This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Vista-to-Mac Troubleshooting Tips
If you are having problems connecting to the Mac from Vista Business or Ultimate, there are a few things you can check and tweak.
The first one is kind of geeky. You're going to need to go where Windows administrators usually have to go into the Local Security Policy.
Tweak the Local Security Policy
Be advised. This tip makes your Vista system less secure, but it's like digging through your granddad's attic: Fun, scary, and at times, a bit surprising.
Let's get in there:
- Click the Windows button; then type Local Security Policy and click it when it appears in the Start menu to launch it.
- Click Continue when the UAC warning screen appears.
- In the Local Security Policy window, click once on the triangle next to Local Policies. This expands the file tree. Then click on the Security Options line item.
- On the right column, scroll down and find the entry called Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level and double-click on it.
- When the Properties window appears, click on the drop-down menu and select Send LM & NTML Responses (see Figure 11.24), followed by Apply; then click OK.
Figure 11.24 If you have trouble accessing your Mac from Vista, set your Local Security Policy to Send LM & NTLM Responses.
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After this setting is enabled, try to connect to your Mac again.
Check the Firewalls
Be sure to check firewall settings on both Mac and Vista.
Mac Firewall
Go back to Sharing in the System Preferences window. Double-check to see whether there is a check mark next the Windows Sharing entry on the Services tab.
If you flip over to the Firewall tab, you'll see that Windows Sharing has also been enabled.
To turn off the Mac firewall, click the Firewall tab and click Stop below the heading Firewall On. This is especially important if you have a third-party firewall program running on your Mac.
However, if you do, this could be the source of your problem. Turn that off too and see whether you can connect. If so, you'll have to investigate your third-party firewall further and find out how to set it to allow file sharing with your Mac.
Vista Firewall
On your Vista PC, the Windows firewall could also be causing a problem. First turn it off and see whether that solves the problem, as follows:
- Click the Windows button; then type Firewall and click Windows Firewall when it appears in the Start menu.
- To turn it off, click Change Settings; then click Continue on the UAC alert.
- Next, click Off (Not Recommended) on the General tab to turn off the Windows firewall.
- Restart the system and test to see whether this solves the problem.
If it does, you'll have to make sure port TCP 139 and UDP port 137 are open. These are the ports Windows uses to communicate with Samba.
To open the Samba ports on the Vista firewall, do the following:
- Click the Windows button; then type firewall in the Search field and click Windows Firewall.
- Click the Change Settings link. Approve the UAC warning. Then, on the Windows Firewall settings, click on the Exceptions tab.
- Click the Add Port button. From the Add Port window, type Samba as the name and enter 137 as the UDP port; then click OK. Also add TCP port 139. This then ensures that Samba can communicate through your Windows Vista firewall.
- If you have a third-party firewall, make sure that those ports are configured to get through the firewall.
If all went well, you should now be able to connect from Vista to your Mac.