connect pda to mac os x to file share

damo86

hi all
ok,heres what i want to do=i want connect my pda(xda mini s and maybe my imate sp5) to my mac (mac os 10.4) via wifi so i can browse my files on my mac from the pda to stream music etc,hows this possible?i thought by installing resco explorer i could browse the network but its a no go.any ideas?the pda and computer connect fine but not sure what to do next!

thanks in advance
damo

ZENER

Do you want to stream from the Mac to the PDA or be able to access media files on your Mac with the PDA ?

Resco explorer will allow you to browse shares on the Mac using SMB (netbios) but you will need to enable this on your Mac and then put the files into the public directory in your Home dir.

To enable Windows File Sharing on the Mac go to:

System Preferences/Sharing >>>and check the box beside windows sharing.

This shares your Home folder and anything in it including Music, Pictures etc.

You will need to set the Workgroup that your Mac will join in the Windows domain, go to:

<your hard disk>/Applications/Utilities/Directory Access >> in the Services Tab, click the lock at the bottom and enter your password. Click the SMB/CIFS check box and click Configure. Here you must enter the Workgroup name that matches with the Workgroup name of other Windows computers on your network typical entries would be MSHOME or WORKGROUP- unless you have a Wins server leave that field blank.

This should let you browse to the music on the Mac from the PDA (might need a username and password - not sure) what you play them with after that is down to the software on the PDA.
It might be simpler if you map the Macs music folder to a drive on the PDA using Resco Explorers feature then pretty much any player should manage the files I would think ?!

Sorry if you're already savvy on this and it's all useless to you

ZEN

ZENER

Pocket WinAmp might be useful too ?! Available here.

ZEN

damo86

cheers for that,still no luck i did everything you said but no drive is coming up on resco explorer,seems to not see a network at all.at the moment its just a ad-hoc connection.have you done this yourself?i dont have wins server so i let directory access settings blank.
anymore ideas

damo86

ive had a small bit of success,but still no where near!what i did was went to resco explorer,no sign of the drive but when i went to map i drive where i enter the ip address and the subnet mask manually my drive did come up but wouldnt allow me to access it,am i in the right track?

ZENER

Are you using a wireless access point ? Are your Mac and PDA connected to it ? Are they on the same network, i.e. 192.168.0.? with the same Subnet Mask, i.e. 255.255.255.0. This page on Rescos site explains it.

If everything is set right then you should automatically pick up the workgroup when Resco scans. I'll set it up again here myself and let you know how it works out.

It may also be necessary to provide a User and Password to access any files on the Mac, the same user and password as the Mac is currently using if you want to access those files associated with that user.

Have you any other PCs in the house ?

ZEN

ZENER

Ok, assuming you have all the necessary networks steps completed and you are connected to the house network, the following steps will allow you to map the Mac drive on your PDA.

1. On the mac: System Preferences\Sharing\Services >> select Windows Sharing >> Make sure it's ticked and started. Select the account that you want to allow Windows Sharing with in the "Accounts..." Button near the bottom.

2. On the Mac: At the bottom of the pane under the "Accounts..." button will be instructions how to let a Windows machine access your Mac. i.e. point the PC to \\<i.p. address of Mac>\<account name> On my Mac it shows,
\\192.168.0.2\zener

3. On PDA\Resco Explorer: Click the Map Drive Icon on the bottom right of the screen and select "Map Drive..."

4. On the PDA\Resco\Share Network Disk >> In the Remote Path Field at the top of the screen enter the info from step 2 above. For me it reads :
\\192.168.0.2\zener . hit the return key on the onscreen keyboard on the PDA.

5. On the PDA\Resco\: After a short delay you will be asked to enter a password for the account you entered. It offers you the chance to save the password, ignore the Domain field. Hit "OK" and after a while you should see the directory listing of your Home directory on the Mac complete with your Music folder, navigate right to the iTunes folder and click ok on the PDA.

You have now mapped the Music folder. For some reason the Mac doesn't appear in the Computer Near Me Window, Ithink I know why but I won't go into it here. 2 Windows XP machines connected to my network DO appear in the window and mapping those is simply a clicking exercise, go figure !!

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

ZEN

damo86

cheers but still no luck, its a mac to pda adhoc connection,one thing ive noticed is when turn on wifi and connects to the network i get a warning on the pda sayings "cannot get a self assigned ip address, enter ip address manually in network settings", where are the settings they are referring to?When i go to map drive on resco, i type in the ip address manually cos its seems to get the wrong ip address when it detects automatically, doing that my computer name comes up computer near me as DAMIAN-EDWARDES, i tapped on that but just get "cannot connect to shared network path", i typed in remote path field \\169.254.114.78\damianedwardes (exactly as the mac tells me to do) but get an error saying "cannot connect to network path, network resource cannot be found or you do not have permission to access the network.contact your network admin", no sign of the dialogue asking for my password etc?maybe its a limitation of the adhoc connection?also note that ive let my directory access settings as "workgroup".
looking forward to hearing from you....driving me nuts!!

regards

damo

ZENER

I think you need to get the network end of things sorted first. Do you have a wireless access point ? How do you connect to the Internet ? The best way to proceed will depend on the answer to these questions.

You need to give the Airport card an IP address in the same range as the built in ethernet port. So if your ethernet port is 192.168.0.2 then make the Airport card 192.168.0.3 or similar.

You also need to give the PDA an i.p. address in this range (say, 192.168.0.4 for example) and provide it with a subnet mask address - router address (this depends on how you connect to the internet) and DNS server address (depends on internet access ). I can't help you with this because I don't know which version of Windows your PDA uses but if you can find out post it here.

A phonecall would probably be the quickest way to sort all this out (my hands are getting tired ) Are you interested in this or do you prefer to continue this way ? PM me and let me know.

ZEN

ZENER

Prayers answered !!! Read this !!

ZEN

damo86

i dont a wireless access port,just lan,i'll give that app a bash,cheers for finding that!again thanks for help really appreciate(spelling???) it!

regards
damo

ZENER

No problem but regardless of what application you use you will still need to sort out the neworking between the 2 systems. Let me know what you want to do.

ZEN

Urban Weigl

You really need to get a wireless access point. You should be able to pick one up for under 100 euros these days, with built in broadband router, 4-port switch and all the bells. www.elara.ie might be a place to start.

damo86

VICTORY!!!!used that app didnt work at first but changed it by setting wifi to connect to "internet" instead of connect to "work" on the pda,had a go at resco and networked the drives grand.....now a happy camper!!
special thanks to zen

damo