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ATPM 8.02
February 2002

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How to Become a Network Guru

by Matthew Glidden, mglidden@atpm.com

Mac & PC Networking Overview

Overview

As time passes, the number of networks that include both Macs and other PCs continues to increase. Each different computer, whether a Mac, Windows PC, or whatever, is known as a different platform; and a network that combines multiple platforms is known as a mixed network. Setting up a mixed network presents its own unique challenges, since you need to know something about each platform involved.

Mixed Network Hardware

When you set up a mixed network, Ethernet is the most practical hardware option, as you can readily find Ethernet parts for any kind of computer. If you have a LocalTalk Mac network and want to add PCs, now is a good time to consider an Ethernet upgrade for your Macs.

A second option to consider is one of the new home phone line networks, detailed in Faux Pas Ethernet: Home Phone Lines. The downside to phone line networks is the lower speed, which is about an eighth of 10BaseT Ethernet.

A third possibility is a wireless network, based on Apple’s AirPort or another compatible wireless connection. There are wireless products available for both Macs and PCs that allow network communication, although you’ll probably need to add software to your setup that helps the platforms further understand each other.

Sharing Files and Printers

The main obstacle in putting Macs and Windows PCs on a network is sharing files and printers with each other. The Mac OS and Windows have very different networking systems, so sharing files or printers on a Mac doesn’t mean a thing to PCs on the network.

There are, fortunately, programs that will translate from the Mac network to the Windows network (or vice versa). Which program you use will depend on what you need your network to do.

If you need to make a Windows PC work on a Mac-centric network, you have two options.

These programs differ somewhat in their features, but both have a downloadable demo to let you try them out first.

If you want to attach a Mac to a network based on Windows, you’ll need to pick up Thursby Software Systems’s DAVE. DAVE allows your Mac to access Windows file servers and printers through the Mac’s Chooser, just like AppleTalk.

If you’re using a Unix box with an NFS file system, Thursby Software Systems also makes MacNFS for networking your Mac to the Unix box.

Can I Connect Macs and PCs for Free?

If you don’t need share files or printers, you can set up a TCP/IP network between Macs and PCs for just the cost of the hub and Ethernet cables. Mac OS, Windows, and Unix all have built-in support for TCP/IP, making this network setup possible.

Creating this kind of connection allows you to perform basic file functions: primarily moving them back and forth between computers. Some types of files—such as text files, many image formats, and some video formats—work equally well on both platforms. Application-specific formats like word processing files, however, many not work as you want them to. If you want to share application-specific files across platforms, you need to make sure you have the application on both computers and also be sure the application is capable of opening the other platform’s files.

To set up a TCP/IP network, first set up a switched Ethernet network. Then you can configure TCP/IP and use FTP to share files between your Macs and PCs.

Also in This Series

Reader Comments (213)

Yas · February 13, 2002 - 18:06 EST #1
Interesting.
Hub · February 17, 2002 - 12:39 EST #2
I have 2 Macs and a PC laptop sharing a cable modem connection using a Linksys internet router. I also have a Laserwriter 16/600 connected to the router via the printer's ethernet port. I have an IP address assigned to the printer but am unable to see it on the network or print to it with the laptop no matter what I have tried, although it will answer a ping request. The laptop is running Windows 98 SE. I have set up several TCP/IP printers as well as Appletalk printers in my children's school lab using Windows 2000. That was just a matter of creating either a new TCP/IP port or Appletalk port depending on the type of printer in the add a printer control panel, however I have been totally stumped with this and any help you or anyone else could provide would be appreciated.
Flynn · April 22, 2002 - 09:44 EST #3
Hi, I want to network my iMac to my PC via an Ethernet hub. The iMac is running OS X 10.1.3 and the PC is running Win2000 Sp2. I also want the iMac to be able to share the PC's internet connection which is via 56k modem.

Please can someone tell me how to do this since I don't understand.

Regards,

Flynn
John · April 22, 2002 - 10:40 EST #4
I want to network my new flat panel iMac to my PC. The iMac is running OS X and the PC is running Win 98. I would like to share Photoshop and Illustrator files, my internet connection which is via a 56k modem, and my PC's printer and scanner. Is this doable? What is the best (easiest/cheapest) option? Thanks in advance.

John
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · April 22, 2002 - 22:34 EST #5
John - I have to leave the networking and file sharing answers to someone else, but as for sharing a printer and scanner, there is such a thing as printer sharing, but you'll have far less headaches if you simply buy a multi-port USB switch (they're only twenty bucks from USB Shop) to connect up to four computers to the same USB device. If your scanner is driven by USB, you can get another switch for it. Because you said you have a flat panel iMac, I suspect your scanner is not SCSI, but just to throw the information out there, if it were SCSI, I'm 99.9% positive you'd be totally out of luck.
Keith Doherty · May 6, 2002 - 18:19 EST #6
I have an iMac and two Windows ME machines and I want to create a home network using a Freeserve broadband modem. I already have the modem and driver CD. I want to use the broadband connection and an HP843 printer for all the machines.

The iMac and one of the PCs have ethernet cards. The other PC is a laptop. I have a hub and some CAT3 cable, but no idea how to go about connecting them and getting them to network.

I also have installed Virtual PC on the iMac running Windows 98. This works, but is slow.

Any help would be appreciated.
Norm · June 19, 2002 - 00:32 EST #7
I just made the move from from Windows to Mac and absolutely love my G4 PowerBook and AirPort Base Station. My problem is that I have a couple of Windows machines around the house and I would like to share my broadband connection with the Windows machines and still maintain use of my AirPort for the G4 PowerBook which initiates the connection. In addition, I would like to access the printer attached to one of the Windows platforms from my G4 PowerBook via the AirPort. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Mac Novice
Nathan · June 23, 2002 - 09:31 EST #8
Hi, I have a 200MHZ PC with a built in ethernet port and a Macintosh LC 580 running System 7.5.5 and I want to get the internet on the Mac through the PC's 56K modem. Any help would be appriciated, Thanks.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · June 23, 2002 - 11:27 EST #9
Nathan - I'm afraid I can't give you specifics because I focus more on the Mac side of networking, but I do know that you can use the PC's Connection Sharing to provide internet access to your Mac. I'm also not sure if Windows 95 had the Connection Sharing feature or if you have to upgrade to Windows 98. Do some internet searching about Windows' Connection Sharing and you should find steps on how to enable it and what network settings the second computer (your Mac) should use.
Lesia · July 16, 2002 - 20:48 EST #10
I would like to be able to access my work files which are on a Mac server running OS X via my at-home PC running Windows 98 over the internet. I'm told this is possible with OS X. Can anyone tell me how?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 16, 2002 - 21:22 EST #11
Lesia - how is your Mac at work connected to the internet? Do you have an IT department that maintains an internet connection for your building? If yes, it's likely they have a firewall set up that would prevent you from accomplishing this. If, however, you're just at a small company with a broadband line directly attached to your computer, then you can simply open the Sharing system preference, enable the FTP access, and make note the the IP address your Mac is currently using. Then, when you get home, you fire up your favorite FTP client, connect to that IP address, and use your OS X user name (short version) and password, and you have access to your entire hard drive. If you had a Mac at home, as well, you could use the File Sharing instead of FTP access, and your Mac at home could navigate the remote computer with file windows just as you do locally.
Mark Galeazzi · August 13, 2002 - 02:06 EST #12
HEEEELP!

This is driving me nuts. I have a Windows PC laptop running XP connected to a DSL modem connection and want to share files with my G4 Cube at home. I have set up an ethernet connection between the Mac and PC and accomplished this after battling with SMB briefly. Now, what I would like to do is browse the internet on my Cube, but whenever I try and access the net through any browser (Chimera, Opera, Mozilla, and Explorer) I get a message saying that the specified server cannot be found. What am I doing wrong? What network settings do I need on XP and OS X to share the one connection? Please help.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · August 13, 2002 - 09:16 EST #13
Mark - do you have a router? You mentioned "SMB" but said nothing about what you're using to share your DSL line. A plain hub (or switched hub) used to be all you'd need, but nowadays, nearly every broadband ISP is only going to deliver one public IP address per broadband modem. So, you need a router instead.

Connect the ethernet output of your DSL modem to the WAN port of a router, and connect ethernet cables from any of the numbered ports of the router to each computer. None of the ethernet cables should be crossover -- all standard. Configure each computer to obtain network information automatically via DHCP and check the router's manual on how to access its configuration pages. 90% of the time, you don't have to do a thing to the router, but you might find a few settings that you want to try tweaking.
Daniele · September 24, 2002 - 11:32 EST #14
We've got broadband on an iMac running OS 9 and we want to network it to another Mac and a PC laptop, and we are completely useless and don't understand hubs and routers or anything technical. Someone said we need Virtual PC or similar software on the Macs to make them compatible. Can you please explain? Thank you.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · September 24, 2002 - 22:07 EST #15
Daniele - the only thing Virtual PC will do for you is emulate a Windows operating system on your Mac. You only need to buy it if you want to be able to run a Windows program on your Mac. If all you want to do is be able to move files between computers—especially if the files are easily cross-platform compatible, such as graphics, text files, etc.—then all you need to purchase is a hub or switched hub. If you want to share your broadband connection on all the computers, you'll want, instead, a broadband router with a built-in switched hub.

In brief, your ethernet cable coming out of the broadband modem will connect to the router's WAN port, and you connect each of your computers, again with a standard ethernet cable, to one of the numbered LAN ports on the router. I'll hold on setting up the router for now, pending knowing which one you buy. The included instructions generally are pretty helpful. Feel free to e-mail ATPM's help box if you have trouble.
Jude · October 6, 2002 - 20:28 EST #16
Please help. I have 2 G4 Macs running on OS X 10.2 and a PC running Windows 2000. I want to network the computers up so that I can transfer files from the PC to the Mac and vice versa. How do I go about doing this? I have Virtual PC and am thinking of purchasing PC MacLAN just so I can transfer files. Also, while I am at work I would like to network the Mac to the PC. The computers are all networked and it's a big company. We have firewalls too. Can I do this?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · October 7, 2002 - 00:26 EST #17
Jude - you don't need VPC or PC MacLAN. First of all, you need to have local IP addresses for each machine. For now, I'm going to assume you have a router sharing a broadband connection between all your computers. This provides the local IP that's needed.

Next, decide which G4 is going to be the host computer, open its System Preferences, click on the Sharing icon, and turn on FTP access.

Finally, after you've determined what the host Mac's local IP address is (you'll see it in the Sharing panel where it says "Network Address"), just load an FTP client on the PC and connect it to the Mac's IP, and log in with your OS X short user name and regular password. If that user is an admin user, you'll have access to the entire drive. Otherwise, you'll only have access to your own Home folder and other public locations within OS X.

To connect to your Mac from work (it won't make any difference if your work PC is behind a firewall), you'll need to go into your router and forward ports 20-21 to the local IP used by your host Mac. Next, you need to know what your public IP address is (the one the world sees). Simplest way is to just go to www.whatismyip.com and it'll tell you. Then, from work, you just connect to your home computer the same way, except that you'll use the public IP instead. Forwarding those ports (20-21) in your router is what lets the incoming FTP request through the router's firewall and to your computer.
Yu-Ming · October 10, 2002 - 01:02 EST #18
Thanks Lee!! FTP worked for me!! I couldn't figure out what my PC's IP address was, so I wasn't able to FTP into my PC from my Mac. I was wondering if it is possible to access the two systems via a folder or a drive that would appear on my desktop or of the sort.

Thanks!!
Darius · October 14, 2002 - 11:01 EST #19
I have a very new Mac G4 with a broadband connection and a Linksys 4- port router already connected. I want to connect the PC (Win98) for both Internet access and to share a new printer, which I don't have yet. I don't fully understand networking and need some help. Suggestions appreciated. Thanks!
Mault · October 17, 2002 - 11:41 EST #20
I have 45 PCs running Windows 2000 and 5 iMacs running OS 9.2. The Macs are not currently on the network and I would like them to be for file sharing and printer issues.
Preston · October 21, 2002 - 11:43 EST #21
I have two Macs on my home network: a slow old PowerPC 7200 and a new iMac G3. Both are configured to use my router. Both are configured to point to the same two DNS servers provided by my ISP. The only difference in their TCP/IP configurations, as far as I can tell, is their own IP addresses, of course. So, my Netscape on my slow old PowerPC works just fine. However, my new iMac G3 has trouble resolving domain names, so I get "specified server cannot be found" whenever I try to use Netscape. If I use an IP address in place of a domain name, Netscape connects. Anyone know why my iMac fails to consult with my ISP DNS servers? By the way, I checked that the built-in ethernet port is active and is first on the list of ports, as advised by Apple. Should I remove the internal modem from the list of ports, even though it is not active? Or is something subtler at work here?
K. Murphy · November 3, 2002 - 10:31 EST #22
Every few minutes while I'm on the internet, when I click on a link, it says "The specified server cannot be found." The only way to do anything when that happens is to disconnect and then reconnect. It is incredibly annoying! What do I do???

P.S. I'm no good at computer jargon!
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · November 3, 2002 - 11:33 EST #23
Katy - are you using OS X or an earlier Mac OS such as 8 or 9? If you're not using X, try opening your TCP/IP control panel, copy down the settings, then close that window. Search for a file in your preferences folder called "TCP/IP Preferences" and trash it. Now go back to the TCP/IP control panel and enter your settings again.

While doing this, it might be a good idea to make sure those settings are exactly what your internet provider say to use ... especially the part where you enter in domain name server (DNS) addresses.
Chris Hill · November 7, 2002 - 10:55 EST #24
Help!! I have cable/DSL. I need the cheapest and most effective way of sharing this connection between one PC and one Mac. How do I do this?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · November 7, 2002 - 12:11 EST #25
Chris - first, please clarify. Do you have a cable connection or a DSL connection? I doubt you have both.

To share the connection, you need to buy a broadband router. I personally own a Linksys 4-port broadband router, which is perhaps $120-130. Linksys doesn't officially support Macs, but the router works just fine with both Macs and PCs.

