Enabling IPv6 in Windows 7

[Pelikal]

This post is probably more of a rant than anything. Basically, I want to network my (rather aging) G5 iMAC with an HP machine running Windows 7. This is going to be tricky enough in that I know naff all about networking.

However, I can't even get over the first hurdle. I need to create a home group on the HP but it won't let me as IPv6 isn't enabled. Can I find a simple check box 'enable IPv6'? Can I heck. The troubleshooting section was no use whatsoever so started googling. Plenty of others have had the same issue and the resolutions seem to involve dabbling about in registries and stuff.

I'm not confident to go into that sort of depth but maybe I'll have to. I'm just having a bitch. Why can't I simply check a box on a function that is so vital? Grrrr...

Anyway, Happy New Year!

[BOAC]

Support for IPv6 in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7

but beware - your adapter may NOT have the necessary drivers.

[Milo Minderbinder]

why do you need IPV6 on a home network?

the old Mac almost certainly won't have that capability anyway

[BOAC]

Does 7 not use !Pv6 for home networking?
Edit: Yes, from my link

"HomeGroup in Windows 7 is a new way for computers on home networks to associate with each other and to let family members share documents, pictures, music, videos, and printers. HomeGroup relies on IPv6 connectivity and the Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking Platform on computers running Windows 7 on a single-subnet home network."

[Pelikal]

Milo, I don't know!! It's just I that I would like to transfer files between my Mac and the HP via ethernet.

I found this video, so started following it:

File sharing between Mac and PC / connect Mac to Windows 7 homegroup. (part 1) - YouTube

I came unstuck at about 50 secs in when the set-up told me I need to enable IPv6 to form the Homegroup. I haven't even watched the rest of the video as I saw little point. Even if I did manage to enable IPv6 I have my doubts whether the remainder will work, particularly as the poor old mac is still on 10.3.9. I basically just use it for some imaging work which it does reasonably ok.

There is a large drive on the HP which I would like to use as a back-up for the Mac. I just want a straightforward connection between the two.

Thanks!

[mixture]

Milo, I don't know!! It's just I that I would like to transfer files between my Mac and the HP via ethernet.

You can do that without IPv6, just using IPv4. Don't add the IPv6 to your life if you don't have to... its only going to come back and bite you in the backside when you're trying to troubleshoot some unrelated problem down the line.

Look in System Preferences and Sharing on the Mac.... you'll find a number of options in there that you could use to get your PC to connect to your Mac (e.g. FTP, SMB).

Alternativley, if you want to spend a bit of cash (and assuming its compatible with the version of OS X and non-intel processor running on your G5), take a look at Thursby DAVE. Install that on your Mac and you can connect to Windows shares as if you were a PC. Time-limited demo version available I believe.

[Milo Minderbinder]

Pelikal

Ignore the home group, just use Windows networking through a workgroup as you would with any previous PC. Ignore the "Home Group" altogther
From you should be able to simply enable SMB on the Mac and log onto the windows shared network (Mixture will know more than I about that)

[mixture]

Mixture will know more than I about that

Been a while since I've used a non-intel Mac, older versions of OS X were a bit thin on features and could be a bit temperamental (OS X doesn't really start to shine until you start getting into the Intel versions Apple released later), so I hope I'm not out of touch on what's feasible.

[Pelikal]

Mixture, thanks, I'll explore the other avenues. This HP machine is new to me (a gift from a friend who has upgraded) and other than a slightly dodgy display is working well. Don't want to fcuk anything up just yet. It may be a while before I post back as it looks like I have some homework to do.

Yup, the processor is not Intel on the Mac. Thanks again!

Edit: Milo, missed your post. Getting an idea of how to take this further now.

[Milo Minderbinder]

this may help, though it doesn't deal with WIN7
it should indicate what you need to do on the Mac

Sharing files between a Windows XP PC and a Mac running OS 10.3.x

from looking at other websites it does appear that the process can be very buggy...

[mixture]

from looking at other websites it does appear that the process can be very buggy...

On older versions of OS X yep, the implementation wasn't the best.

Works better now a days, although I'm quite fond of Thusrby DAVE too.

[Pelikal]

Milo, thanks for link. I have an old Tosh running XP Pro so may experiment on that first, bit tired now. Cheers!

[Pelikal]

Maybe getting there....

