it works fantastic ;)

Diz @ 23.01.2008 13:31 CET
Well done - this has been a nightmare for me lately. THanks for offering such a simple solution. Why are computers so difficult at times?!

kev @ 23.01.2008 15:08 CET
:) Yeah Diz - I reckon there's just too many things one can do with them machines - and user interface designers don't get enough time to thoroughly test all those possibilities. Or maybe the producers choose the wrong people to publicly test new systems - focusing on pro users rather than the average user... hard to say.
best, K

MD @ 19.03.2008 21:49 CET
Thanks, this was a great help. Now I can put stuff in the drop box from the pc to the mac, but i can't take stuff from the mac and put it on the pc. I can't even open the folder. Access Denied. Do you have any advice concerning this issue??

kev @ 20.03.2008 14:21 CET
MD, I've updated the post above with how "To configure your Mac so you can access more than just your shared folders from the PC"... hope that works for you.

jesse Clark @ 08.04.2008 02:02 CET
Thank you so much. We've got a mac local network and a lame pc that needs to connect to it and I could not connect to it. who knew it needed the backwords "\" ? thank you so much.

Ignoramus @ 15.05.2008 02:36 CET
I've spent three nights trying to figure out how to do this...even apple support was useless. Thanks so much for the clear instructions.

One problem I'm having though is that I can't access the sub-folders on my mac from my pc. Any ideas?

kev @ 18.05.2008 16:05 CET
ignoramus: did you do as described above?

"..add whichever directory / folder you want by clicking on the plus below the Shared Folders pane in the Sharing Preference window (in my example this is the folder "Larne" - with you it might be the "Documents" folder. Then grand Read & Write acces for yourself in the Users pane."

koolikeplastic @ 08.07.2008 22:14 CET
for some reason, it isnt working for me...
it doent even give me the option of windows sharing.
i get the same error messages, or it'll say to access the files locally.

any help??

kev @ 08.07.2008 22:25 CET
koolikeplastic, what version of os x have you installed?

koolikeplastic @ 08.07.2008 22:58 CET
i have mac OS vers. 10.5.2
i got to the point where it says 'windows sharing: on'
but i dunno where to go from there...

i have a shared folder in windows, but i cant actually connect to my mac

kev @ 08.07.2008 23:16 CET
in the sharing pane where you see "windows sharing on" click on + and choose the folder you want to share - this can be your home folder or whatever... if the above "troubleshooting doesn't help I'll need a more detailed description of what you're doing.

Troubleshooting: If you still can't connect, try...
- with your firewall on your Mac turned off (remember to turn it back on when you're done).
- try using a direct computer to computer ethernet cable connection instead of going through your wireless network.
- make sure, you have actually chosen a folder to share in your sharing preference pane and selected users: everyone, read & write.

kev @ 11.07.2008 16:48 CET
koolikeplastic:
I just found another potential issue to stop the connection from working (I've updated the above post accordingly): If you use a direct connection with a cable, switch off the AirPort on your MAC, for it will give you the wrong address in the Windows Sharing pane.

Mihai @ 01.12.2008 00:29 CET
Well thanks for clearing up. I couldn't connect because of the firewall problem. Everything works fine now, except I can't access subdirectories. And while manually adding a subdirectory works, I can't really do that... that would crazy. Is there a simpler way to share a directory tree? I don't want to manually add all my picture album and sub-album directories to that list.

kev @ 01.12.2008 23:11 CET
Mihai: You can add entire directories in "Shared Folders", not just folders. Did you? And did you grant yourself read/write rights in the same window under "Users"?

Mihai @ 02.12.2008 02:03 CET
Yes. I actually didn't know you could add individual files so I've always added directories.

Mitch @ 19.01.2010 22:17 CET
I have tried many times over the years but I can never get any Windows based networking or connection to work. I don't know what I am doing wrong, it just never works. I have found that PC remote access software solves the problem for me, but I wish I could solve it within Windows.