# Mac can't see files in Vista share



## LarryMcJ

A Mac (OS X), two Windows XP machines and two Windows Vista machines on a home peer network. All four of the Windows machines can browse the Mac just fine, but the Mac can only browse the XP machines. It sees the Vista machines, but when it goes there, no files are displaying...like an empty folder, but it's not. It opens the target share folder, but the files that are there just don't show up.

Thanks for any help.

Larry


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## sinclair_tm

i'll have to check this out and see if i get the same problem. but have you made sure that you have given the mac full permissions to see the contents of the folder on the vista pcs?


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## LarryMcJ

Both Vista machines are fully shared, every folder, no password protection anywhere. They're seen by the two XP machines on the network, just not the Mac.

LarryMcJ


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## ArturoYee

What happens when you write a file from Mac to Vista - does it appear in the Vista folder?


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## sinclair_tm

LarryMcJ said:


> Both Vista machines are fully shared, every folder, no password protection anywhere. They're seen by the two XP machines on the network, just not the Mac.
> 
> LarryMcJ


there's the problem. because of the nature of the way smb sharing is set up, the only way for the mac to poperly connect to windows sharded folders is through an account with a password. what i have always had to do is make a new user account just for the mac to long in to. name it something like macman, and then give it a password. now when you 1st try to connect to the windows computer from the mac, it'll ask for a username and password. change the username from the one listed (which should be your shortname on the mac account) to the name of the account on the windows computer, in this case macman. now enter the password you gave the account and it'll log into the computer, and then give you a list of the shared folders you told windows that user macman can see. and after you select the fold, and click ok, it should mount it on the desktop. give that a try and let us know if the files show up now.


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## nlewarne

I have no problem with my mac seeing their files. Not sure the process but it was really easy... where we are are having a problem is the reverse - Vista trying to see the mac files. I have allowed all the access and created accounts with short names but when the vista machine trys to log in it never connects. 

Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem?


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## ArturoYee

*Mac Settings*

Not sure about Vista, but on the Mac, have you turned on Windows Sharing in:
System Preferences: Sharing​


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## LarryMcJ

Yes...the Mac and all other machines on the network are fully shared. I see the Mac just fine from any other Windows machine...I just can't see the Vista machine from the Mac. I can see XP machines just fine...so it must be some Vista problem.


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## sinclair_tm

what version of vista do you have?


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## LarryMcJ

Premium. I can see the Vista machine from any other XP machines on the network as well.


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## sinclair_tm

ok, sounds like i need to go home and try some things myself. but here is a mac/windows networking checklist to make things as smooth as possible.
-are all the computers set to the same workgroup?
-is the mac set up to do windows filesharing, and the firewall port open?
-is vista set up to allow the mac user to see the computer?
-is vista set up to share files?
-does the vista user account that the mac is trying to use to get to the shared files have a password?
-what happens when in the finder, you goto the menu go>connect to server, and then type the ip of the vista pc in the windows? (smb://ip.address.of.vistapc)


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## Rufus2

I have an iMac (G3 - 10.3.9) connected to a Vista RC1 with all updates applied. A single folder has been successfully shared from Vista but today I placed a number of files there (on Vista) and the iMac doesn't see those "new" files - they are not listed in detail view etc.

And I am still having difficulties sharing from the iMac. I see the iMac on Vista, but keep being told that I don't have permission to connect - even when using a newly created iMac account.


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## cat509

I came across this post via a google search. I am having the same problem. I can't see my 2 vista machines on my new mac mini but I can see the mac on the 2 vista machines. I was able to us sinclair_tm's suggestion and made macuser accounts on both vista machines. Then I connected to server using go , connect to server and put in smb// and then names of the computers individually and then they asked me for the user name and password. Then they connected to the vista computers. But when ever I log off or shut down my mac I have to connect to them all over again. Is there a way to get them to stay connected that way permanently?


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## Rufus2

As I posted the original almost two years ago, I unfortunately don't recall what I ended up doing with that scenerio. Last year I did get a PC with Vista Home and I quickly reformatted it with XPPro  

I've recently dled Win7 RC and may start playing with that; however, in all honesty, I use a mem stick if I need to transfer a file. My printer doesn't work on the iMac so nothing really needs to be shared (although they're all wired together for the internet)...

Good luck.


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## sinclair_tm

As for always connected, not that i am aware of. But there should of been an option to store password so that when you connect, the info is already filled out.


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## dauckland

Hi there.

I had the same problem on a couple of machines.
For me the trick was the following:
Once you connect to the share go to your system preferences
Go to Spotlight
In the private tab select the plus button and add that "folder"/share point to the list of items no in the index list.

That should be it.


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