....dunno really. Made a connection between the G5 and the Tosh based on the link that Milo posted. I have issues with namings, passwords, workgroups, shared folders, IP addresses and stuff. I'm deliberately not going into detail as I'm unsure what could be amiss. However, I have at least made a connection!

I've never networked 2 computers.

I guess starting off networking a Mac and a Windows job with different operating systems isn't the brightest move. Still, it's what I need to do. If you fine people don't mind, I would like to keep this thread fairly active till I get a result. I'm trying to sort out the bugs as I go along but I may need some further assistance! Thanks.

[mixture]

I've never networked 2 computers.

If you're coming at it from a non-IT perspective, it certainly looks like an insurmountable challenge. However from an IT perspective its one of the simpler projects in life, so its not an unrealistic challenge to set yourself. Particularly as once you've achieved it, it is a particularly rewarding skill to master because of the multitude of uses and freedom of being able to share files over the network without fumbling around with USB sticks, CD burning and all that nonsense.

Yes, the old version of OS X to Windows was perhaps not the greatest starting place. But wrap your head around that and you'll find newer OS X to Windows or Windows to Windows a doddle.

Carry on posting as long as you like. I'll try (hopefully others too !) to help if I can figure out where you're going wrong, but I'm also a firm believer in getting your hands dirty in order to learn stuff..... I never had any formal training in IT, just bit by bit you learn stuff as you go along (and learn from your mistakes too). You never stop learning in IT... both because of the ever changing nature of it, and also because you find yourself keen to learn how to do stuff you already know better and more efficiently.

Right... that's enough waffle from me. You should be getting back to your file sharing !

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I've never networked 2 computers.

There appear to be basically two scenarios:

(1) It Just Works (TM) completely by magic with total amount of effort being zero

(2) You faff around for hours, days, weeks, and never quite get it to behave in a sensible fashion

Sometimes you have to set up and configure some stuff, following simple instructions, after which it all works as expected, but this is not a common scenario! Suggest buying a Windows server and some Windows clients of the right matching operating system to achieve this. But working by magic, for reasons you don't understand, or not working at all, for reasons you don't understand, are both rather more common.

[mixture]

Suggest buying a Windows server and some Windows clients of the right matching operating system to achieve this.

Oh for gods sake !

[Pelikal]

Mixture, thank you for your generous words of encouragement. I know that if I crack this, I will be quite satisfied with myself. On the face of it, it does seem a simple task but I am on unfamiliar ground.

I have an overall picture of the set-up now and roughly know where the 'fiddly bits' hang out. The next issue to solve is the password one. I'm sure the Mac is connecting to the Tosh and is seeing the workgroup but it is requesting a password. I'm not sure what password though as I don't recall setting a password for the workgroup when it was created. My Mac account password doesn't seem to work so I'll try and retrace my steps later. It is nice to know I am welcome back here if I really get stuck. I'll also take shots of any windows and post these as well.

Gertrude the Wombat, when I was a pre-press chap in print with Mac and Windows servers all over the shop connected to a myriad of devices I relied on Magic because frankly I didn't have much of a clue as to how it all fitted together! I realise now that I should have taken more notice of the networking engineers, I could have learned a lot from them.

Thanks again for responses.

[mixture]

I'm not sure what password though as I don't recall setting a password for the workgroup when it was created.

Password won't be for the workgroup, but for the account on the computer. You might need to enter the username in the format "workgroup\username" (replacing both those with the actual names for the workgroup and username).

From memory, by default the workgroup name is the computer name you gave the computer.

[Pelikal]

Mixture, thanks. I've tried connecting using my admin name on the Tosh. That didn't work. The workgroup name is actually 'workgroup'. I might go through the procedure again just to get familiar with these.

Perhaps I should be using my Mac account password. However, I've messed up somewhere with that. I thought it was my name, which is 6 characters long (well, it was the last time I checked!). However, the field indicates it's 7 characters. I need to resolve this but I can't change the password.

I'll be out for a few hours but will double check what I've done so far later. However, I have connected at least!

[Pelikal]

Well, going around in circles a bit. I'm trying to reset my Mac admin. account password (forgotten the original) using the original install disk and it doesn't seem to work. I need to sort this out first! Getting all messed up with keychains which I never bothered with.

I seem to have gone off at a tangent from my original posting in that for the time being at least this has nothing to do with enabling IPv6 in Windows7. I'm using my old Toshiba running XP Pro to practice networking which could then be useful in getting hooked up to the HP running Windows7.

Hmmm....