A friend recently told me about this Netgear router that's only $72.95 after rebate. I can only imagine it, too, works fine with Macs. Routers, in general, don't care what computers are attached to them. If the router is like my Linksys and is configured via a private web interface, then your Mac will be able to set it up. Some routers use proprietary software and that software tends to only have a PC version.
Olivia · November 30, 2002 - 16:28 EST #26
I used to have an internet sharing set up (from 56K). Win98SE as the server and an iMac as the client through ethernet (switch and Cat6), using All Aboard! software.

Unfortunately, I lost the info in the iMac's TCP control panel and the software manufacturer's web site is no longer working. Is there any way to find out about those TCP/IP values for the iMac? Can I achieve internet access and/or file sharing in any other way using this hardware? The iMac used to run OS 9.1 but is now running OS X.

What is critical when choosing a server? Processor speed? Storage capacity? RAM?

Thank you in advance. Cool what you do for people. If we all help people using what we're experts on, this would be a fantastic world!
Brandon · December 1, 2002 - 16:46 EST #27
We just bought a D-Link cable/DSL router for my Windows XP laptop and my girlfriend's iMac running OS X. I got them to share the internet connection, but how can I get them to share files? Can I get my PC to use the SuperDrive?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · December 2, 2002 - 01:18 EST #28
Brandon - OS X 10.2 and later is capable of connecting to Windows file sharing servers (SMB). In addition, OS X 10.2 can act as an SMB server that your Windows machine can connect to. The help information on both machines should describe how to do this.

Admittedly, however, while I did manage to make it work, I felt it could have been easier, and I could only make the PC connect to my Mac—not vice versa. A networking guru friend of mine thinks I had something fouled up with the workgroup or domain or something.

What would actually be easier is to just turn on the Mac's FTP server, which is also available in OS X versions prior to 10.2. Then, you just connect to it with your PC using your favorite FTP client. And you can go the other way around using your favorite FTP daemon for Windows.

I am quite certain you will not be able to burn files directly from your PC to the Mac's SuperDrive over the network connection, but you certainly can transfer files to the Mac and then burn them from the Mac to the SuperDrive.
Zero Rollov · December 14, 2002 - 14:47 EST #29
I was wondering if one could use a crossover cable to connect an iMac and a PC without a hub. This works fine with two PCs. The way I have my machines right now, the two PCs I have don't have static IPs. They connect by computer name. Is something like this possible with the Mac or do I need to switch to IPs? Also, where can I get detailed info about networking Macs in general? Thanks.
Matthew M. · December 17, 2002 - 16:42 EST #30
I am looking at buying a Mac iBook. I am sick of Windows. However, I am finishing off my MCSE certification and will probably need a laptop on which I can do various networking duties. I thought I would not be able to get a Mac because of this problem, but it has been brought to my attention that there is Virtual PC for Macs. Does anyone know how this would integrate with a Windows network? I am just getting used to all this Mac stuff. Can anyone help me out?

Matt
Wollumbin · January 7, 2003 - 20:53 EST #31
I'm keen to connect my laptop PC running Windows XP and my laptop iBook running OS 9.2 to use the one broadband connection. Can I expect any difficulties if I purchase a router only?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · January 8, 2003 - 01:27 EST #32
Wollumbin - if you're referring to a pretty common router such as (but not limited to) the Linksys or Netgear models, then you should be fine.
Peter · January 14, 2003 - 05:41 EST #33
Please help a novice! We are installing BT Home Highway (ISDN) in our house (no broadband available). We have an iMac running OS X 10.2 and a PC running Windows 2000. We want to share internet access so that we still have a voice line at all times. Cat5 cabling will be available. What else do I need. Is it a hub or a router or both? Do I need any cards?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · January 14, 2003 - 12:53 EST #34
Peter - a router alone should do the job as long as it is a model that includes a switched hub. Most all of them do include a 4-port switched hub. You'll run an ethernet line from the ISDN device to the WAN port of the router (it's always advised to use the cable for this step that came with the modem in case it's not a typical ethernet cable), and then connect each computer to one of the numbered hub ports.

The iMac will already have an ethernet port, so no card is needed there. You'll have to check your PC to determine whether it already has an ethernet card installed. If not, they're pretty inexpensive and can be picked up or ordered just about anywhere.

It's a different matter to tell you at this time what to do in the router because it varies depending on your router. My suggestion is to go ahead and select one and follow the instructions, then feel free to ask us if you run into a snag...either by a new comment, or directly e-mailing help@atpm.com. Shop around for router brands. Netgear and Linksys are great ones. Other people swear by SMC.
Stephen · January 20, 2003 - 11:53 EST #35
Thanks. The information given was very useful!
Chris · February 2, 2003 - 18:23 EST #36
Hi. I have a PC running Windows XP and a Macintosh running OS X connected via a router. I am currently trying to see shared files on both computers. The Mac can see the PC's shared files, but not vice versa. I was wondering how I could set up the PC so that I would be able to view the shared files on the Macintosh computer. Thanks in advance!
Michael Moore · February 9, 2003 - 23:12 EST #37
I would like to network an old Mac SE/30 with System 7 to a Compaq Presario with Windows 98 SE. How would I go about doing that?
Going Crazee · February 22, 2003 - 02:55 EST #38
I have a broadband modem connected to my PC and want to share the internet service through a crossover cable between the PC and a Mac running OS X. I have tried using the demo version of PC-MacLAN, but that just causes huge problems with the PC (it won't even load up). Please help!
Eli Meier · March 10, 2003 - 17:12 EST #39
First of all, I want to thank everyone here in advance for all the help you offer to folks who are a little new to Mac networking. Second, I have a question (of course).

OK, here is my issue. I am a PC guy by trade and have recently fallen in love with the elegance of the Macintosh. I am not a rich person, so I basically looked around 'till I found a decent Mac for $50. It is a PowerMac 5400/180 running OS 8.0. In a previous life, it was in an educational institution's Mac lab on an Ethernet network running DHCP. I know that the network card works. My wife has a Windows XP PC that also has a network card, but connects to the internet through a modem and a dial-up connection. I have a hub and all the crossover and patch cables you could want. I would like to use her computer as a gateway for my Mac to connect to the internet. I have done this on PC's, but Macs are a little foreign to me. I would like to use a program like Proxy from Analog X on the PC or something like it. Can anyone help me with the steps to set this up? I appreciate your help a lot!
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · March 10, 2003 - 23:30 EST #40
Eli - welcome to the Mac world and congratulations on finding a fairly decent machine for such a decent price.

You already know that ATPM.com is a Macintosh venue, so we don't really have much assistance available for Windows topics. What you are wanting to do is strictly a matter of configuration on your PC because once it is set up, it doesn't matter if another PC or a Mac attaches to it. You generally just set up the TCP configuration for DHCP unless you specify otherwise.

What you want is Internet Sharing. If the protocols for this aren't already installed on your XP box, you should be able to add them with the Add/Remove Windows Components menu. You'll be configuring it to see your dialup connection and share it through the ethernet card. You can either use a crossover to go between the two computers directly, or use two standard cables going through the hub.

You'll need to dig through Windows help or find a Windows forum for specific details about configuring Windows Internet Sharing.
Eli Meier · March 13, 2003 - 12:09 EST #41
To connect to the internet through a Windows PC on dial-up, I can definitely recommend a fine product called Proxy from AnalogX. It is easy and it works. All you need is a NIC in all the computers and some way to connect them (crossover or hub and patch cables). If you need help with this, e-mail me and I will help in any way I can.
anonymous · March 17, 2003 - 14:54 EST #42
I have a PC running Windows XP and a Macintosh running OS X connected via a router. I am currently trying to see shared files on both computers. The Mac can see the PC's shared files, but not vice versa. I was wondering how I could set up the PC so that I would be able to view the shared files on the Macintosh computer.
Robert Weissert · May 14, 2003 - 21:02 EST #43
Help! My PC is on a cable connection and I want to link my iMac to it. I don't want to share any files, I just want to surf the 'net. Can you help?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · May 15, 2003 - 00:09 EST #44
Robert - echoing what has been talked about numerous times above, simply run by your favorite computer store (or, for better prices, go online), and buy a broadband cable/DSL router. Best prices can be had for watching DealMac. Linksys, Netgear, and SMC are some popular models. You'll probably find a non-wireless model for under $50 if you don't mind doing rebates.

Then, you simply connect your cable modem to the router's WAN port, then connect your computers to one of the numbered LAN ports on the router. For most people, this will work automatically if your computer already obtains TCP/IP information from the cable modem automatically. Otherwise, the user manual in most routers can generally tell you what to do. If you still have trouble ... just ask here!
Joe · May 20, 2003 - 17:43 EST #45
I have a PC running Windows XP, a laptop PC running XP, and a G4 running OS X. I also have a printer connected to the PC. A Belkin 4-port router connects all three to a broadband connection through a cable modem. Question: how can I get the Mac to print on the printer? Both the laptop and PC can, but I cannot get the Mac to recognize the printer. Thanks.
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · May 21, 2003 - 03:25 EST #46
Probably the easiest solution is to buy PC-MacLAN. I believe this will do exactly what you want, which means that it will let you use your PC as a print server. This will enable you to print from your Mac(s) to a printer connected directly to the PC (via the parallel port, for example).
Joe · May 21, 2003 - 13:36 EST #47
I download a demo version of PC Maclan and OS X does not have my printer loaded as an option. So, I was unable to get it to print. I could, at least, see the printer, but it looks like OS X has a specific set of drivers and I cannot figure out how to select my printers. I have set up the printer directly to the Mac and it works, but I cannot get it to work through my PC. Any thoughts?
Wallace · June 12, 2003 - 00:40 EST #48
I have a cable modem and a 4-port router and I need to network a Mac G4 (OS X) with a PC (Win 98). I've already got all the ethernet cables connected properly. Now I need to know how to configure it so that I can have internet access on my PC as well.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · June 13, 2003 - 00:22 EST #49
Wallace - it sort of sounds like you've already got your Mac able to access the internet through the router.

You may have to get specific PC help elsewhere since ATPM is a Mac forum, but if your router is handing out IP addresses automatically (confirm this by seeing if your Mac's networking is set for Automatic via DHCP) then you simply have to set the PC's Networking control panel to also receive info automatically. When you open the PC's Networking control panel, find the TCP/IP adapter, right click it and select Properties. Peek through all the tabbed windows of those properties and confirm it's set for automatic. Then close it out, saving your settings and reboot the PC.
Will P. · June 27, 2003 - 11:14 EST #50
I just bought a new G4 PowerBook with an AirPort card and I'm trying to get it on my Windows network. Actually, right now, I'd just be satisfied with getting it on the internet.

I currently have 2 PCs connected to a Linksys 54G Wireless router which is connected to my cable modem. I'd like to get my PowerBook on the net, but I'm having trouble. In the AirPort network settings, it shows 'linksys' as an available network to join and it actually shows a signal strength that I can see move every now and then, so there must be a connection! But I got a server error with every web page I try to load.

It's very strange as I it actually worked ONE time. It loaded the Apple home page, but nothing after that.

Please help! Thanks!!
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · June 28, 2003 - 23:52 EST #51
It sounds to me as if your AirPort card is finding the Linksys fine but your TCP configuration is not set up properly, so you are not able to connect to the Internet properly. Do you have your Linksys set up to use DHCP? If so, set your Mac TCP's control panel to connect via AirPort and set it to DHCP. That ought to do the trick. If DHCP is turned off on the Linksys, you will have to manually configure your IP address, etc. You can basically copy the settings from your PC but increment the IP address to something unique. If this isn't clear, e-mail me and I can provide more information.
anonymous · July 12, 2003 - 00:44 EST #52
I want to network a flat panel iMac running Mac OS X and a PC running Windows XP Home to share a Lexmark printer and an internet connection. Please help me.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 13, 2003 - 10:44 EST #53
mad_esh - your question has already been answered on this page. Scroll up and find Evan Trent's comment about using something like PC-MacLAN to set up your PC as a print server. To get the two machines networked in the first place and to provide an internet connection, an inexpensive broadband router (assuming you have cable modem or DSL service) is all you need.
Steve Oyen · July 31, 2003 - 13:43 EST #54
I want to network my Mac (OS 9) and my PC (Win 98) so that I can transfer files back and forth. However, I need to do this wirelessly since I cannot get wires between the two. Will any standard wireless switched hub router work? Do I need Apple's AirPort? Thanks!
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 31, 2003 - 13:53 EST #55
Steve - Apple's AirPort equipment uses standard 802.11b signals. The new AirPort Extreme uses 802.11g but I'm not going to discuss that since I don't believe you have a newer machine that can utilize it.

It's best to have Apple's AirPort card (the pre-Extreme version) instead of a 3rd party wireless card because 1) you won't have the card sticking out of your PCMCIA slot, 2) it's often difficult to find Mac drivers for these cards, and 3) if you have a desktop Mac, you can't use PCMCIA cards anyway.

You need to make sure your Mac model can accept an AirPort card. Let me know which model it is, and I can confirm that for you.

As you probably know, this router can share a broadband internet connection for both of your computers, as well. You don't have to have Apple's AirPort Base Station. I own a G4 laptop but use either my Linksys (at home) or my Netgear (on the road) wireless routers.

Once it's set up, you'll need some sort of software to let the two machines connect. both SMB and FTP sharing are built into OS X, but if you must stay on OS 9, PC-MacLAN or DAVE (mentioned above) should take care of it for you.
Steve Oyen · July 31, 2003 - 16:06 EST #56
Lee - thanks for the info. I have one of the original PowerMac G3 machines. I've found information on AirPort with G4s but nothing with a G3. If the G3 is compatible, any info that you have would be much appreciated. Thanks again.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · August 1, 2003 - 00:24 EST #57
Steve - here's what some other ATPM staffers had to say:

One member confirmed that your G3 does not support AirPort and wondered about the problem of ethernet cables since you can get them in huge lengths. (I personally have a 100-foot cable.) Though I understand sometimes you simply don't wish to have a cable stretched.

The other staff's response I'll paste in here:

If he has broadband, why not add a router/WAP to the G3 via an ethernet connection? There is a PCI card available from Belkin that gives wireless access to PCs which have a free PCI slot. The software is for Win 95 or higher.

