# Networking Problem - Very Annoying



## TimWilliams (Jan 10, 2006)

Hi,

I have a Mac Mini hooked up to ethernet using a wired connection.
The Mac is connected to a router, which is connected to another router, which is connected to another router which has a DSL connection hooked up to it...
I'm trying to get internet access to my mac mini, but mainly i am trying to hook up my mac mini with my PC.
The Pc i'm trying to connect it to is connected to the same router, and it is able to communicate with the other PCs on the network perfectly and recieve internet...
This is my first Mac, and the only Mac on the network. In the System preferences>network section i have disabled all the connections apart from the wired ethernet connection. It tells me in the network menu that the mac mini is connected to the network and that it is recieving internet, although i cannot communicate with any of the other PCs and i cannot connect to the internet on it.

I have also tried:
Countless complete network restarts and comupter restarts
Upgrading to version 10.4.3 (via a cd created on my pc)
Go>Connect to server> smb:// + the ip address of the computer i want to connect it with...
Creating countless new locations
Playing around with all the settings i could find...

This has been troubling me for some time now, any help is greatly appreciated...

Anything else you need to know?
The router connecting my PC with my Mac Mini is Netgear EN104 TP
The second router is hidden away so I can't get the model name right now...
The third router is Zoom ADSL X5 Modem
Im running OS X 10.4.3
All my PCs are windows XP and all of the PCs work fine on the network...

Please post to tell me if you need any more details..

Thanks

Tim Williams


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## Cam (Jan 10, 2006)

Tip from apple seems to indicate that you need the name (rather than IP address) of the Windows SMB server (the other computer). 

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Mac OS X 10.1 or later: How to Connect to Windows File Sharing (SMB)
Follow the steps in this article to connect to Windows File Sharing (SMB) from Mac OS X 10.1 or later. SMB is the native sharing protocol for Microsoft Windows operating systems, but it may be offered by other computers.

Follow these steps:

   1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
   2. Choose Connect to Server from the Go menu (see Note 1).
   3. In the address field of the Connect to Server dialog, type the URL using this syntax (see Note 3):

      smb://ServerName/ShareName/

   4. Click Connect. 


You will be prompted for the workgroup, user name, and password. In addition to connecting to actual Microsoft Windows computers, you may also use the Connect to Server dialog to connect to a Macintosh that is offering Windows File Sharing.


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## Cam (Jan 10, 2006)

Sorry I forgot to read the notes.  Maybe they would be helpful.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106471

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      1. When you go to the Connect to Server dialog, you may browse by computer name. In Mac OS X versions 10.0 to 10.1.5, the names of SMB-sharing computers do not appear. In Mac OS X 10.2 or later, the names of SMB computers do appear (see Note 2). However, only the names of computers on your subnet appear.

      2. You may not always see the expected user-defined computer name when browsing via SMB. See technical document 107085, "Mac OS X 10.2: Windows (SMB) Computer Name Does Not Appear in Connect to Server Dialog".

      3. "ServerName" may be an IP address or DNS name. If it is required or more convenient in your environment, you may also use other valid URL formats, such as:

      smb://WORKGROUP@ServerName/ShareName
      smb://WORKGROUP;User@ServerName/ShareName


      4. The name of the "share" (the shared disk, volume, or directory) must be specified. You will not be prompted for it.

      5. You cannot type spaces as part of the share name when connecting. In place of any space in the share name, type: %20

      6. You cannot connect to a share with a name that contains a hyphen. Resolve the issue by giving the share a name that does not contain a hyphen.

      7. Connecting to (mounting) two or more SMB volumes simultaneously may cause a kernel panic. Drag one volume to the Trash to eject it before connecting to another (versions 10.1 to 10.2.8 only).

      8. The only alert message that Mac OS X versions 10.0 to 10.1.5 display for SMB login difficulties is "There's no file service available at the URL <URL>." This is sometimes correct and sometimes incorrect. This is the message that would appear if you mistyped your password, for example.

      9. Mac OS X uses SMB only over the TCP/IP protocol, not over the NetBEUI protocol.

      10. When troubleshooting a connection failure, you can ping the IP address of the Windows computer using the Mac OS X Network Utility. A successful ping verifies a TCP/IP connection between the two computers.

      11. Check Microsoft support resources for information on setting up file sharing on your Microsoft Windows-based computer. These may include Help files installed on your computer or the Microsoft online Knowledge Base (http://search.support.microsoft.com/kb/). For an example, see article Q304040: "Description of File Sharing and Permissions in Windows XP"

      12. When troubleshooting an SMB connection issue, try checking the Console, which is located in the Utilities folder. The Console log may help advanced users identify an issue.
      13. If you are connecting to Windows XP, make sure that the Internet Connection Firewall settings are not interfering with your connection. SMB uses ports 137, 138 and 139. These ports should be open on the Windows XP computer. This may require "Advanced" configuration of the XP firewall.
      14. You can get additional information from the Internet Engineering Task Force document "SMB File Sharing URL Scheme".


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## TimWilliams (Jan 11, 2006)

I have tried that, and looked thorugh all the checks that you posted...It still doesn't work...

It gives me this message:

The finder cannot complete the operation because some data in "smb//TIMSLAPTOP/SharedDocs" could not be read or written (Error code -36)


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## Cam (Jan 11, 2006)

Found this at apple http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301580, searching on "error code 36"

Mac OS X 10.4: Error -36 alert displays when connecting to a Windows server
Mac OS X 10.4: Error -36 alert displays when connecting to a Samba or Windows server

After upgrading from Mac OS X 10.3.x to Mac OS X 10.4, you may get an error message when you try to connect to a Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server. A Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server includes servers operating on Microsoft Windows and other operating systems that use Samba for SMB/CIFS services.

