Member Avatar for TonyGD

Got my new iMac and my 4-year old Dell hooked up to my router, both can access the Internet and mail but they don't "see" each other. How do I get them together to share my printer/scanner and files? I've been trying for hours no luck. HELP!!!!

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described a classic "can reach the Internet but not each other" case. That usually comes down to one or more of: the two machines are on separate local networks (guest SSID, VLAN or client isolation), local file/printer sharing is not enabled on the host machine, or a firewall/router setting is blocking local traffic. 's suggestion to connect directly to a shared resource is the right idea in principle, and correctly pointed out that Macs can participate in Windows-style file sharing — but you need a few settings in place first.

Checklist to work through (in this order):

  • Confirm both machines are on the same LAN/SSID and not a "guest" or isolated wireless network on the router.
  • Verify each machine has a local IP on the same subnet and that you can reach one from the other (basic connectivity test).
  • Enable file and printer sharing on the Windows PC and enable file sharing on the Mac (including the option to share with Windows clients).
  • Temporarily disable or adjust software firewalls on both computers to rule out blocking of local file/printer services.
  • If the printer/scanner is attached to one PC, enable sharing on that host and install the shared printer on the other machine; if the device is network-capable, add it by its network address. For scanners, many older units require vendor software or scanning to a shared folder as a workaround.

When asking for more help, include OS versions, router make/model, whether the printer/scanner is USB or networked, and any error messages seen.

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Member Avatar for Kashif

Got my new iMac and my 4-year old Dell hooked up to my router, both can access the Internet and mail but they don't "see" each other. How do I get them together to share my printer/scanner and files? I've been trying for hours no luck. HELP!!!!

Enter \\ with IP of Compter where u shared files

Member Avatar for DimaYasny

imac? they have some sort of samba implementation on the tigeros, never touched imacs though.

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