I took a look at the screenshot in the manual for this product and the software seems to provide functionality for the PC that AirPort Setup Assistant would ignore if he were putting the card in his Mac.

If he needed dialup level net access, wouldn't one of the original AirPorts work in place of a router? There are probably lots of people, like me, who would part with their old AirPort cheap.
I was using that arrangement until recently. BTW, I was hunting MacMall a while ago and, just for kicks, I looked around for products that might solve this. I ran across a PCI card that gives PCs wireless access for $40-45 and a wireless router for about the same. I think the whole arrangement could be put together for roughly $100, assuming the computers are within range.

Here's the page for the PCI card.
Steve Oyen · August 1, 2003 - 10:43 EST #58
Lee and staff - thanks for the input! I like the idea of using the ethernet connection on the Mac and that PCI card on the PC for wireless access. Great ideas! Thanks again.

Steve
Sylvester Roque (ATPM Staff) · August 1, 2003 - 22:32 EST #59
Steve, while the staff was working out the solution which involves using a PCI card to add wireless access to desktop PCs, I neglected to mention two things:

1. There may be other manufacturers with similar cards (I think I saw a Linksys card as well as the Belkin).

2. Some, and perhaps all, of the PCI cards also have the option of disconnecting the antenna that comes with the card and adding a different antenna that sits on the desk as opposed to behind the computer. This might help if range is a problem.
Bruce C. · August 27, 2003 - 18:10 EST #60
I want to share files and a cable (Road Runner) internet connection between an iMac with OS 8.6 and a Dell 2400 running Windows XP. What piece of hardware will I need? Will a Linksys HRo41 router do the job?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · August 27, 2003 - 19:02 EST #61
Bruce - the Linksys BEFSR41 is, I believe, the router you're referring to. In any case, that one is all you need. First you simply set it up to manage the Road Runner connection (it will, for the most part, work with Road Runner right out of the box with no configuration). Use the ethernet cable that came with the cable modem to connect the modem to the WAN port of the router and use standard ethernet cables to connect your computers to the numbered LAN ports. Then, set your computers to retrieve network (TCP) information automatically (via DHCP). You may have to restart the machines—especially a Mac running OS 8—for it to take effect, but you should be online at this point.

Sharing files is much easier with Mac OS X. I'll advise you to follow the information in the above article to get started, and to post again here if you have specific questions/problems.
Don B. · September 1, 2003 - 22:58 EST #62
I have two Windows 98 PCs connected to a DSL router which is connected to a cable modem. I also have an AirPort Base Station connected to the DSL router. I think I am close--I can see both PCs on the Mac (not the printer, yet). I can see the Mac in my Network Neighborhood under Workgroup. I click on it and it asks me for a password. IPS$ - password? What I am trying to accomplish is to move files and share the printer on both the PC side and Mac side. Any ideas?
Mary Anne · September 12, 2003 - 08:36 EST #63
I am extremely frustrated! I have an iMac with OS X 10.2.3 and a Dell with Windows XP. I have networked the two with a Linksys cable/DSL router BEFSR41. I can get the computers to share the internet successfully, but I need to share files that currently reside on the Mac. How do I accomplish this? How do I get the computers to recognize each other? I thought I had identified all the necessary sharing info on each, but apparently I am missing something. Help!!
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · September 12, 2003 - 13:01 EST #64
Mary Anne - someone else would need to explain how to set up Windows SMB sharing. It's supposed to be simple, but I always have trouble with it. Instead, I use FTP.

First, go to the Sharing preference pane on your Mac and turn on FTP file sharing. Then check the Networking pane and determine the IP address your router gave you (it'll probably begin with 192.

Next, on your Dell, launch an FTP client (such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP or whatever) and connect to your Mac's IP address use your same login password and the short version of your login user name. If you're not sure what your short user name is, just open your Mac's Home directory (where your Documents/Music/Pictures/etc. files are located) and look at the name of that Home folder.
Shawn Walsh · November 26, 2003 - 22:50 EST #65
I have an iMac running Panther and a PC running Windows XP home edition. The computers connect to a cable modem through a router. I would like to share files between the two computers. How do I set up file sharing between the two?
Chris · December 5, 2003 - 23:31 EST #66
My wife has a Powerbook G4 Titanium (OS 9.2) and I have a PC desktop running Windows 98 as well as a Compac laptop running Windows XP.

Our goal is to network the three machines, basically right now simply to share the DSL internet connection. I have a Linksys Wireless B broadband router and a Linksys Wireless USB adapter for the notebook. I probably will just connect the router to the desktop (downstairs) via cable. What do I need to buy for the Powerbook to make it wireless? I assume the Linksys wireless USB adapter will not work (that would be too simple and cost effective as we could share the card between the two laptops).

So basically my question is, what kind of card do I need for the G4. A secondary question is, will we be able to share the PC's printer, or does that require PCMaclan like I have on my work network, which also features PCs and MACs.
Sylvester Roque · December 21, 2003 - 01:36 EST #67
Perhaps I am missing something but it should be possible to add an airport card to the G4 although I think some users have reported range issues fue to the titanium case.

The other option seems to be to use a wireless network card that plugs into the cardbus slot on the G4.A quick search of online vendors showed such products as the Aria Extreme from Sonnet as well as products from StarTech and SMC. Be caregul though I only found mention of Mac compatability for the Sonnnet card. Although some vendors are listing the others as Mac compatable, no Mac OS is listed in the supported operating systems. Asante makes AeroLAN™ AL5403-XG card which does appear to support both platforms.

I have been able to share a PC printer by using the print server feature built into my router. Linksys has several wireless print servers which might attach to your existing router. The printer could then be attached to the router. For an overview of what I had to do check out this article. The same process might wok if your printer uses PPD files or has Mac drivers
Tony · February 7, 2004 - 09:32 EST #68
I'm interested in being able to share my iMac's (OS X 10.1.5) DSL connection with my work laptop which is running Windows 2000. Isn't there a way to transmit a signal and work wirelessly with my laptop?

What kind of hardware do I need? I've been reading something about AirPort and I understand that I can buy some type of card to plug into my laptop. Can you help?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · February 7, 2004 - 11:47 EST #69
Tony - you'll just need three things. First of all, the term "AirPort" is Apple's name for 802.11 wireless networking. The original AirPort supports 802.11b which uses speeds that are more than adequate for internet speeds. If you plan to move a lot of files between your computers, you'll want the 802.11g variant, which Apple refers to as AirPort Extreme.

As for what you'll need, first pick up a wireless router. If you want the ease of setup, you can purchase Apple's AirPort Base Station, but they're not cheap, and it's very difficult to find the slower variant now. Apple itself probably only sells faster one. But since the wireless protocol is an industry standard, you can pick up any 802.11b or g wireless router. Linksys and Netgear are among the more popular brands.

Next, you'll need a wireless card for your computer. It sounds as though you're not planning on making your iMac wireless, so you probably don't need to pick up an Apple AirPort card. As for your PC laptop, you'll just need to look for a wireless card that slides into your PCMCIA (a.k.a. PC Card) slot.

Finally, you connect your DSL modem to the WAN port of the router using the ethernet cable that came with the modem, the connect the iMac to one of the numbered LAN ports, follow the instructions to open the router's configuration screens, enable wireless activity, and then you can configure your laptop to connect. If you live in an area where several other people are frequently nearby, you may wish to study up on ways to protect and encrypt your wireless signal.
Daniel R · March 5, 2004 - 04:50 EST #70
I recently purchased an IBooK before christmas and the Operating sstem it is currenlty on is 10.1.3 and i wish to have a go at playing lan games against pc based laptops via a hub. Could someone tell me how this is possible because i have looked and looked and i cant find anything on it. This web site has the closest thing i have come across yet. Also could someone please tell me how i know whether my ethernet networking card is on or not because it dont know where the device manager is located on a mac.
Michelle Judd · March 12, 2004 - 14:39 EST #71
I found the February 7 reply very helpful, however I have additonal questions. I would like to network 2 older Macs running OS9 (an iMac and a Performa), one newer G3 Mac running OS9 primarily (OS x capable) which has a DSL connection, a PC and 2 iBooks, one of which has an Airport Extreme card installed. I have had the three desktop Macs connected with a wired hub in the past, but now have DSL and wish to network all of these machines to transfer files and share the DSL I would like the iBooks and the PC to connect wirelessly. Should I use any wireless 8 port router and install wireless network cards in the PC and the one iBook not already equipped? Could the three Macs that are already connected by cable just be plugged into the new router instead of the old networking hub if I don't need them to be wireless but wish to share the DSL? Will the existing Airport Extreme card work with other brands of wireless routers besides Apple's base station?
Monica Clem · March 18, 2004 - 12:08 EST #72
I have a desktop pc with cable modem at home. I have a wireless ibook at work (with airport base station)that when I bring it home, I would like to continue using it as a wireless ibook. Can I make this happen?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · March 18, 2004 - 13:12 EST #73
Monica - absolutely. You'll simply need to purchase an inexpensive wireless router (such as the Netgear MR814 which I've seen for as little as $40). You then connect your cable modem's ethernet cable to the WAN port of the router, and then plug your PC into one of the numbered LAN ports. Most likely, the wireless will be immediately active and you can connect with your iBook. If not, simply load the router's configuration page using the PC's web browser, configure it per the instructions, and your iBook should be good to go.
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · April 4, 2004 - 21:08 EST #74
Ok first things first. Probably the easiest way to share that printer is not to network it but simply to plug in the Parallel port to your PC and the USB port to your Mac. Using Windows Printer Sharing with a Macintosh isn't going to work. In order to share the printer on a Mac/PC network you would need to use PC MacLan to make it an AppleTalk printer - Windows does not know how to do that out of the box.

Second - to access your PC from your Mac, you need to make sure that file sharing is turned on under Windows. You may have it turned on but you may not have set up the sharing preferences to determine which files, folders, drives etc. are shared. If is also possible that you have a firewall on the Windows machine that is blocking the iMac's attempts to connect. Turn off any firewall software on the Windows machine (you don't need it if the Linksys Router's firewall is turned on anyway) and see if that solves the problem.

Also - if you get PC MacLan to share the printer, you can use that to share files with the Mac. It will allow you to share your Windows files using AppleTalk which can simplify the process and also allow access under OS 9 (which does not support Windows File Sharing)
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · April 6, 2004 - 14:53 EST #75
Michelle - a standard router should do you just fine. Also, if you find that 8-port routers are a bit on the expensive side for you, there's nothing wrong with getting a 4-port router and adding a switched hub to one of the ports. And yes, a wireless router that also has physical wired ports (usually 4), can be used for both wired and wireless devices simultaneously. I do this at my own home. I have a PowerBook with a wireless card using my Linksys wireless router, plus I have an older G4 tower acting as a server, and an old PC box, both of which are attached directly to the wireless router with standard ethernet cables.
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · April 6, 2004 - 18:19 EST #76
Peter - yes you will need a hub/switch to connect more than four devices to the router. What I would recommend is buying an Asante (or D-Link, Netgear, Linksys, etc.) 8-port switch. Plug all of your devices into the switch, and use the "uplink" port to connect to one of the four LAN jacks on the router. That should do the trick. The other thing this will do for you is allow you to use AppleTalk networking on your LAN which may be useful for the OS 9 machines. Most routers do *not* pass AppleTalk even on their LAN ports. It can be a nuisance. But most hubs/switches *do* pass AT, and if you have the devices plugged into the switch, and then the switch plugged into the router, the router will not block AT because internal traffic goes through the switch and never goes to the router.

Yes some devices can be connected to the router and some to the switch. You could buy a four port switch and use both sets of LAN ports. However, the cost of an 8 port switch vs. 4 port is not substantially higher, and you would lose AT (see above) networking. Beyond that the repurcussions are negligible.

No special software is needed. However you should be aware that if you share a USB printer under OS X it will not be available to OS 9 machines. So you should share the printer on an OS 9 machine (like your G4 server) and then it will be accessible to all the Macs.

Hope this helps.
Nancy O · April 10, 2004 - 21:44 EST #77
Our household has a cable modem with a Netgear router connected. We have 3 macs - a G4 desktop (old airport), an iMac (old airport), and a powerbook g4 w/airport extreme. Also we have a PC laptop on Windows XP w/ wireless card. The PB is brand spankin new and now, everytime the PB goes on, the PC laptop loses internet connection. If we take the PB out of sleep mode while the PC is in the middle of downloading a file, the download stops instantaneously. Any idea what the problem is?
Alex F · April 15, 2004 - 08:54 EST #78
Help!
We're currently running a PC (Win2k) and an iBook (OSX 10.3) and have nothing but failure in all attempts to file share or connect to the 'net simultaneously.
I have a D-Link 300 adsl modem and have both a Netgear RP114 Router and a 16-port generic switch.
I've tried using;
- sygate server on the PC with two network cards connected directly to the iBook
- sygate server on the PC running single NIC mode directly connected to the iBook
- sygate server on the PC running single NIC mode connected to the switch (iBook also)
- ICS on the PC with two NIC's connected directly to the iBook
- PCMACLAN on the PC as gateway between modem and iBook
- Numerous other configurations

Just recently I've acquired the Netgear router and have been unable to get DCHP working to assign IP's nor been able to access the router's configuration via browser.
When I attempt to use DCHP on the iBook, it returns an IP outside of the IP's used by the router as well as using a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. By manually entering the correct data, I get OSX to recognise an internet connection, but still fail to access the router's config or recognise the PC on the network.
Most frustrating. More information is available.
Any help would be very appreciated.
niall · April 16, 2004 - 14:08 EST #79
Like the site, best info I have found in the last hour. I wonder if any one can help. I have downloaded Dave 4.0 (I have an 0s9 powerbook and my house
mates have the latest windows nt professional). It
was a free version, but its giving me loads of guff with serial no.'s, does any one know how to sort it?
Or a different free ftp method (my tcp/ip does not give me the menu option of dhcp, although is ethernet hub system)
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · June 3, 2004 - 16:55 EST #80
if you're running OS 9 you need to buy Dave from Thursby Software.

Under OS X you should be able to connect to your PC network out of the box, without any additional software, by using "Connect to Server" from under the "Go" menu in the Finder.
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · June 10, 2004 - 17:40 EST #81
Typical... IT people do not like Macs because if we all used Macs, there would be no IT people. They would all be unemployed. Because you do not need a round the clock department of overpaid monkeys to set up and maintain a Macintosh network in an office.

