iMac OS10.3 & Vista workgroup

[calm-cast]

I can not see my iMac DV from my Vista PC. I have them both on the same
workgroup. I can see the Vista PC from the iMac, but when I select it and
try to login, I get the following error, "the alias <my PC> could not be
opened, because the original item cannot be found".

My Mac is running OS 10.3. Any ideas why Vista can not see this iMac?

Thanks.

 

[Malke]

I can not see my iMac DV from my Vista PC. I have them both on the same
workgroup. I can see the Vista PC from the iMac, but when I select it and
try to login, I get the following error, "the alias <my PC> could not be
opened, because the original item cannot be found".

My Mac is running OS 10.3. Any ideas why Vista can not see this iMac?

Networking Macs with Vista requires some additional steps. First, make
sure you have created a user account and password on the Mac that
matches the one on Vista. If you have not created a password on Vista,
do so. If you wish Vista to boot directly to the Desktop (into one
particular user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The
instructions at this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

Make sure you have set up your Windows Sharing on Tiger, of course. Then
on Vista:

Start>Run>secpol.msc [enter]

Click on "Local Policies" --> "Security Options"

Navigate to the policy "Network Security: LAN Manager authentication
level" and double-click it to get its Properties. By default Windows
Vista sets the policy to "NTVLM2 responses only". Use the drop-down
arrow to change this to "LM and NTLM – use NTLMV2 session security if
negotiated".

In Vista Home Premium, you won't have this tool so per MVP Steve
Winograd, do:

1. Run the registry editor and open this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

1. If it doesn't already exist, create a DWORD value named
LmCompatibilityLevel

3. Set the value to 1

4. Reboot


Malke

 

[calm-cast]

Thanks, I can now see the Vista Public Folder from my iMac.

Strange, but my Vista PC still can not see my iMac. I was hoping it can
work in both directions.

PS: I could not run secpol.msc, but creating the same user account on both
machines helped.

I can not see my iMac DV from my Vista PC. I have them both on the same
workgroup. I can see the Vista PC from the iMac, but when I select it and
try to login, I get the following error, "the alias <my PC> could not be
opened, because the original item cannot be found".

My Mac is running OS 10.3. Any ideas why Vista can not see this iMac?

Networking Macs with Vista requires some additional steps. First, make
sure you have created a user account and password on the Mac that
matches the one on Vista. If you have not created a password on Vista,
do so. If you wish Vista to boot directly to the Desktop (into one
particular user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The
instructions at this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm

Make sure you have set up your Windows Sharing on Tiger, of course. Then
on Vista:

Start>Run>secpol.msc [enter]

Click on "Local Policies" --> "Security Options"

Navigate to the policy "Network Security: LAN Manager authentication
level" and double-click it to get its Properties. By default Windows
Vista sets the policy to "NTVLM2 responses only". Use the drop-down
arrow to change this to "LM and NTLM – use NTLMV2 session security if
negotiated".

In Vista Home Premium, you won't have this tool so per MVP Steve
Winograd, do:

1. Run the registry editor and open this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa

1. If it doesn't already exist, create a DWORD value named
LmCompatibilityLevel

3. Set the value to 1

4. Reboot


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

 

[Malke]

Thanks, I can now see the Vista Public Folder from my iMac.

Strange, but my Vista PC still can not see my iMac. I was hoping it can
work in both directions.

PS: I could not run secpol.msc, but creating the same user account on both
machines helped.

As I already said, you won't have secpol.msc if you have Vista Home
Basic/Premium. That is what the manual registry edit is for. If the Mac
can see the PC but the PC can't see the Mac, you have something else set
incorrectly in Vista.

Review these networking directions for Vista:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727037.aspx

Here are some additional Windows-centric troubleshooting steps:

Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
system does not permit it.

Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:

A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
(LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
"gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
"Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.

B. For ease or organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup.
This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab.

C. Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines. You do
not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the
passwords assigned to each user account can be different; the
accounts/passwords just need to exist and match on all machines. If you
wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
this link work for both XP and Vista:

Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm


Malke

 

[calm-cast]

Thanks again. Progress, but not fully-resolved. I can now see the iMac (or
at least a new computer in my Vista's Network window). When I click it to
access it, I get an Open Folder window with the following message:


\\is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions.

The parameter is incorrect.


I have adjusted the registry parameter and created matching usernames and
passwords on both machines. I have also made sure my workgroup names all
match. Again, I can see the Vista PC from the iMac. I can also create a SMB
Mount for the Vista "Pubic" folder on the iMac and see the Public files and
folders on the Vista PC. Still not sure why Vista is having the problem with
the iMac.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Malke]

Thanks again. Progress, but not fully-resolved. I can now see the iMac (or
at least a new computer in my Vista's Network window). When I click it to
access it, I get an Open Folder window with the following message:


\\is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network
resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions.

The parameter is incorrect.


I have adjusted the registry parameter and created matching usernames and
passwords on both machines. I have also made sure my workgroup names all
match. Again, I can see the Vista PC from the iMac. I can also create a SMB
Mount for the Vista "Pubic" folder on the iMac and see the Public files and
folders on the Vista PC. Still not sure why Vista is having the problem with
the iMac.

Check your firewalls on Vista. If you have a third-party
firewall/security solution (Norton, McAfee, etc.) uninstall it and try
again. If you've already done that with no success and still can't
access the iMac from Vista, consider having a knowledgeable friend or
computer professional come on-site to set you up properly. I'm very
sorry but without being able to see what you're doing, I'm out of ideas.
You've obviously still got something set wrong on Windows but since I'm
not there, I don't know what it is.


Malke

 

[calm-cast]

Thank you for all your help. I will be sure to try all of your suggestions
again. I'm sure I will get there. I will also try the Apple Support Forum
to see if they have a suggestion. I really appreciate your assistance and
sharing your knowledge.

 

[Malke]

Thank you for all your help. I will be sure to try all of your suggestions
again. I'm sure I will get there. I will also try the Apple Support Forum
to see if they have a suggestion. I really appreciate your assistance and
sharing your knowledge.

You're most welcome. I just wish I could have made it all better for you.


Malke