If the connection is unsuccessful, the following error message may appear:

    The Finder cannot complete the operation because some of the data in smb://........ could not be read or written. (Error code -36). 

If you check the Console (/Applications/Utilities/), you will also see this error message:

    mount_smbfs: session setup phase failed 

This error can occur if your Mac OS X 10.4 client is trying to connect to a Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server that only supports plain text passwords. If you do not see the above message in the Console, you are not experiencing this issue and should try normal troubleshooting to isolate the source of the issue.

Unlike Mac OS X 10.3, the Mac OS X 10.4 SMB/CIFS client by default only supports encrypted passwords. Most modern Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) servers use encrypted passwords by default, while some Samba servers might have to be reconfigured.

You should consider contacting the owner or system administrator of the Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server to which you are trying to connect and encourage them to disable plain text passwords and start using encrypted ones. If the server cannot be reconfigured to support encrypted passwords, you can configure Mac OS X 10.4 SMB/CIFS client to send plain text passwords.

Warning: If you configure your computer to allow connections to Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) servers using plain text passwords, when you attempt to make any connection to such a Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server, your password will be sent "in the clear". This means that it is possible for someone who is monitoring your connection to see your password. This could lead to someone compromising the Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server. We strongly recommend that you configure your Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) servers to exclusively use encrypted passwords.

Follow the steps below to configure your computer to use plain text passwords to make SMB/CIFS connections when the specified Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) server does not support encrypted passwords. (You must be an administrator to do these steps.)

   1. Make sure that you are not currently connected to any Samba or Windows (SMB/CIFS) servers and that you do not have any Samba or Windows-related error messages open.
   2. Open the Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/).
   3. At the prompt, type: sudo pico /etc/nsmb.conf
   4. Press Return.
   5. Enter your password when prompted, then press Return again.
   6. You should see an empty file and a "New File" notice at the bottom of the pico window. If you do not see the "New File" notice, this file already exists.
   7. Enter the following into the file so that it appears as follows:

      [default]
      minauth=none



   8. Save the file (press Control-O), press Return, then exit pico (Control-X).
   9. Type: sudo chmod a+r /etc/nsmb.conf
  10. Press Return.
  11. Restart your computer.


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## jgarland2 (Sep 7, 2007)

I have an iBook G4 that i got from work to do some work at home but when I try to go on internet explorer it tells me that the specified server could not be found.  I have a desktop and two other laptops at home and they all work fine, i just can't get internet service.

Thank you


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## Kees Buijs (Sep 8, 2007)

TimWilliams said:


> I have tried that, and looked thorugh all the checks that you posted...It still doesn't work...
> 
> It gives me this message:
> 
> The finder cannot complete the operation because some data in "smb//TIMSLAPTOP/SharedDocs" could not be read or written (Error code -36)



What TCP/IP information do you get from the router. Do you have a connection to the router at all. Internet should work instantly after connection to a router so the issue may be different from what is now suggested.

Check the IP-information with the information on one of the PC's and all should be the same (gateway, netmask, dns etc. except for a minor difference in the last part of the ip-number).

If that information is very different, you are not having a good connection to the router thus no connection to the internet nor a connection to the other systems in your network.


Good luck, Kees


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## Giaguara (Sep 8, 2007)

Use terminal to connect.

smbclient //dns or ip/sharename -W workgroup -U loginname

Terminal works, even when Finder sucks.


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## eric2006 (Sep 8, 2007)

How are the routers configured? Where are the PCs connected? If a router has a firewall, that could be blocking. Are all running DHCP servers? You may want to try OpenDNS, as it sounds like you may have a DNS issue.


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## Cam (Sep 8, 2007)

jgarland2 said:


> I have an iBook G4 that i got from work to do some work at home but when I try to go on internet explorer it tells me that the specified server could not be found.  I have a desktop and two other laptops at home and they all work fine, i just can't get internet service.
> 
> Thank you



Since you have more than one computer sharing the internet I am assuming you have a wireless router or a hard wire router.

You need to open the System Preferences and look at the Network, under Network look at TCP/IP tab to find the address. You should have an IP address that is similar to the PC's for you to get out of your local area networt. Example IP would be 192.168.1.x, where x is unique for the mac's and pc's.  You probably are not getting an IP address from your router. Most devices that you can purchase to "share" a single internet connection (like cable TV internet) are routers, they create a Local Area Network (LAN) and the LAN has this unique IP address and the router hands these out when the computer tries to connect (DHCP server is the term for this).

In my house with wireless I have to click on the wireless symbol and tell the computer to connect up to my network (or you can use the Network Control Panel). It might be remembering your work router. You might need to hit the "renew DHCP lease" button on the TCP/IP window of the Network control panel to force the router to give you a new valid IP address (both wireless and a direct wire to the router).

You might need to find a manual for the router, or call technical support to help you if you can not figure out how to get the router to provide you with an IP address automtically. I recently had an issue with a new cable modem not recognizing my wireless rounter (cable TV company set up the modem by directly connecting my mac, but then the cable modem would not work with my router). This was only solvable with tech support from the router manufacturer. He forced the cable modem box to recognize my router.


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## Satcomer (Sep 9, 2007)

Have you read this article. Plus you should bookmark the Apple document "Well Known" TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products if you are going to some serious Mac networking. 

Also if you have a Mac in a Windows sharing environment world you should regular visit MacWindows.com.


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