In any event. With regard to the firewall business. If the LAN you are on has a firewall, what's the problem? If there is either a firewall on the router, or if there is a software firewall of some sort on the LAN, the Mac is no different than a PC. Firewalls don't care what is behind them. They simply block packets and allow traffic through specified ports, mapped to specified IP addresses. That's it. It makes no difference if you are using a Mac, PC, Unix box, or a PDA. It's all just packets.

Now if there is no firewall on the LAN, and your IT people are (unwisely) depending on each and every client to provide its own firewall via the operating system or some layer installed over it... then technically they do have a legitimate concern beceause they are not familiar enough with a Mac to understand how to turn on and configure the firewall that is provided by the operating system.

OS X has as good a firewall as any other operating system, better than many (certainly more secure than anything Microsoft has ever come up with) and it is very easy to engage and configure. You should be able to demonstrate this to them in a few mouse clicks using the Control Panel. Again, this is totally unnecessary if there is a firewall on your LAN. It would be redundant. Any IT guru worth his salt should understand that.

As for controlling access... are they talking about controlling what the G5 can access on the network server(s)? Or are they talking about limiting access to files/folders on the G5 depending on who is logged in to it? These are different issues.

First of all, if they are concerned about controlling access to the server(s) - they shouldn't be. As with the firewall, the Mac is no different than a PC. Presumably we're talking about a Windows file server. The fact that you are logging on from a Mac is transparent to everybody. It makes no difference whatsoever. Set up an account on the server(s) with your name, password, and privileges. Log on from the Mac. Log on from the PC. No difference. You will have access to those files you are granted access to, and not those which you haven't been granted access to. It doesn't matter what computer you log on from. This is a SERVER SIDE issue not a client side issue.

If the concern is limiting access to data on the actual G5 itself, this is what the multi-user architecture of the operating system is designed to do. OS X has a UNIX based multi-user system which allows you do create users and configure their user experience, including which resources their privileges offer them access to. It is analogous to the Windows multi-user concept although it is, frankly, a bit more elegant in its implementation (how shocking that Microsoft could design something clunky and unintuitive by comparison)

In short your IT guys have no reason at all to be concerned. This whole "we don't understand Macs so we don't allow them" attitude is really obnoxious and gets me pretty fired up in case that hasn't come through in this reply. I am tired of going into work environments where Macs are excluded, or marginalized, purely out of ignorance. Ignorance on the side of people who are paid to understand such things... pretty lame.
neela · June 11, 2004 - 10:17 EST #82
Evan-
You rock. Thanks so much for such a passionate and helpful response. This is a phenomenal site!
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · June 11, 2004 - 15:39 EST #83
You're welcome - glad you enjoyed my ramblings and I hope you find them helpful. Thanks for the kind words. All of us here at ATPM enjoy reading that sort of thing!
anonymous · June 30, 2004 - 08:46 EST #84
Your Comment :
"you do not need a round the clock department of overpaid monkeys to set up and maintain a Macintosh network in an office"

But it appears to me that a lot of monkeys need the advice of underpaid ATPM staff to set up and maintain a Macintosh network.

Sound about right ?
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · July 1, 2004 - 22:25 EST #85
You're going to have to be a bit more specific with your question. For example, which Macintosh are you using? In order for me to determine the required cables and connectors I will need to know this. Also what model Tascam are you using?
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · July 13, 2004 - 18:57 EST #86
I am not 100% sure if I understand your question. If you are asking what port AppleShare uses to connect to a server via TCP, that is port is usually #548.

You can see a full port list for common Macintosh services here:

http://www.opendoor.com/doorstop/ports.html
Marc Booth · July 25, 2004 - 17:23 EST #87
hi i am currently using a pc with windows xp home and i want to network it up with my powerbook g4. i just got the powerbook and it has got airport extreme, what is the cheapest and most effective way to network the powerbook to the pc wirelessly
thanks
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 25, 2004 - 18:16 EST #88
Marc - wireless routers can be found for under $50 if you shop around. Then, all you need to do is enable SMB file sharing either on the PC or on the Mac, and connect to that server with the other computer.
Marc Booth · July 25, 2004 - 18:32 EST #89
can it be any wireless router?
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 25, 2004 - 19:27 EST #90
Any 802.11-based router, yes. Linksys and Netgear are pretty much the two most popular brands. Look at 802.11b if you want to save a few bucks. If higher speeds over wireless connections are important, you'll want 802.11g (which are compatible with 802.11b) and make sure all machines that will be connecting wirelessly have 802.11g compatible cards.

The original Apple AirPort cards that came in the Titanium G4 PowerBooks are only 802.11b compatible. AirPort Extreme, which was shipped in the newer Aluminum PowerBooks are 802.11g compatible.

I can say one other thing...if you're planning to move a few gigabytes of data, you're going to want to connect the machines with an ethernet cable because even with 802.11g, moving that much data will take a very long time.
Aidan · August 7, 2004 - 13:17 EST #91
Ahoy.... is it possible to run a network using a dial-up connection? I skimmed through the comments and searched some online but it's all vague. I really don't know much about networking stuff.

I have a Mac [jaguar] and my roommate has a PC [XP], and we'd like to figure out some way to be online at the same time without spending a lot of money, because... we don't have it. I do have an AirPort for my Mac, but the PC doesn't have a wireless card and it's old, so we're not sure it'd take to it well.

Any ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · August 7, 2004 - 17:52 EST #92
Aidan - go to System Preference, then click Sharing, then the Internet tab. You can set up connection sharing from there. You can dial up with your Mac, use an ethernet crossover cable to connect your Mac to the PC, and both machines should be in business. Use OS X's built-in help screens for the specifics on how to set it up.

You can do this the other way around, using the Windows machine to dial up and share the connection with your Mac, but I don't know how to set it up, nor are we inclined to figure it out since ATPM is a Macintosh venue. :-)
Duncan MacLachlan · September 11, 2004 - 16:45 EST #93
Hi! Great site.

I have an iMac running OS 9.1, and a PC running Windows XP. I would like to connect these wirelessly to my broadband connection, of which the Mac is the primary user.

What components do I need to buy?

Thanks

Duncan
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · September 11, 2004 - 22:51 EST #94
Duncan - you'll need just three things, some of which you may or may not already have.

First, you need a wireless router. Linksys and Netgear seem to be two of the most popular brands. If you don't plan on sharing large files between the two computers, an 802.11b version will cost you only a couple of ten bucks. But if you want to send big files back and forth on your machines wirelessly, you may want to invest in the faster 802.11g router.

The other two things you need are wireless network adapters for both computers. For the iMac, that'd be the AirPort card. Unfortunately, I'm not certain if every iMac, or only some of the newer ones supported AirPort cards or which (if any) used AirPort Extreme instead. (AirPort Extreme is simply the faster 802.11g which is compatible on a slower 802.11b network.) If it happens that your iMac does not support an AirPort card, you might can use a wireless to ethernet bridge. Such a device plugs into your iMac's ethernet port and is a little box with an antenna to communicate with the wireless network. But you'll have to search carefully for those. Most of the ones I've seen only work on Wintel machines.

As for the PC, the aforementioned bridge will work, but ideally, you'd simply buy and install an internal PCI wireless network card. Then, just follow the instructions in all devices and you should be in business.
HF Lo · September 24, 2004 - 02:44 EST #95
I am using a bb router to connect PC XP and iMac 10.3.5.

To have PC accessing Mac, have to turn on Windows Sharing under Sharing in System Preferences panel on Mac. Copy the Mac network address listed in the bottom.

Go to PC and Add a Network Place. Follow the wizard when adding a new location, provide Mac network address if required.
PGorman · September 28, 2004 - 23:05 EST #96
Hello, I found your site in hopes you might help me figure this out. I am one step, I think, from connecting my P-Mac G4 (OS X) to a Windows PC (XP SP2). I can see and map a drive to the Mac from the PC but can't get the Mac to accept my Windows User and PW. They are both in the same workgroup and I can see both systems in My Network, Entire Network, Workgroup on the PC and in the Network area of the Mac. I feel like it's got to be something with the Windows PW and User(on the Mac) because I can actually see both and ping both successfully. I have tried creating a new User in Windows and logging into that User and try to connect from the Mac with no avail. I have File and Printer sharing enabled on the PC and a folder and printer shared as well as enabled on the Mac. I have tried disabling the Windows Firewall but it makes no difference. I am trying to connect to the PC from the Mac with smb as follows:

smb://1xx.1xx.1xx.1xx/foldername

It prompts for a User and PW and then says "Could not connect because the name or password is incorrect" I am using the same User and PW that I used to log into Windows. Reading through the comments, I seem to be one of a few who have connected from the PC to the Mac but not visa versa.

Thanks and Great site!

PGorman
Adam K · October 20, 2004 - 11:08 EST #97
Thank you so much for this page - can you tell me if this would work?

I'd like to wire my iMac G5 (Panther) into a DSL modem, and also run the DSL into a wireless router that would connect with a wireless card into a PC running Windows Me.

So, the Mac would be hooked up via ethernet, and the pc via wireless.

The goal is to share a DSL connection, and files if it works out (but file sharing is a secondary consideration).

Thank you so much,
Adam
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · October 20, 2004 - 14:04 EST #98
Adam - you'll want to connect your DSL modem into the WAN port of the wireless router. Then, connect your iMac to one of the numbered LAN ports. And, of course, you should then have a wireless connection you can use on your PC. Once you've gotten the internet connection going on both machines, you should then also be able to set up a file sharing network.
Adam K · October 28, 2004 - 07:54 EST #99
Thanks Lee - that's perfect.

One hitch: I checked out the PC, and it has no ethernet port - so to get it on the wireless network, would I have to get both a network card and a wireless card? Are they one and the same? Or should I go with a USB wireless connector instead?

Thanks again!
Adam
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · October 28, 2004 - 10:37 EST #100
Adam - a PCI wi-fi card usually is a network card, just with the wi-fi added on. Check out Linksys.com and click on the wireless network adapters in the first row after clicking the products link. If your PC is a desktop machine, you'll want something like the WMP54G if you are setting up the faster 802.11g. Otherwise, the less expensive WMP11 would be fine for 802.11b only. If it's a laptop you're talking about, then you'd want one of the PC Card adapters—WPC54G or WPC11.

P.S. - And because ATPM is a Mac site, to benefit other readers, it should be noted that Linksys has historically not had much, if any, software available for Macintosh. Many of their products work on a Mac without software, however I'm not sure whether the PC Card adapters would work. Other brands, like Netgear, might have a better offering of Mac drivers.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · November 22, 2004 - 17:00 EST #101
Paolo - I'll pass on your message to the help staff for some additional answers, but it seems the easiest solution would be to install and AirPort card in the Mac to just use your wireless network.
Sharon · December 12, 2004 - 04:04 EST #102
I have always wanted an Apple computer and hope to purchase an eMac with upgrades for Christmas or shortly after Christmas. We have two older Compaq Presario PCs with Windows 98 (one has a slightly newer version of 98) and my daughter uses a Dell notebook with Windows 2000 XP.

Unfortunately, we do not receive DSL, but are able to receive high internet cable that I refuse to buy.
I am hoping that DSL will become available in my area.
We presently pay for two dial-up providers.

Should I order the eMac with an Airport extreme card
and can the older Windows 98 PCs and the Dell notebook be networked with the eMac? Thanks for your help.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · December 12, 2004 - 10:28 EST #103
Sharon - in short, yes and yes.

First, some clarifications. It may not matter too significantly, but there is no such thing as Windows 2000 XP. Either your daugher's Dell has Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Regarding DSL versus cable, why are you not interested in cable modem service? Is the price point that much different? I had Sprint DSL for a while which was only about $5/month cheaper than cable modem service in this area. I eventually managed to reach a region supervisor on the phone who was willing to acknowledge my concerns that their competitor (Road Runner via Earthlink) offered a little less than double the download speed for only a few dollars more per month (and now, it's nearly three times faster thanks to a recent upgrade). In addition, at the time, using a DSL modem with a Macintosh running OS 9 was a royal pain in the butt. I shared this tidbit, too, and the fact that a cable modem was simply a matter of attaching the ethernet cable and setting networking for DHCP. The supervisor acknowledged all this and, for all intents and purposes, said that Sprint doesn't care. Home DSL is not Sprint's cash cow and they don't feel they have to be competitive.

As for your final question, the eMac is a splendid, low-cost, entry level Macintosh and I've heartily recommended them to numerous people who couldn't put the money into a beefier machine. Once your DSL (or cable!) service is installed, you will want to purchase a wireless router. The router is what you'll attach to the modem's ethernet jack, then you either attach computers via ethernet to the router, or connect to the router wirelessly via a wireless card in the PCs or the AirPort card in the Mac. Once all machines are online, there are various methods for sharing both files and printers between platforms.
Sharon · December 14, 2004 - 03:07 EST #104
I'm not interested in high speed cable because a certain cable company has a monopoly in our area and a sweet deal with our city that disallows any competition. It's principle and fairness. If I lived a mere 4/10 of a mile away, I would have my choice of two cable companies and the option of high speed cable or SBC Yahoo DSL, which just about every internet owner residing in the other communities uses. At $26.95 a month, that's the best deal going.

If I had my druthers, I'd cancel our cable TV service immediately, but hubby has to have his ESPN and sports fixes every week. This cable company monopoly is costing our family $41.00 a month for just standard or basic cable. There is no way that I'm adding to this company's profit margin by subscribing to high speed cable internet.

You're stating that it's easier to network Macs and PCs with cable than with DSL. Thanks for this info.

You're suggesting that I forget my pride and principle and go with ease, convenience, and a larger monthly bill.

By the way, I've spoken to City Hall, SBC, and my Congressman concerning this issue. One of the clerks at City Hall returned my phone call, mockingly stating that she knew the commnications field and, "You won't be able to get DSL." The Congressman's aide suggested that I subscribe to the cable company's high speed internet service.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · December 14, 2004 - 10:03 EST #105
Sharon - to clarify, I'm not exactly saying it's easier to network your computers with cable than DSL. I'm saying that often, but not always, it's easier to configure a router to initiate the internet connection with cable than it is with DSL. Once the router is "online," the steps to network your local computers are the same.

