How to Use a PC and Mac Together

Your office uses Windows-based PCs, but you want a Mac computer at home. Years ago, getting these to work together was a major headache. Fortunately, software and file sharing between the two computer giants has improved drastically, making it much easier to use a PC and Mac together. Read on to learn how to use a PC and Mac together.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Basics

1. Make sure all the software programs you use have PC and Mac versions. This way, all your files will be compliant on some level.

2. Save all your files onto a separate backup hard drive. An auxiliary hard drive with a USB connection purchased at a computer store should work with both PCs and Macs. You can use this to access all your files from either computer.

3. Get Windows desktop software for your Mac. Apple created this years ago so one could operate a Windows desktop on a Mac computer. Now you'll be able to use all your PC files.

Accessing Mac Files on a PC

4. Activate "Windows sharing" in your Mac's System preferences. Go to the Sharing panel in the System Preferences menu, and check off "Windows Sharing" in the Services list. Take note of your IP address and user name where it says "Windows users can access your computer at..."

5. Go to the "Run..." dialog on your PC's Start menu and type in the Mac's IP address and user name. You can also use your Mac's registered name instead of the IP address.

6. Wait for Windows to open an Explorer window that shows your Mac's home directory. You can now save files to your Mac from your PC.

PC Files on a Mac

7. Right-click the folder you want to access from your Mac and go to the Properties dialog box. Check off "Share this folder" from the sharing tab, and create a name that you'll see on the Mac.

8. Go to "Connect to Server" on your Mac's Finder Go menu, and enter smb:// followed by your PC's IP address or registered name. You can get your PC's local IP address by running "ipconfig" from the command line.

9. Enter your network credentials as requested once the server is found. These are your Windows user name and password.

10. Select the shared folder from your PC (by the name you created in its Properties box). The folder is now mounted on your Mac and available from your desktop and in Finder.

Tips & Warnings

• If you share PC and Mac files back and forth, you should see added files like Windows' Thumbs.db and Mac's .DS_Store. To get rid of them, turn off the thumbnail caching on your PC, and run a terminal command to disable .DS_Store files on your Mac.
• If you get Windows desktop software for a Mac, be sure to have updated spyware as well. Some people are lackadaisical on Mac spyware because so few viruses affect it. The Windows software, however, will make it very vulnerable.