Connect a Desktop to a Laptop

Connecting two computers directly to each other allows you to transfer files faster than any other method, and can also let you share one computer's internet connection with the other. The process varies depending on whether you are sharing files or an internet connection, as well as what operating system(s) you are using.

Steps

Sharing Files (Windows to Windows)

  1. Disable the wireless adapters on the computers (optional). If either computer has the wireless network adapter, turn it off when connecting the computers. This will help prevent network conflicts.
    • Click the Start menu, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.
    • Right-click on your wireless connection and select "Disable".
  2. Connect the two computers using an Ethernet cable. Newer computers can use a standard Ethernet cable, as the network adapter will automatically detect that you are connecting two computers. Older computers may need to Make-a-Crossover-Cable-from-One-Standard-Ethernet-Cable, which is a standard Ethernet cable with the connection reversed on one end.
  3. Return to the computer that you want to share something from. While you will be able to share files back and forth between both computers, it is usually easiest to set up sharing on your most modern computer.
  4. Right-click on the network connection icon in the System Tray. Select "Open Network and Sharing Center".
  5. Click the "Local Area Connection" link next to "Unidentified network". This will open the details of the new connection between the two computers.
  6. Click .Properties. Select "Internet Protocol Version 4" and click Properties.
  7. Select "Use the following IP address". This will allow you to manually enter an IP address.
  8. Enter an IP address. Since you aren't using the internet, the IP address can actually be anything. For ease of explanation, set the IP address to 192.168.1.10.
  9. Press Tab to automatically set the subnet mask. Click OK.
  10. Go to the second computer. Open the Network and Sharing Center like you did on the first PC.
  11. Click the "Local Area Connection" link next to "Unidentified network". This will open the details of the new connection between the two computers.
  12. Click .Properties. Select "Internet Protocol Version 4" and click Properties.
  13. Select "Use the following IP address". This will allow you to manually enter an IP address for the second computer.
  14. Enter in an IP address with a different set of last digits. Since we used 192.168.1.10 for the first computer, enter 192.168.1.11 for the second one.
  15. Press Tab to automatically set the subnet mask. Click OK. The two computers are now on a private network between the two of them.
  16. Return to the computer you want to share something from. Locate the drive, file, or folder that you want to share with the second computer.
  17. Right-click on the object you want to share and click "Properties". Click the Sharing tab.
  18. Click .Advanced Sharing and check the "Share this folder" box.
  19. Click the .Permissions button and check the "Allow" box next to "Full Control". This allows the second computer to read and write to the shared folder. Click Apply.
  20. Return to the objects Properties window and select the .Security tab. Ensure that "Everyone" is listed in the list of users. If not, click the Add... button and follow the prompts to add "Everyone".
  21. Click the Start menu on the computer that is accessing the shared folder. In our example this is the second computer.
  22. Type .\\ and press Enter. Using the IP addresses we entered above, you would type \\192.168.1.10.
  23. Navigate the shared files. You will now see all of the folders that you have shared on the first computer. If your permissions were set correctly, you can copy, delete, and add files to these shared folders.

Sharing Files (Windows to Mac)

  1. Open the Control Panel on your Windows computer. You will need to enable your Guest account for the easiest connection.
  2. Click "User Accounts" and then click "Manage another account". This will allow you to add the Guest account to your computer. you can remove it later when you're done transferring files.
  3. Click the "Guest Account" and then click .Turn On. This will enable the Guest account.
  4. Return to the Control Panel and select "Network and Sharing Center". There is one more change you will need to make before connecting the computers.
  5. Click "Change advanced sharing settings". Scroll down and select "Turn off password protected sharing".
  6. Connect the two computers using an Ethernet cable. Nearly all modern computers can use a standard Ethernet cable. If you cannot make the connection, you may need to use a Make-a-Crossover-Cable-from-One-Standard-Ethernet-Cable.
  7. Click the Start menu on the Windows computer. Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
  8. Double-click on the Local Area Connection. This will let you change the settings for your new connection between the two computers.
  9. Click the .Details... button and note the "Auto-configuration IPv4 Address".
  10. Locate the drive, file, or folder that you want to share with the Mac. If you want to share everything on your computer, select your hard drive to share.
  11. Right-click on the object you want to share. Select "Share With" and click "Specific people".
  12. Type "Guest" and click .Add. Make sure that "Guest" is spelled with a capital "G".
  13. Click "Read" in the "Permission Level" column next to the "Guest" entry. Select "Read/Write".
  14. Click .Share. Click Next to share the folder.
  15. Open a Finder window on your Mac. Press Command + K to open the "Connect to Server" window.
  16. Type .smb://. Use the IP address that you found in Step 9. Click .
  17. Select "Guest" as your login. Click to make the connection.
  18. Select the shared folder and click .. Depending on what you shared on your Windows PC, you may have one or more folders available here.
  19. Navigate the shared files. Now that a connection has been established, you can share files back and forth using the shared folder you set on your Windows computer. You can use your Mac to pull files from this folder, or add files from your Mac to be accessed on your Windows computer.