I agree with you about the mentality of cable providers. It stinks. But even with their tactics, when they offer me three-megabit downloads versus not even one-megabit on DSL—and when Sprint DSL literally tells me in no uncertain terms that they don't care their service doesn't come close to competing in speed—then the cable service pretty quickly becomes the lesser of two evils.

Your congressman could possibly be correct. You have to be within a certain distance of the digital switching station to use DSL. The further away you are, the slower DSL becomes, thus beyond a certain distance, they just don't offer service because it's little, if any, better than dialup.

Good luck.
Sharon · December 20, 2004 - 23:25 EST #106
Thanks, you've explained my situation with real clarity. I can tell you it's really disheartening that my Mom (who until recently used a rotary phone!) can subscribe to SBC Yahoo DSL and I have to be content with dial-up (or cable).

I like the eMac because of its looks, portability, and the fact that it takes up less space. I also like the 17" CRT monitor.

Waiting until after the holidays, I'll see if anything changes regarding DSL.
lucio · January 25, 2005 - 17:29 EST #107
Hi

I'm about to buy a mac (G3 or ibook G3) with OS 9.
I have at home a Pc with windows XP pro with a DSL internet connection, and i want to share the internet connection between th mac and pc:

1) is possible? i don't know a lot about netwoking (i'm a programmer)

2) can i have some help, or internet site, or tutorials where i can learn how to do this kind of connection? i need only to share the connection for now, but maybe ibn the future i'll share a laser printer and a scanner (if is possible of course).

Many thanks, i hope someone will help me because i'm really in a hurry to buy a mac.
ATPM Staff · January 25, 2005 - 18:09 EST #108
Lucio - you simply need a hardware router. You can pick them up at places like Best Buy or CompUSA for well under $100. Then, you run the ethernet cable from the DSL modem to the WAN port of the router, then connect your computers to any of the numbered LAN ports on the router.

Here is ATPM/Threemac's page that describes how to set up the configuration. You should note that the diagram shows separate boxes for the router and the hub. Nearly all routers have hubs built-in nowadays. I recommend a Linksys or Netgear router.
T.J.Gale · January 26, 2005 - 01:03 EST #109
Hello everyone. I have been reading this thread, I have a few questions for some of you that know about networking. I would put my knowledge level very low on the scale. Here is my situation. I have an emac in the bedroom. It is connected to a netgear wireless router. We have an HP laptop. I am running OS 10.2 and Windows XP. After a month of fighting with this setup, it just magically started working one day. I am running the router through the emac. My laptop works fine. Here is my issue. When other people come over here with thier laptop, they cannot get on my network. I do not think I have a WEP or anything like that turned on. It is very confusing. To make the plot even thicker.... I bought a netgear wireless card. My laptop has wireless built in, but my router will go up to 108, and all I can ever get on my laptop is 54. I was hoping that by throwing a wireless card in the laptop, I could get the full speed that the router is capable of. Well, my wireless card just seemed to cycle over and over again, and could not connect with the network. At the same time, I was able to access the network through my built in wireless.

So I know that is just a jumble of stuff, but I would love to hear ideas.

Thanks

T.J.
Lauren Mincey · February 2, 2005 - 02:28 EST #110
What up? I got a question dude. I got an iMac running OS X and a HP PC running Windows XP that is connected to a Lexmark X6150 (all-in-one) and its drivers are not compatible with the iMac. What exactly would one need to network both computers to Cable high speed internet and share the printer as well as files, etc. (if possible)? I've been looking at so many different options that I've reached the ultimate point of confusion man, HELP PLEASE DUDE! it would make my dome chill out finally.........
Thanks for your time
James Thibo · February 22, 2005 - 15:26 EST #111
I have a Mac G4 Powerbook OSX and a Dell 8200 with XP. I am running both platforms on a netgear wireless router. The pc is the main computer with all the devices hooked up to it. the mac is working on the wireless system. how do i get the mac to print and share files with the pc.
please help
Paul Postorino · February 25, 2005 - 17:07 EST #112
I have a PC Pentium III running Windows 98 and I would like to network it to an iMac pc G3 @ 350MHz running OS9.2.2.
The primary purpose is to share internet.
What wireless routers are compatible with both?
What is involved in doing this?
ATPM Staff · February 25, 2005 - 21:49 EST #113
Paul - any wireless router that adheres to 802.11b or 802.11g standards should be compatible. Belkin and Linksys are my favorite two brands.

As for what's involved, it's pretty straightforward, as has been previously described elsewhere in the comment on this page. Connect your broadband modem's ethernet cable to the WAN port of the router, then connect to the router (follow the router's manual) to set it up and turn on encryption, if desired.
John Fusek · March 1, 2005 - 14:33 EST #114
I have a PowerMac G5 1.6 OSX 10.3 and a Compaq Presario with XP. I have both attached to my Verizon DSL modem. I ordered a LINKSYS Wireless-G WRT54GS Broadband Router with SpeedBooster - as it is supposed to be OS 10.3 compatible. I have tried repeatedly to set this up but it is not working.

Any suggestions. If not, I'm planning to return the device.
ATPM Staff · March 1, 2005 - 16:37 EST #115
John - the basic router functions will be completely compatible with your Macintosh. If the router is providing network connectivity via DHCP (it does, by default), then you simply set your Mac's network control panel to get information automatically (the Mac, too, is set this way by default) and you should be good to go. Make sure an ethernet cable is attached between one of the numbered LAN ports and the ethernet jack of your Mac. The ethernet cable that came with your DSL modem should be attached to the router's WAN jack.

DSL services are finally starting to connect automatically without the need of special software, but some still require some sort of PPPoE routine. If you would normally have to launch a small application on a computer to activate DSL, the router will have to do this function instead. Almost all routers now have PPPoE routines built-in, so check your manual on how to use it if necessary.

As for the SpeedBooster function, I don't have any information on that feature, but it may require special software or a specific SpeedBooster-enabled network card in your computer. Such software or devices may only be available for Windows. If so, you should still be able to use the normal 802.11g functions of the router which is more than enough for broadband internet. I did just find a note on Linksys' site that says that non-SpeedBooster devices can still derive a benefit from the SpeedBooster technology in the router, just not as much. So that tells me that the technology is specific to the networking card in your computer and not special software.
Luciano Mansilla · March 26, 2005 - 03:44 EST #116
Hi ATPM Staff, I am new in this of macintosh, I have a G5 Powermac with OSX 10.3.8 and a PC with XP. Both of them are connected to a HUB in ports 2,3 and a CableModem is connected to port 1, I Have Public Ip´s in both computers and Internet working, but they are not Connected between them, I dunno how to configure them to put them in a LAN, Can you guide me a bit??
Thank you very much.

Lucian
PD: Sorry about my english...
ATPM Staff · March 26, 2005 - 15:36 EST #117
Luciano - your setup isn't exactly right. Cable modem services generally don't provide more than one public IP. If you're getting two, your internet provider is pretty generous.

What you ought to do...and what makes your network a bit more secure, is to attach the cable modem to the WAN port of a router...not just a hub. In this way, the router becomes the device with the public IP and local (LAN) IP addresses are given to each of your machines connected to the numbered switch ports. To connect to another machine, one has to be running some sort of server protocol, such as FTP or SMB (FTP is probably simpler) then use a client on the other computer to connect and access files.
Trent Schwalbe · April 1, 2005 - 19:57 EST #118
Okay I've been looking and you guys look to be the best out there.....here's my stumper(s)...... I have a mac G4 400 (acting as server) running 9.2.2 hosting FileMakerPro 6.0 networked with 5 other mac's (1)G3 400 on 9.2.2 using FMP 6.0 (2)imac 233 9.2.1 on FMP 5.0 (3)imac 400 9.2.1 FMP 4.0 (4)mac 7300 /180 8.6 FMP 6.0 (5)mac 7200 /120 8.6 all running smooth sharing FMP.....no internet connection to network. NOW I would like to make my DSL available to the G4,G3 and both imac's AND connect my new Powerbook G4 10.3.3 FMP 6.0 AND connect a PC running XP....... standard network 8 port hub and a epson 850 apple talk printer..... any help is appreciated...... we can work in steps if that helps?
ATPM Staff · April 2, 2005 - 01:35 EST #119
Trent - you just need a router to take in the DSL connection and distribute it among your computer. The hub can expand the (typical) 4 hub ports most routers have. Be sure it's a switched hub (a.k.a. a switch) and not just an older style hub that is far more capable of suffering packet collisions.
matthew schreiber · April 3, 2005 - 22:36 EST #120
Howdy,

I have a PC running xp. I have a powerbook g4 with an airport extreme card. I want the PC to be ethernet connected and the mac wireless. Can I use a airport extreme base and use the LAN connection directly to my PC and the wireless function with the MAC? Would this be a nightmare? Does apple provide a simple software, wizard type software, for the PC with xp? I could make the PC wireless, put i prefer not to add another layer of compexity. And finally...i want to share a printer, but this seems impossible from everything i have looked at. Sharing broadband space seems easy enough, but not a printer. And, with a mac, it seems best to go with a mac router.

HELP? i remain clueless.
ATPM Staff · April 3, 2005 - 23:01 EST #121
Matthew - getting your PC to work on the AirPort Base Station's LAN port should work fine. If you leave the automatic/DHCP settings on, and configure your PC to obtain settings automatically, you should be good to go.

As for the printer, you may require one of the utilities mentioned in the article, such as PC MacLAN, to get printer sharing to work.
Simcatman · April 29, 2005 - 09:35 EST #122
I Have share Mac OS 10.3 with Windows XP. I am connected through a ADSL router. In Windows you go to 'My Network Places' and 'Set up a home or small office network' and follow the prompts. When you get to Select a connection method you choose 'Other' the next page reveals 3 more choices choose the top one if you have a hub/router the next page will auto select for you. There is a warning on the next page. I have my Firewall running and everything work fine. The next windows lets you name everything.

On your Mac go to Sustem Prefs 'File Sharing' Clich on 'Windows Sharing'. Click to start sharing under 'Personal File Sharing On.

Son in theory you should be ready to go or close to it.
You can also connect the two computers using a crossover cable. The Network Configuration on Windows will be slightly different.

You should be able to find your PC in 'Go' 'Network'.
On your PC click in other places there is a little 3 computer network icon with you computers name.

I am a complete novice so if this doesn't work keep trying.

Now if I could only get my Mac to share a printer with my PC.

Here's a helpful site:

http://www.atpm.com/8.02/networking.shtml
Michelle · May 4, 2005 - 16:58 EST #123
I have a PC running on XP and am about to buy a new mac mini with an airport extereme card in it. I want to have a wireless network between the to using an airport extereme base station. Is this easy to do? And what is the best wireless adapter to use on the PC to connect to the airport?
Matthew Glidden (ATPM Staff) · May 7, 2005 - 11:02 EST #124
Michelle,

Can't help with the "best" PC wireless adapter recommendations, unfortunately, but getting the Mini with the Airport should be easy to set up and use. When you start up the Mini, there's a software program that should step you through connecting to the Airport Base Station. (You can also use the "Network" system preferences panel.)

Ultimately, most PC wireless adapters will work with your Airport Base Station. It'll probably be a matter of configuring them to use the right password, which their instructions should tell you how to do.

Matthew
Richard Hong · May 9, 2005 - 16:08 EST #125
After much anguish, I was able to hook an iBook operating under OSX to PCs (Windows 2000)and allow the Mac to use an HP printer connected to LPT1 of one of the PCs. The PCs are networked with Ethernet and the Mac is wireless, so I used a Linksys wireless router ($60). File sharing is easy. To get printing as described above, there is a detailed protocol at: http://homepage.mac.com/william_white/print_to_windows.html.
You do not need MacLan.

BTW, if you have trouble signing on to the network from the Mac, sign on with one of the passwords of the PC. I had the same trouble.
Michael Popkavich · May 14, 2005 - 17:21 EST #126
Hi! I have worked with networking PC's for 10 years and know a lot about them, but I recently bought my son a nice imac g3 with os 9.2 and I know the least about it. I currently have 3 Computers in my house running Windows XP and I want to connect the new imac to the internet via our router, and to communicate with the other computer. Just for basic internet connection, file (documents,pictures, and possible music.) If you could let me know what I need to get this computer up and running on our network that would be greatly appreciated
Sherri · May 20, 2005 - 14:18 EST #127
Hi. My roomate has a MAC OS 10 and I have a PC with Windows ME. We have a SMC7004VBR Barricade Router. We both can get an Internet connection, but it will go super slow, freeze, and also kick us offline. We have been trying to get the Internet to work for months! Any advice?
Chris Lawson (ATPM Staff) · May 20, 2005 - 17:49 EST #128
Sherri --

It sounds like a problem with the router. Have you tried a different router, made sure you have the latest firmware, checked the manufacturer's Web site for support forums, etc.? I really doubt it's an issue with either one of the computers.


Michael --

All you'll need to do is plug the iMac into the router and then make sure the network settings are right. This probably means simply going to the TCP/IP control panel and ensuring it's set to DHCP. Configuration in that control panel is very similar to how Windows configures its network settings, so you should be good to go from there.

cl
Luke Jarrett · May 31, 2005 - 07:28 EST #129
For some reason, I cant network my PC with my mac - mac is a brand new iMac G5 running on Tiger Mac OS X v 10.4 and my PC is just a standard dell running on XP - I currently have a network between another 2 pcs (one on XP one on 2000) and another laptop (wireless) on XP and I need to add my Mac onto this network. Can somebody please give me step-by-step instructions on how to do this - its making no sense at all to me.
Bryan Hale · May 31, 2005 - 19:12 EST #130
I have a Mac G4 sharing a cable connection with 2 PC's via a Linksys 4 port router. I can share the internet connection and also share files without any problems. However, the internet connection on my Mac is significantly slower than either PC no matter what browser i use. I was wondering if there was a setting or a tweak to my Mac that would speed up the connection to be more comparable to the PC's on the network. Thanks.
Matthew Glidden (ATPM Staff) · May 31, 2005 - 22:50 EST #131
Hi Bryan,

A fine question. There are different measures of speed for the Internet, though. If you're thinking of uploads or downloads, what a browser reports as the speed isn't always accurate. Try MenuMeters (from VersionTracker.com) to show ongoing network transmission speed. If you're thinking of how fast a page is rendered by the browser, that'll be more a function of the browser and your system CPU--web browsing can be very CPU-intensive work.

