USB-USB networking cable

[thosejaunes]

Hello,

I just purchased a Gigaware USB Transfer Cable "for Windows," with included Laplink software, but had intended all along to connect my XP computer to my MacBook, running os x 10.4 (guess I didn't check the packaging well enough).

So, I wonder if anyone knows about usb networking to a Mac, and whether or not these cables are universal. I have trouble believing that this cable has anything inherently "PC" about it, even though the software they provide only works with Windows. (Btw, I can't find a number for Gigaware online, who I might have called first about this).

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks -

JDS

 

[robbieduncan]

You'll need special software: USB does not natively support computer-computer connections or networking...

 

[thosejaunes]

Any ideas of software, particularly free software, that I might be able to use for this purpose?

Thanks

 

[flyinmac]

It's not that the cable is inherently "Windows".

It's just that it's a transfer scheme first promoted by Microsoft. And, as such, it has been adopted by PC's / Windows software. But, no such adoption has occurred with Macs.

Not that there's any reason it won't work. Just that Windows decided to use this method, and Macs didn't jump on-board.

For data transfer between a Mac and Windows, I would suggest a couple of options.

One, a direct network between the two with an Ethernet cable (traditionally a cross-over network cable - but newer Macs usually detect and automatically will cross-over with a standard ethernet cable).

Or, use a CD-R or DVD-R to copy your files.

Or, use a flash drive to copy your files.

Or, use an external hard drive (USB or FireWire - whichever you have on both systems) to transfer the files.

Or, upload them to an online spot, and download them with the other machine. You can get a free trial of .Mac that will give you 50 MB to store files online. Just download them again with the other computer.

Those are probably your best options.

 

[Counterfit]

Well, I know OS X supports IP over Firewire. I know you spent the money on a USB cable for it, but I bet there's a better chance of you finding IP/FW software for Windows (if it isn't supported natively) than IP/USB for OS X.



Or you could use Boot Camp?

 

[thosejaunes]

Thanks - it is interesting that one can connect to a wireless network via usb, but not to a wired one, be it computer-computer, or lan (or do macs work with a usb lan?).

After searching around, I did find this cable "http://www.targus.com/CA/product_details.asp?sku=ACC96CA" which claims to be compatible with Mac and PC - maybe I'll take back the one I got and try this new one.

Thanks for the help

 

[thosejaunes]

About the Firewire - I had thought of that, but my PC doesn't have a Firewire connection, and even though I should probably have a Firewire card in there anyway, I didn't end up going that route.

Will boot camp work on 10.4?

 

[flyinmac]

Well, I know OS X supports IP over Firewire. I know you spent the money on a USB cable for it, but I bet there's a better chance of you finding IP/FW software for Windows (if it isn't supported natively) than IP/USB for OS X.



Or you could use Boot Camp?

Actually, that does remind me that I did do that for a while. I used a straight / standard Firewire cable, and networked a Mac Mini with OS 10.4.3 to a machine running Windows XP.

I was sending DVD images of movies back and forth, and both machines were next to each other. The Mini didn't have a DVD Burner, so I was sending them to the PC over firewire (using it as a network) so that I could burn the ISO image to DVD-R.

I was using the Mini for iMovie and iDVD, and didn't have a DVD-R drive in it. So, that solution worked quite well. Very fast.

I'm sure you must have a standard FireWire cable around somewhere???

Just plug it into both machine's FireWire ports. Then, set up the network over FireWire. Both the Mac and Windows support it (XP and Vista).

 

[flyinmac]

About the Firewire - I had thought of that, but my PC doesn't have a Firewire connection, and even though I should probably have a Firewire card in there anyway, I didn't end up going that route.

Will boot camp work on 10.4?

The old BootCamp beta did. But, it was time sensitive (as in expired). Now (unless you can hack an old copy - perhaps just change the date in your computer), you'd have to use Leopard and it's bootcamp.