# Lost Windows Sharing Option



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Have a Mac on the network with PC ( Vista ) . . when we first set up the Mac, there was a sharing option for "Windows Sharing" which let us share printer between the two. 

That option is not there now and the pc cannot access the printer on the Mac, and the Mac cannot access a printer on the PC.

Did a recent Mac update do away with the "Windows Sharing" option?

Thanks


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

The Mac is Leopard bye the way . .


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

There is no Windows Sharing under 10.5. Now any sharing service you turn on automatically also does the Windows version as well. To share a printer that is plugged into your Mac with Windows PCs turn on Printer Sharing in the Sharing System Preference Pane. Also make sure that the Workgroup name on the Mac is the same as the Windows PC. That is done from the Network System Preference Pane. Click on the network connection you are using in the left pane then the Advanced button in the lower right. Now select the tab WINS and there will be a Workgroup field that you can enter the Workgroup name.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Well . . when we first set up the Mac ( with Leapord . . is that 10.5? ) there was a Windows Sharing option and that let us share the printers both ways ( one on the Mac and one on the PC ) . . now we do not see that option. For a while, we could share the Mac printer with the PC and the PC printer with the Mac.

From the PC, I can add the Mac printer fine, but when I try to print to it, I get the message "access denied" . . and the Mac does not "see" the network when we try to add the PC printer to it .

Both are on the same workgroup, from the PC, I see the Mac in the network but don't know how to look for the PC from the Mac . . 

Frustrateing . .


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

When we try to add the PC printer to the Mac . .there is a Windows tab, but it goes nowhere . .


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Any thoughts? . . Sharing both ways worked fine when we first set up the Mac . .


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Leopard (10.5) has never had a Windows Sharing option. Tiger (10.4) is the last one that had it. Have you checked the firewall settings on the Mac to make sure that the ports are open? Check under the Security System Preference Pane for the firewall, and Printer Sharing should be listed there.
To look for shared folders from the Mac, select "Connect to Server..." from the Menu "Go" in the Finder. In that window click the Browse button and it should list all networks that the Mac sees. Also, for a Mac to properly connect to a Windows PC, every account on it, or at least the one you are trying to get to, must have a username and password. The Mac still can't connect to a shared folder/account that does not have a password, and in some cases, to a PC with any accounts without a password.


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Thanks . . we'll give it a go tonite when beloved is here . . we are only trying to share printers for now. It is strange how easily we set it up when she first got it, and how difficult it is now. . . 

Thanks for the help


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## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

sinclair_tm said:


> Leopard (10.5) has never had a Windows Sharing option. Tiger (10.4) is the last one that had it. Have you checked the firewall settings on the Mac to make sure that the ports are open? Check under the Security System Preference Pane for the firewall, and Printer Sharing should be listed there.
> 
> It is listed . . with options set to "Allow all incoming connections"
> 
> ...


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