Matthew
scarlet coleman · June 24, 2005 - 14:45 EST #132
i have an imac g3 running OS 9.2 and a pc running XP. i use the internet via DSL on the pc and i'm trying to network with my mac - i have the ethernet cable connected to both, but no router - is it possible to network without one? my goal is to basically use the internet on both computers, above all other things. my knowledge of this subject is pretty remedial, so sorry if i'm being ridiculously ignorant here. if, indeed, i do need a router - is there anything else i'm going to need in the way of hardware or software to network these computers?

thanks

scarlett
ATPM Staff · June 25, 2005 - 11:49 EST #133
Scarlet - a crossover (not standard) ethernet cable connected directly between two computers can be used for networking, but you have to manually configure network settings to match on both computers, since they're not receiving automatic settings from the internet. Additionally, most broadband internet services only provide one IP address to a home that has internet service. So, yes, it's in your best interest to pick up an inexpensive router. You should not need any additional software. You simply connect the broadband modem's ethernet port to the router's WAN port, then connect your computers via ethernet to any of the numbered LAN ports.
Damon Atkinson · June 25, 2005 - 12:10 EST #134
I have a PC running Windows XP home edition, connected to a USB DSL modem and I just bought a Mac iBook G3 with OSX 10.3.9 installed, with an airport card.
I am new to networking, but I am wondering what I would need (and how to connect) to set up a wireless network between these two. I would like to access the internet as well as share files, scanner and printers (all are connected to PC).
Thank you
ATPM Staff · June 27, 2005 - 00:17 EST #135
Damon - choosing a USB modem was probably your first mistake. We're not aware of any USB modems that include Macintosh drivers.

That said, there may be a way to set up Windows Internet Connection Sharing to do this, but you'll have to consult a Windows forum for instructions since ATPM only offers Macintosh support. Also, Windows XP Home may not even be able to share Internet connections. It may require XP Pro.
Scott Mcdermott · July 14, 2005 - 19:18 EST #136
I have G5 tower with an Airport extreme card and I was told by a salesman at tekserve that I can configure this setup to act as an airport base station without buying an additional hub. i haven't been able to get it to work and applecare is telling me i need to go buy a router. Does anyone know how to set this up. i have a cable model connected to the the G5 tower.
ATPM Staff · July 15, 2005 - 00:36 EST #137
Scott - the wireless network adapter can transmit a signal to allow other computers to get online, but it cannot do that and provide incoming access to the internet. What you can do is connect your G5 tower to your broadband modem or a (non-wireless?) router via ethernet. Then you access your Sharing preference pane and enable internet sharing, directed to the AirPort connection. You'll then have to turn on AirPort and select the option to create a network. Follow the instructions and you should be able to set up a signal that another computer with a wi-fi card can use. I'm not clear on this, but I believe that only one other computer can share your connection via the wireless access, and your G5 tower has to be turned on to provide access to the other computer. To allow multiple computers online, you definitely need a router (a.k.a. AirPort Base Station).
Charlie · August 23, 2005 - 07:04 EST #138
I know PC Maclan works fine with OSX Panther but has anyone found difficulty using PC Maclan with OSX Tiger?
thu test · September 1, 2005 - 02:11 EST #139
I have an Airport extreme Router with Encryption setup.

I can connect with my XP laptop
I cannot connect with my windows 2000 laptop. I have the wireless linksys card model wgpc54gs with speedbooster (802.11b/g) card.
I need it to work with the Airport Extreme. I install the driver for the linksys wireless card but it is still not working.
I like to know if there is a third-party or else to make this work together with Windows 2000 Laptop.
Navtej Singh · September 1, 2005 - 07:03 EST #140
Hi, I have a wireless router which is hooked up to my DSL modem. This provides a wireless internet connection to my laptop running XP. My sister is thinking about buying a MAC laptop with WiFi. Will this be able to connect to internet wirelessly, as I've heard that you need a MAC compatible ISP? The wireless router supports MAC's. That's all I know!
ATPM Staff · September 1, 2005 - 09:13 EST #141
Thu - does a Mac computer connect to the AirPort router just fine? As a Mac venue, we don't have much help available for Windows problems, but the impression I have is that there is Mac software that is needed to configure any AirPort Base Station.

Navtej - there is no such thing as Mac-compatible ISPs or routers. There may be Mac-friendly ISPs and routers, but all of them should be compatible. (And P.S. - It's a Mac you're thinking of buying. MAC in all caps refers to ethernet hardware addresses :-)
nathan morgan · September 12, 2005 - 19:59 EST #142
Hi, I have a dell 1100 inspiron with linksys wireless card. I go to photojournalism school where they use macs. The computer lab is wireless and we have servers where we drag and drop our photos and assignments and I would LOVE to figure out a way to connect with PC Maclan and my computer on a wireless level. Plese give me any, all specific info on how to achieve this. I would GREATLY appreciate it.
Sincerely,
nathan
Charles Bell · September 17, 2005 - 16:58 EST #143
I own a I book g4 laptop running on osx 10.4.2 and dell pc running windows xp. They are both hooked up to a wirless connection. And the pc has a printer connected I would like to be able print stuff off my laptop using that printer wirlessly. How do I go about this? any help or instructions would be greatly appreciated.
Thomas McIvor · October 2, 2005 - 15:54 EST #144
I am using a PC running windows XP that connects to the internet with a USB Broadband modem. I can connect my ibook to the the PC using an ethernet cable and share the internet connection this way. I also have a mac mini at the otherside of the house which has an airpot card installed. Would i be able to share the PC internet connection if i invested in an airport express? The idea being that i would connect the PC wirelessly or with an ethernet cable to the airport express and then the mac mini would be able to share this internet connection. Thanks in advance for any help.
ATPM Staff · October 2, 2005 - 18:04 EST #145
Thomas - The AirPort Express would only be useful to you if your broadband modem can provide connectivity via an ethernet cable. If it only connects via a USB connection, it will not work with any AirPort model.

But if you can use an ethernet cable instead of USB, then you should be good to go. However, you should also note that the AirPort Express has no second ethernet jack to attach devices physically. All devices that get connectivity through an AirPort Express must do so wirelessly. If you must have a device attach physically with an ethernet cable, consider the full-size AirPort Extreme or a third-party wireless router.
Dulcy Wolverton · October 7, 2005 - 03:03 EST #146
Here's an update: All is now well. I discovered a more precise description of how to reset the Express on the Apple website which did the trick.
Larry Dunst · October 10, 2005 - 15:04 EST #147
I am setting up a wireless network at home, probably using a Belkin Wireless G Router and including Comcast internet. Most of my computers are Windows, however my daughter is using an old original clam shell I-Book with OS 9. Is there a USB wireless adapter currently available that will connect that Mac to the network?
Thanks,
Larry
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · October 10, 2005 - 19:46 EST #148
Larry - I'm not aware of any USB-based wi-fi adapter that works reliably on Macintosh computers—especially not on OS 9. Are you sure your iBook doesn't have an AirPort card already installed? If not, you should consider getting one (make sure it's the original style, as the AirPort Extreme will not fit). Besides being more reliable, you won't have to worry about losing the adapter.
Larry Dunst · October 11, 2005 - 08:36 EST #149
Lee,
Thanks. I'll check tonight. BTW, I did come across two models that have drivers for OS9 with older models of adapters--one from Macsense and another from Belkin. But if I indeed have an AirPort card, that makes the most sense to me!
Thanks again,
Larry
Leigh Matthews · November 11, 2005 - 07:42 EST #150
I have managed to wirelessly network a Mac notebook and a windows XP notebook using a Belkin Wireless network card but only the Mac is able to use the internet....any idea how i can get the XP notebook to access the internet from the Mac....??
ATPM Staff · November 11, 2005 - 09:30 EST #151
Leigh - what is the source of your incoming internet connection? The simplest solution is to pick up a wireless router to manage a broadband connection and then connect your computers to the router either wirelessly or by ethernet cable. If your internet connection is attached directly to one of the computers, you will need to access the Internet Sharing functions (located in the Sharing preference pane of the Mac—sorry, I don't know where it is on a PC: this is a Mac web site :-) to let a second computer piggyback on the host computer. Keep in mind, you cannot share an internet connection over the same port that the host computer is receiving it. e.g. if your connection comes from wireless, you can only share over ethernet or some other port, if supported, and vice versa.
Rick Barnes · November 15, 2005 - 20:55 EST #152
I have a linksys wireless access point currently operating. I recently took posession of an apple G4
notebook. Can I run wireless with the apple using my current linksys access point? If so, how?

Thanks
ATPM Staff · November 15, 2005 - 21:55 EST #153
Rick - if your access point is only an access point that is turning your broadband line into a wireless connection, you may have trouble since most broadband providers only provide one IP address. But if by "access point" you mean "wireless router" which will manage the external IP address and provide internal addresses via DHCP or manually to several machines on the local network, then yes, an Apple computer with an AirPort card should be able to connect.
richard pyper · November 17, 2005 - 03:51 EST #154
i have an i mac g4 flatscreen and several pcs and wish to surf the net wirelessly with all and network them too what do i do (mac os tiger and xp pro os)
Rick Barnes · November 17, 2005 - 06:28 EST #155
According to my instruction book, the access point handles up to 64 nodes. So my apple should work as long as I have an apple airport card installed?

Thanks
ATPM Staff · November 17, 2005 - 09:28 EST #156
Richard - confirm that your Mac has an AirPort wireless card installed and that all your PCs have wireless capability, then simply purchase an inexpensive wireless broadband router (e.g. a Linksys or a Netgear or even Apple's AirPort Base Station). Connect your broadband cable internet to the router's WAN port and connect your computers to the wireless signal. Follow the router's instructions for customizing and protecting the router.

Rick - indeed it should. Note that most routers can even handle as many as 250 or more devices.
Ray Doan · November 17, 2005 - 12:32 EST #157
I have a Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router F5D8230-4 that I'm using for a PC wireless network. I'm using TKIP encryption with a pre-shared key (PSK) on this network.

I'd tried unsuccessfully to add my Mac G4, running system 9.2 with an original AirPort Card (802.11b), to this Belkin wireless network. The Mac AirPort card sees the network but give me an "Incorrect Password" error message when I try to log on. The AirPort card uses the TCP/IP settings and I been unable to find any place to set the encryption method, which I assume is the problem.

First Question: Is there any way to to get my currently configured Mac to log on to the Belkin wireless network?

Second Question: Will the Belkin Wireless Pre-N Desktop Network Card - F5D8000 work in my Mac G4? I'm assuming, that if it worked, it would solve my problem.
ATPM Staff · November 17, 2005 - 22:29 EST #158
Ray - versions of Mac OS prior to 10.1 or 10.2 (don't remember which, sorry) don't use the same algorithm for wi-fi passphrases. You need to determine two things: the type of encryption and the actual hexadecimal key generated from the passphrase. This key will be 10 digits or 26 digits depending on whether 64-bit or 128-bit WEP encryption was used. If, however, the encryption uses the newer WPA style, you may be out of luck. I'm not sure if the AirPort software update can be applied from OS 9 to support WPA.

Our article about wi-fi encryption may be of help if the router is using WEP encryption.

As for using the Belkin card—possibly, but no guarantees. It depends on whether there are Macintosh drivers for it. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of Mac drivers for third-party wireless cards.

I couldn't find specific Mac information about the F5D8000 but on Amazon's page selling the F5D7000, user comments stated that it worked for them with OS X's native drivers, but that a later revision of the same card no longer worked.

The fact that you're still using OS 9 is your biggest hinderance. If there never were OS 9-compatible drivers before, there never will be. Is there any reason for not running OS X?
Rick Barnes · November 21, 2005 - 17:23 EST #159
Still unable to get my powerbook G4 to connect thru my Linksys wireless access point. The specs stated under
my battery state 1ghz g4/15.2/1024/60gb/combo
/56k/airport. Thus I assume there is an airport card installed. However, I can't physically find one, and I get no recognition from the apple itself? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Phil Avari · November 24, 2005 - 14:00 EST #160
Hi ATPM Staff
Please advise how I can connect a Mac mini to iMac G3 (dome shaped) sharing same monitor and keyboard. I also have a PC and PowerMac 7500 and 2 printers networked through an ethernet router using cable modem and all are working fine. I have purchased IOGEAR 2 port USB KVM switch, but do not find a VGA port on my iMac to connect the console.

Kindly provide your expert solution. Thanking you, Phil.
ATPM Staff · November 24, 2005 - 18:05 EST #161
Phil - the all-in-one iMacs were not designed to share the monitor in the manner you are describing. It's hard-connected to the iMac's motherboard. KVM switches are meant for switching two or more computers to use a single, standalone monitor plus keyboard and mouse.
Jack Kerry · November 29, 2005 - 17:02 EST #162
Years ago we were major Mac users but have since moved to PC for compatability mainly. We still have all our old Macs and data (system 7 era) and want to know if/how we can get that information transfered to our XP PCs. We have old removable disks (Both Bernoulli and PLI) filled with information, as well as many hard drives worth. We currently have our PCs on a home network and they share web access via high-speed. Is there a way we can hook up a Mac to this network and retrieve these old files?

Thanks in advance and anyone who is interested I can try to provide more info.

J Kerry
ATPM Staff · November 29, 2005 - 22:48 EST #163
Jack - anything other than Apple's own file sharing protocol wasn't terribly easy back then. You'll probably be better off either finding a way to attach your removable disk drives to an OS X machine, or setting up a PC server instead and connecting your Mac to send files from the Mac. You may need some information to get TCP networking operational on System 7. The best protocol will probably be to create an FTP server on the PC and use a System 7-compatible FTP client on the Mac to connect and send.
Dana Barnes · December 22, 2005 - 15:06 EST #164
So here's what I have: an iBook G4, my parents' new Dell PC and an Apple Airport Extreme. I have the connection so that it works with my iBook, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to connect the PC to it. The PC has a wireless card, I'm pretty sure. But I'm a Mac person and am pretty clueless with the innerworkings of PCs. Please help!
ATPM Staff · December 22, 2005 - 16:33 EST #165
Dana - as a Macintosh venue, we seldom have specific help to provide for PCs—only general information such as in the article above.

