Thanks for those 2 replies. So it appears I have the format correct at last! The firewall is turned off on both machines but I'll double check. Neither of those machines are connected to the web, I'm using the HP for browsing etc. which is protected.
Error -36 on Macs seems to be an all-encompassing code that Apple use and is connected with permissions from a quick search. That would make some sense in my case.
I'm not connecting through a router, just a direct ethernet cable, all rather clumsy to be honest.
Mixture, just noticed your edit..Thursby DAVE was mentioned in an earlier post here.
Last edited by Pelikal; 7th January 2013 at 11:03.