Sharing Files (Mac to Mac)

  1. Obtain a Thunderbolt cable. Thunderbolt offers the fastest and easiest way to connect two Macs for file sharing. Nearly all modern Macs support Thunderbolt connections.
  2. Power down the computer you want to access files from. The Thunderbolt connection essentially turns the second Mac into an external hard drive, so you won't actually be booting it into the operating system.
  3. Connect the two Macs using the Thunderbolt cable. There is only one way that a Thunderbolt cable can be connected.
  4. Turn on the second Mac while holding down its T key. This will boot the Mac into Target Disk mode.
  5. Wait for the Thunderbolt logo to appear. It should show up after a few seconds. You can now release T.
  6. Access the hard drive on your first Mac. Your second Mac's hard drive will appear as an external hard drive on your first Mac. You can open it to access and transfer any files you'd like. Thunderbolt offers one of the fastest connections available, so files will transfer very quickly.[1]

Sharing Internet (Windows)

  1. Connect the two computers using an Ethernet cable. Newer computers can use a standard Ethernet cable, as the network adapter will automatically detect that you are connecting two computers. Older computers may need to Make-a-Crossover-Cable-from-One-Standard-Ethernet-Cable, which is a standard Ethernet cable with the connection reversed on one end.
    • You can use internet connection sharing to share your internet connection with any computer that can connect via Ethernet, regardless of operating system.
  2. Click the Start menu on the Windows computer that has internet access. Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
  3. Right-click on the connection you use to get internet. Select "Properties".
  4. Click the "Sharing" tab. This will allow you to share that connection's internet access.
  5. Check the "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" box. Click OK.
  6. Browse the internet on the second computer. Once internet connection sharing has been activated on the first computer, the second computer should immediately have access to the internet.[2]

Sharing Internet (Mac)

  1. Connect the two computers using an Ethernet cable. Newer computers can use a standard Ethernet cable, as the network adapter will automatically detect that you are connecting two computers. Older computers may need to Make-a-Crossover-Cable-from-One-Standard-Ethernet-Cable, which is a standard Ethernet cable with the connection reversed on one end.
    • You can use internet connection sharing to share your internet connection with any computer that can connect via Ethernet, regardless of operating system.
  2. Click the Apple menu on your Mac that has internet access and select System Preferences. Select "Sharing" from the System Preferences menu.
  3. Click the "Internet Sharing" option in the left frame. Do not check the box yet.
  4. Select your Mac's internet connection from the drop-down menu. If you are connecting two computer's via Ethernet, you'll usually be sharing your Wi-Fi connection
    • Older Macs will display "Airport" instead of "Wi-Fi".
  5. Check the "Ethernet" option in the "To computers using" list. This will share the connection with any computer connected via Ethernet.
  6. Check the "Internet Sharing" box. Click if prompted.
  7. Browse the internet on the second computer. Once internet connection sharing has been activated on the first computer, the second computer should immediately have access to the internet.
    • It may take a moment for the second computer to retrieve a new IP address.[3]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.macworld.com/article/2142073/connecting-two-macs-using-thunderbolt.html
  2. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/using-internet-connection-sharing#1TC=windows-7
  3. ↑ http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-share-your-macs-internet-connection--mac-60309
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