Try this Microsoft support page for troubleshooting wireless connections. The only other information we can provide is that in the part that refers to Wireless Networks or the SSID, that would be the broadcast name that you hopefully customized on your Base Station. If it's broadcasting the name, the interface in Windows described in the page I linked to above should see it as an access point you can connect to.
jwaters · December 23, 2005 - 21:37 EST #166
Running Fios from Verizon, cannot get the macine to sync. I established all protocals and services while still using mac's mac. What am i am missing. I am running emac g4, 10.3.9 without tiger and have 2g of space.
Steve · December 27, 2005 - 13:49 EST #167
I'm trying to set up a really simple network for my aunt. She has an older Mac, which I believe is running OS9. There's also a very old PC, originally windows 95, upgraded to 98. She has a cable modem. I've connected the modem to a standard Linksys switch as the uplink, and then the two comptuters into ports 1 and 2.

This is where things confuse me. I've been using my WinXP laptop to test the connection, and so long as the Mac is plugged into port 1, my laptop gets no internet. I have to unplug the Mac and reboot the modem. Then, my laptop can use the internet. So, I plug the Mac back in, and it doesn't work. I have to once again reboot the modem, and then the Mac works, while the laptop does not.

I'm completely at the end of my rope here; I've never networked Mac and PC together before, and the rather outdated hardware and software isn't helping me at all. Any advice would be greately appreciated.
ATPM Staff · December 27, 2005 - 19:34 EST #168
Steve - you need a router instead of a switch. Most broadband internet providers only hand out one IP address per modem. The first computer that gets connected "claims" the IP address and all others are out of luck. When you reboot the modem, you are releasing the computer's claim on the IP and your other computer is able to take it.

A router performs the job of managing the one IP address your modem gives you and operating its own internal network for all the computers attached to the router which, in addition to the router functions, also operates as a switch, assuming you acquire a typical router that has a built-in switched hub.
Christopher Turner (ATPM Staff) · December 28, 2005 - 20:25 EST #169
jwaters - when you state you cannot get the machine to sync, are you referring to obtaining a connection with the router Verizon provided you when they installed the fiber optic line?
Steve · January 2, 2006 - 19:43 EST #170
A router doesn't work either. The tech at Best Buy insisted that she get one of those first (and they told us the same thing when we did it) but the router and modem end up both claiming a physical IP address and then the router blocks the modem off, resulting in no internet whatsoever. The computer I'm using right now is connected in the same manner I was attempting to use before for my aunt; a modem to a switch, a switch to multiple computers.

As far as a little more on the router not working, it first off came with software (which should never be necessary) that was PC only - the Mac couldn't read it. I entered all the info into the software PC side of the connection, and it just couldn't connect to the internet. I tried to connect to the modem, but it just wasn't there; the router was blocking it.

The only way I've ever managed to sucessfully share internet over computers before has been through a switch. It just doesn't work when the modem is 192.168.0.1 and the router tries to be that too, then defaults to either 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.2 instead. In that case, I always end up being able to connect to only the router, and the modem just doesn't exist on the network.
ATPM Staff · January 2, 2006 - 20:00 EST #171
Steve - the software isn't necessary. It's just a tool to help configure the router, but the exact same setup can be done by accessing the router's config pages via the IP address.

What internet service are you using? I've never known of any instance where a customer gets a 192.168.x.1 address. Those are generally always internal IP addresses aren't aren't dished out by the ISP. With just one working machine hooked up, go to ipchicken.com and determine what your real outside IP address is.

You're connecting the modem to the router's WAN port and not the uplink port, right?
Tom Bridge (ATPM Staff) · January 3, 2006 - 13:10 EST #172
Hi Robert,

Is your router doing DHCP, or is it passing DHCP from the DSL/Cable modem? Some ISPs are notorious for allowing precisely 1 IP address per end-user. You may wish to setup DHCP and NAT on your router to prevent this sort of thing.

Barring that, you may wish to contact (I'm assuming here, but given the model...) Dlink.

Tom
Steve · January 4, 2006 - 22:49 EST #173
My home setup is through Qwest DSL, and the modem has a configuration utility that's accessed at 192.168.0.1 like a router. The thing is, it's not a router, as it only has one port, though it does do wireless (which is what the utility is primarily for).

As far as my aunt, she's got an old Comcast Cable modem. When the router didn't work from the get-go, the first thing I tried was connecting to 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.1.1, but neither one worked.

What I'm concerned about is Windows 98's configuration. It's demanding more information than I'm able to pull from the Mac, and the info from Comcast just doesn't cut it. That's why a switch seemed the most logical to me, because they've been plug-and-play in my experience; no configuration required. Unfortunately, I've never had to work on anything older than Win2k and OS X.
Tom Bridge (ATPM Staff) · January 4, 2006 - 23:35 EST #174
Steve, Reading your posts it sounds like you have the connection via Comcast configured incorrectly. Your network should look like:

CABLE wire -> Cable Modem ->ETHERNET cable ->Router ->ETHERNET cable ->Mac/PC

Your Router should be configured to do DHCP/NAT so that all the users share a single public IP (65.xx.xx.xx for example), but have different internal IPs (192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x). If you're NOT enabling DHCP/NAT, you're going to be stuck with one working computer at a time.

Per the Windows 98 issue, I'm sorry, we don't troubleshoot Windows here. This is a Mac site after all ;)
Elena · January 8, 2006 - 19:49 EST #175
Please Help!!!!
Background: Like Steve, I've also recently purchased D-Link's DI-524 router, but for my G4 and G5 computers. On my G4 I'm running OS 10.4; the G5 is 10.4.3. I have Charter Media as my ISP. I have contacted all relevant companies (including Mac) and no one was able to fix the problem....

Problem: When both computers are plugged into the router, neither will connect to the internet. The G5 will work by itself through the router, but the G4 won't even do that. The G4 does work if it's plugged directly into the modem, though. If I run the G5 by itself first, then plug in the G4, I lose internet access altogether (not that the G4 has even successfully run through the router).

All wires seem to be fully operational (I've tested everything through the G5). I turned on AppleShare and turned of WEP (per the mac guy's suggestions). I also have a PC and laser printer I'd like to hook up, too, but if I can't even get my macs to work...I'm completely at a loss! Help!
Amy · February 3, 2006 - 16:02 EST #176
I recently purchased an older 'clamshell' IBook SE 466MHz. My question is this....I am getting interent service and I want to purchase a router for my desktop (PC) and my new IBook. Does it matter what kind of router I get if I plan to get an airport card for the IBook?
ATPM Staff · February 3, 2006 - 21:45 EST #177
Amy - as long as the router supports the 802.11b protocol that the older AirPort cards use, you should be fine.

Personally, Netgear and Linksys routers are my favorites, but there are other perfectly acceptable brands.
Tamika Johnson · February 4, 2006 - 08:55 EST #178
I am trying to connect my PC which runs Windows 2000 and my son's Mac OSX to share the internet. I recently purchased a Belkin Wireless G F507230-4 router and installed an Airport card in the Mac. It worked for like 10 minutes and then when I had to restart the Mac the Airport card is no longer recognized and it takes forever for it to reboot. I have unplugged the router, the card and the modem and plugged them back in but nothing is working.
John Kelcher · February 16, 2006 - 15:54 EST #179
ELENA,

My guess is that somehow somewhere you have aquired what is called a "Cross over cable". Looks exactly like an RJ-45 Ethernet cable. They fit into the same ports on the computer. Some computers are even smart enough to handle the Cross over. However, this type of cable is intended for a PC to PC direct connection. Which explains why your G4 can work when connected directly to the Cable modem, but not in the router.

My suggestion is to dump your ethernet cables all of them, and go to walmart and pick up the cheapest ones you can find. IF this does not solve the problem, upgrade your G4 to 10.4.3 if I remember correctly, the upgrades are free from 10.4 to 10.4.3.

You mentioned WEP are you networking with wires or wirelessly? If your trying to do both, you may be creating a bridge (BAD).

Good luck!
Kurt Popovich · February 16, 2006 - 18:30 EST #180
How do I share files between a imac g3 with os 9.2 and windows xp comptuers?
Thank you.
ATPM Staff · February 16, 2006 - 19:50 EST #181
Kurt - the method that will probably give you the least headaches is to install an FTP server on one of the computers and connect to it with an FTP client on the other. The link at the end of this page's article has some information about doing this.
Sam Levine · February 17, 2006 - 13:39 EST #182
Hi, I just got a new G5 i-MAC for my wife. I have a 3 year old Dell 8200 PC running Windows XP. I also have a black and white HP 1200 laser printer connected to the PC tdhrough a USB-1 port, and plan to get an HP multiprose inkjet color printer, connected to the MAC through a USB-2 port, if that makes sense. We are connected to the Internet through Wildblue.net, a satellite ISP, with 512kbps down and 128kbps up. The Transmiter/Receiver from Wildblue is currrently connected to the PC through an Ethernet cable. I plan to set up an Ethernet LAN to service all this stuff. The two computers are located about 40' apart, in different rooms. I cannot use a wireless connection, because of the room that the PC is located in is surrounded, more or less, by aluminum foil coated ridged insulation. In reading some of the questions and answers above I assume I will need dto use straight Ethernet cabling from the computers to a router. What is the best way to connect the two printers so that either computer can have access to one or the other printer? Also, can you recommend a good router?

Thanks
Xavier Van Campenhout · March 3, 2006 - 18:39 EST #183
Hi,
I managed to connect both my iMAC and my laptop PC to the internet via a Netgear router and a Linksys modem. However, I would like to share with my PC my music files which are on my MAC. Unfortunately my PC refuses to connect with the MAC, even when I use the IP adress provided by the MAC's personal file sharing settings. Is there a solution?
Thank you very much in advance
ATPM Staff · March 3, 2006 - 22:35 EST #184
Xavier - the simplest method is to open OS X Sharing preference pane and enable FTP sharing. Then, on your PC, launch an FTP client and connect to your Mac's LAN (internal) IP address that you found in the file sharing settings. Use the same username (ideally the short version) and password as you use to log into your iMac. The FTP client on the PC will then be connected to your user home folder and you can copy files to or from it by navigating with the PC FTP client.

Of course, if your music is in iTunes, you can avoid a lot of this by simply turning on the option to share your music in the copy of iTunes where all the music is stored, then any other computer in your LAN can launch iTunes and "see" that shared library and stream it (not copy it) to be played on those machines.
A · March 16, 2006 - 18:19 EST #185
Please help! I have 2 IBM laptops running Windows XP. My roomate has an Apple I G3 (I think that's what it is called). We are getting Earthlink (via Time Warner in New York) to set up internet access via cable modem. We want wireless access for all 3 laptops and want to buy the router ourselves. Do not want TW/ earthlink charging us for Home networking. What router should we buy that will be the best comaptibility for the IBM pcs and the Apple laptop? My roomie does NOT want Linksys routers because her friends have told her they won't work with macs. What can we get other than a Linksys and also please provide step by step instructions to set up the wireless network, how to protect ourselves (security features), etc. Also, we don't want the Mac and 2 IBMs sharing files. But we want the 2 IBMs to be able to share files between themselves. Thanks! (very new to all this - so simple instructions are appreciated.)
ATPM Staff · March 16, 2006 - 21:05 EST #186
A - Your roommate is wrong. A basic Linksys router will work just fine with a Mac. The challenge is that many router manufactures—including Linksys—don't offer tech support when used with Apple products, even though the router works just fine with Macs. I used one for years. But if he is really concerned, try a Netgear router instead. Neither brand lets you use the PC-only software setup, but they can be set up via a web interface which provides you better access to the configurable options.

As for how to set up the router, we recommend following the guide that is included with the router. Skip the part about using the software CD unless you want to configure it from your PC. If you use the web interface instead, the manual should have your step-by-step instructions. I can also tell you that for Time Warner's RoadRunner service, many broadband routers will work right out of the box with zero configuration on the router and just being sure your computers are set to get network information automatically (via DHCP). You only need to configure it to change the router login password (highly recommended) and to configure wireless protection (also recommended).

If you want a recommendation, I can assure you that routers such as the Linksys WRT54G or the Netgear WGR614 will work fine with Macs.
Craig Coray · April 13, 2006 - 01:32 EST #187
Hi, I want to make a wireless connection to the internet through my sister's system but am bogged down. We live in a remote part of Alaska and she has Starband service, with a Starband 360 modem wired to a Toshiba laptop using windows XP. I have a Mac Powerbook G4 with an airport card, and I also own an Apple Airport Extreme base station. I've been told that her modem is not Mac compatible and that I'd have to use her computer as an access point but after reading other people's solutions I'm convinced there's a way to run both computers from the airport base. She isn't interested in wireless so the Toshiba could connect to the base via ethernet. But how would this work? Any suggestions?
ATPM Staff · April 13, 2006 - 09:50 EST #188
Craig - more often than not, there are two typical reasons an internet service provider would tell you they are not Mac compatible—they simply don't want to support Macs, even though it does work (Linksys is famous for this stunt), or their modems use a USB connection to the computer instead of ethernet, and they haven't written a USB driver for Mac. If the latter is the case, it's true that you may have to pipe it through the PC. But if it connects via ethernet, then yes, you should be able to connect it to the Base Station instead. You will, of course, need to set up the connection with the Mac, plugging in the connection info that Starband provided that would normally have gone into the PC's network settings, but into the Base Station instead. You should do this with the Mac attached with ethernet. Once it's working, you can then revert to wireless and put the PC in the LAN port instead.
Myami Palntilla · May 4, 2006 - 15:55 EST #189
Hi,I have been doing ALOT of reading about networking a PC and a MAC.Normally after reading forum after forum I'll eventually figure it out on my own. I'm new to this network thing so if anyone can help me step by step,I'd really appreciate it! I have a PC running XP pro and also a Power Mac G4 running OSX,I have also 3 toshiba laptops all running XP pro. I would like all of it to share the internet WIRELESS(i'm using cable through brighthouse,in Tampa,FL), if possible file and printer sharing too.My Desktop PC will be the MAIN computer that has the modem and internet right now.I have a brand new Linksys Wireless G- broadband router model:WRT54GC.My MAC does not have Airport but i do have wireless cards for my laptops.Can I use those USB wireless adapters on my MAC to recieve a signal from my PC? please help thank u
Also this a really good website for novice MAC users!So far u guys have been the MOST informative!!!!!
Al Goodwin · May 9, 2006 - 10:36 EST #190
Firstly, although I've assiduously read through previous Q&As to make sure I'm not troubling you with a question that's already been asked, I might have missed it, so apologies if so!

Secondly, the questions themselves: I've joined the dark side, and just bought a PC to supplement the iBook that I share with my fiancée. I crudely unplugged the broadband modem cable from the Mac, and plugged it into the PC - with no configuring at all, it worked just fine. Unfortunately, this patented unplug-and-plug technique did not work in reverse, and now my wedding is in jeopardy as my better half can't access the internet from the Mac (we keep getting a "Specified server cannot be found" error message). Any ideas what might be causing this, and whether it might interfere with my plan to set up a router to avoid having to unplug / replug all the time? Also, I note comments above about not being able to share a printer between PCs and Mac without additional software - assuming that my router's (included) printer-sharing function is adequate, and assuming that we would never be queueing jobs to the printer from both computers at the same time (or even have both computers switched on at the same time), would I still need additional software?

Many, many thanks in advance - remember: there's a marriage at stake here!
Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · May 9, 2006 - 10:56 EST #191
Many - though not all - cable modems or DSL modems tend to lock on to the MAC address of whatever is connected to the Ethernet jack. Consequently if you unplug from the modem and plug in a new machine typically the modem will not recognize the new machine beacuse it has a different MAC address. Usually the solution is to power down the modem, plug it into the machine you wish to use, and power it back up so you reset the MAC address it is assigned to. This is one of several reasons why a router makes life easier. It shows the same MAC address (its own - or if you want, most routers these days can present a MAC address you specify) to the cable modem regardless of what is then plugged into the router. It's one of the ways in which it facilitates using multiple machines on one broadband connection. Get a router and save your marriage :)
John Specht · June 4, 2006 - 18:23 EST #192
Hi - I'm sure I'll duplicate other questions; apologies if I do. I just connected my Dell desktop (ethernet) and HP laptop (wireless) to ATT's high speed internet service using their 2Wire Wireless Gateway (wireless router with modem). I want to connect my daughter's iMac DV (slot load) wirelessly to this "network" for internet only. I believe I'll need an AirPort card and adapter. Any other hardware and most importantly what can I expect to be required to get the internet running on the software side? I'm running OS-X. Is this even possible?
ATPM Staff · June 5, 2006 - 11:35 EST #193
John - not sure what "adapter" you are referring to. An AirPort card in the iMac should be all you need. Nothing else.
Derek T · June 24, 2006 - 02:12 EST #194
I have always used PCs before but am currently thinking about buying a Mac laptop. The reason is I need a new laptop but don't feel like waiting for the new Windows to be released, and I've heard good things about Macs. My main concern is compatibility. The school building I'll be in has a wireless Internet connection and I'm sure it's Windows based. My question is, if I walk into the building with a Mac laptop, how would I access the Internet? I also will need to set up a wireless network in my apartment, but I've read up on how to do that. I appreciate any advice on going with a Mac or not in my situation.
ATPM Staff · June 24, 2006 - 17:13 EST #195
Derek - there is no such thing as Windows-based wireless internet connectivity. Just like at home, a simple wireless router provides the signal. All you need is the following:

1) Network settings, unless they're provided automatically via DHCP

2) Encryption key (if used) which will work the same regardless the platform.

3) Your wireless card address IF the school is filtering for only certain machines to be able to connect. These addresses are the same, regardless the platform.

If your school tells you that the wi-fi won't work on a Mac, they're probably either full of it, or specifically did something out of their way to prevent it—which is the most stupid thing ever. Fine, they may not _support_ Macs, but that doesn't mean they won't connect. They just won't help you if you have problems.
Philipp Eckhoff · September 4, 2006 - 10:06 EST #196
I have a windows xp computer and a am trying to become part of a network of apple-computers in a company I start working by now. I plugged the cable and the internet works perfectly. Why can't I see the others and why can't I access the printer?
I don't want to buy a program especially for that reason.
Please help me. Thanx,
P.E.
Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · September 4, 2006 - 12:01 EST #197
Philipp - to access files, some place on the Apple network will need to be made accessible via SMB sharing. XP, without modification by additional software, will not access a file share that only has the Apple File Sharing protocol enabled. FTP access is an alternative, but you'd have to use an FTP program on your computer and the Apple administrators would need to enable and FTP server.

Printers should be less of a problem. The Apple that a printer is attached to should have printer sharing turned on in the Sharing preference pane.
Jay Buhrma · September 25, 2006 - 11:47 EST #198
Great site. Trying to link my son's Toshiba laptop XP service pack 1, with his roommate's new mac laptop. Roommate uses a Mac wireless router to cable modem.

Whenever we try to connect to the roommate wireless network, by typing in the password to the network, we keep getting a message that says the password needs to be 5 - 10 characters, (it is 9), but it also talks about bits, and ascii requirements also.

When we use the PC laptop at the hotel, it hooks up immediately, so I know it is working.

Is there some type of difference in the password typed on a PC being translated to the MAC's network?

Many thanks, and you have a great service!
John Novak · October 9, 2006 - 15:36 EST #199
I have a wireless system set up in my house. Both PCs and Mac laptops w/airport function well and can access the internet. I am not interested networking between these computers. I added a Belkin print server. It works fine with The PC, but it will not work with the Mac. Belkin does not offer a Mac driver for the print server. Is there any way to make the Mac print wireless or I need to purchase a print server that offer both drivers?
jim dancoe · October 31, 2006 - 00:20 EST #200
My brother has a "power mac G4" hooked to a canon pixma mp750 printer via an airport extreme. I have a Fujitsu lifebook laptop with wireless in it. we are trying to set up a network that allows me to use his printer via the airport. how do we do it?
Annie B · November 14, 2006 - 13:10 EST #201
I have a G4 ibook, and an older version ibook, can't remeber exact- however, we've been connecting to the internet via airport and dial up until yesterday when we got roadrunner cable internet. The G4 connects fine when the cabel is directly plugged into the computer, the other not, and the airport doesn't recognize that it doesn't have to dial up anymore, that it is all ready there- therefore we cannot connect to the airport's feed, but we do get a signal. SO to sum up, when the airport is connected to the cable, it doesn't allow us to connect, the G4 will if it is a direct connection, but the other one can't. PLEASE HELP!! It's driving me nuts.
Lindsay Foster · January 16, 2007 - 23:31 EST #202
Hi. I have a wireless connection that I use at home on my PC and am having difficulties connecting my friends Mac G4 Powerbook to the network. I get an error message when we type in the WEP password. When I connect to my PC, I need to specify it's key index (4). I can not find a place on the Mac where I can specify such a key and therefore, we can not connect to the network. Suggestions?
lani · February 5, 2007 - 12:57 EST #203
Help! I I just bot a new flat panael imac, and want to get on on line with my 2 pc that are curently on a cable modem net worked with a belkin wireless router. the imac has a wireless card bilt it but im having trouble geting to to pick up the internet conetion, what am i doing wrong.
Tom Derbyshire · March 30, 2007 - 11:38 EST #204
I have a Windows laptop with xp home on it and i also have a Mac mini. I would like to be able to network them. What do i need to do.
Erica · April 3, 2007 - 18:41 EST #205
Help!

I just moved back home with my parents and they have AOL powered by Verizon and its DSL(actiontec modem). There are three PCs hooked up to the Belkin router and all are able to access the internet.

I have an older MAC G4 from 2000 which is located upstairs in my room... far away from the router so a wired connection would not be convenient.

Before I moved out I had my computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable and was able to get online... so I know that I am able to get online through a wired connection.

I want to be able to access the internet from upstairs in my room. I do not care if I am not able to share files or printers.. I just want to be able to use the internet on my computer. Is there a way this can be done??? Please help!

Thanks!
ATPM Staff · April 3, 2007 - 19:22 EST #206
Erica - you just need a wireless router (if your Belkin doesn't already have wireless capability) and an AirPort card for your Mac.
lyn may · May 9, 2007 - 01:11 EST #207
To Tom #206

Here is what I did and it worked on my Sony.
I have an Airport Express with two macs on the network and a printer. The Macs are an ibook G4 1.2 and an Intel iMac.
Anyway, my Sony tower is a few years old,but is fully upgraded. I don't have a wireless network card,but I do have a wireless USB adapter. It's a third party adapter that I bought at Compusa two or three years ago on sale. It works great.
Bootup the PC and then right click the wireless (adapter in my case) software on the menu bar.
Select refresh or find available networks then select the SSID you want to join.
Once the "Current Network Info." appears then click "More Settings".
Under "More Settings" in the wireless Lan configuration window-
for 'TX Rate" choose "Auto",
for SSID choose "(your preferred network)",
for Network Type choose "Infrastructure",
for Encryption choose "WEP",
for Authentication Mode choose "Shared Key"
then click the "apply" button
click "WEP encryption key setting"
*enter "WEP" password which is a 128 Hex Key in the WEP Encryption key setting on just one line. There may be half a dozen lines, but only one has to have the passkey. See the starred * section below!!!!
After you get the Password/Hexkey from the Mac(see below) and have it entered on the PC, then UNCHECK the box "The key is provided via 802.1x authentication.
Then Click Apply.
---Note that I have XP Pro SP2 on my PC

*Now here is the trick. You get the code key from your Mac. You can't just enter your standard worded password like you do on the Mac. The PC wont understand it, so what you MUST do is set up your Macs on the network First. I only have the Express,but I suspect that the Extreme is the same.
Once you have set up your Macs with their passwords accepted and have them fully functioning on the internet,
then on one of your Macs click the Apple, then System Preferences, then click Network, on the Network page click Airport, then double click Airport tab.
Where is says, "By default join-" Make sure you click the up/down arrow until it shows "Preferred Networks"
Then in the window below "Preferred Networks" it should show a full list of networks that you can join and yours should be listed.
Double click on the the name of your network and a drop down window should appear.
Once it does then you should see your network name and the 'secret' password you used to Protect your network.
Under that password there is a small blank box and beside it says "SHOW PASSWORD" Click THE BOX. (This is what appears on OS 10.4.9)
It will show you the full hexadecimal key that you need to enter into your PC for a network password.
DO NOT use the money sign at the beginning of the password. The password will not work with it included on the PC.

I hope this helps you and others. I spent a while figuring this out and it works for me.
Let me know if you need further help.
Marty Rosen · July 6, 2007 - 17:08 EST #208
I have a working network. An iMac with a virtual machine running XP connected to two PC's running XP. They all connect to the internet as well as share files with each other. This is through a Linksys 4 port "B" router. I can print from the iMac, what I can't do is print from any of the 3 PC computers. It goes as far as spooling. The job shows up in the queue and dies there.
David_Don · October 19, 2007 - 15:14 EST #209
This are the things i learnt while trying to use ftp(flashfxp)to access my Mac (osx 10.4.10).
U will need to activate ftp access on ur Mac by going to, this is the pATHWAY
SYSTEM PREFRENCES - INTERNET and NETWORKS - SHARING FOLDER.
Tick FTP Access.
I also noticed here all along was the WINDOWS SHARING!!! Option. this enables you to access your mac from a browser by typing in you ip address\username. easy u can transfer and use
files. hence
Tick Windows Sharing
Tick Personal File Sharing
Using windows sharing i was able to play movies and music from the Mac on my PC.
Can't figure out how to access my pc from my
Mac still though!
Michael Berkompas · March 11, 2008 - 15:54 EST #210
We have a wireless local area network set up with a linksys wrt54g router. Unfortunately all the pcs in the house are unable to see the macs and their files. Whereas the macs and see the pcs and their files. How do I fix this? Our macs are quite new and most of our pcs are xp or better. Do I need software? Do we need a different router? Please Help!
mark Tennent (ATPM Staff) · March 11, 2008 - 17:26 EST #211
Hi Michael

I have a Linksys wag54gs and had similar problems until I switched the wireless network from channel 13. It appears that XP cannot address the higher numbered channels so try switching the wireless network to channel 9 or lower.
Wes Meltzer (ATPM Staff) · March 12, 2008 - 13:39 EST #212
Hi Michael,

I've had this issue before. Usually, what's going on is that Windows generally won't see any network file-sharing enabled computers that are not using the same workgroup. By default, that's (usually) MSHOME or WORKGROUP, depending on the various and sundry versions of Windows which have come with different defaults over the years. I think Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, and ME all came with MSHOME, and Windows NT 4, 2000 and XP are WORKGROUP. Yes, it's that stupid.

In order to make all of my Macs and PCs talk to each other, I've long used a prefpane called SharePoints to change the default workgroup in OS X to whatever the PCs use. (I have absolutely no recollection of where this is in Windows.) In Leopard, it's actually user configurable without needing any additional tools: in the Network preference pane, the WINS tab under Advanced settings allows you to set your Mac's workgroup. Pre-10.5, you need the donationware SharePoints preference pane.

Without changing that, you'd have to manually specify the workgroup when you connect to a new server, or change workgroups. For a network of home computers, you're better off just making them all use the same workgroup setting.

The other possibility is that you don't have SMB file sharing enabled on your Macs. That would be one reason they can't talk to each other, since they aren't serving any files. But it sounds like you're past that.
Kelly N · February 9, 2010 - 23:07 EST #213
Help! I have a cable modem a flat panel iMac -1.83GHz intel Core Duo - running Mac OS X version 10.4.11 and was recently forced to buy a PC for work (dell-Windows 7 w/ wireless). I would like to make these computers share a wireless connection through a router--I purchased the Belkin N+ but can't figure out if a Mac can recognize this signal. Is this possible and what do I need to do?

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