Lost browsing from Windows
 

Over the past couple of days, I've lost the ability to browse my various SMB share points from my Windows machine. I can access them via 192.168.0.3/Mac and as NetBios is running on Windows, I can see \\Percy\Mac. However, If I try typing in \\Percy or browsing 'My network places' in Windows I can't access anything (EM saying I don't have permission)
I've tried troubleshooting this from the Windows end but can't seem to find anything that helps, so any suggestions for the Mac end would be welcome!

If you can connect to the Mac, it seems to me browsing is a Windows problem.

I can connect to the Mac, ping it, login via Telnet, but I simply can not browse a list of the Macs shares from Windows. Just want to rule out any problems at the Mac end before I go re-installing

You could turn off Windoze sharing on the Mac and then turn it back on. I doubt the problem is on the Mac, but that might force Windoze to see it again.

I've turned off and back on again SMB in Directory Access app but this has made no difference, is there anything else I should try?

Shut down both systems, then restart. Other than that, I think you've got a Windoze problem. I've solved mine by only using Macs.
:D

Yeah, I've rebooted both systems, tried restarting the Windows service in Server Admin still nothing, think I'll go have a look on the Windows forums!

One thing I've noticed is that although the Windows service is starting in Server Admin, the standard Sharing panel in System Preferences doesn't have a Windows Sharing option. Is this because I'm using MacOS Server?

Yes, the Server takes over all sharing options.
Why are you using Server on the Mac?
If I were to keep a PC, I'd turn it into a server for the Mac.

I use it for hosting web sites, plus I have always used server editions of OS's even when I used to run Windows.

I have narrowed down the problem to the Mac end. When I log in as myself to the Windows machine, I can browse all the Mac shares. When the Windows machine is logged in as my partner, they can not see the Mac shares (And this is on a new install of Windows hence I think it is a Mac issue). I have tried deleting and recreating users on the Mac to no avail. Can anyone else suggest anything that might be wrong now it has been narrowed down to a Mac problem?

I think what you've just written actually narrows it down to a Windoze problem. If you can log into the Windoze machine as one user and see the Mac, the Mac must be ok. If you then log into the same Windoze machine as another user, but can't see the Mac, the problem must be with that Windoze account.

No, this is with 2 identical admin accounts created on a fresh install of Windows with the same usernames and passwords as on the Mac, the problem does not lie with Windows I am 99% sure that it is a problem at the Mac end.

Yes, but one gets in and the other doesn't. That means something is different on the one that doesn't.

Plus, it's Windoze. The source of all problems.
:D

I think I might know where the problem is, and I hate that I know this:
Windoze does some crap at login with what it calls a "domain." It's like a domain on the internet, but not the same. Anyway, they're easy to mess up and difficult to get straightened out when you do. I'm almost certain that's where the problem is.
Now I must go and redouble my efforts to erase all knowledge of Windoze from my brain. :eek:

OK, I do prefer Macs (obviously) and Windows does have it's many flaws. I came here to ask for help on the Mac side of things because I KNOW Windows is set up correctly, the Mac has the problem. I know it's not an 'I love Windows forum' but c'mon, be a little sympathetic!
This is happening on a brand new clean install of Windows with 2 IDENTICAL accounts created. It is not using any domain as we don't have one, we only use a workgroup.

UPDATE:-
OK, After using Panther Cache Cleaner to deep clean all caches, the "View Workgroup Computers" option on Windows can now at least see that my machine exists, although it can not yet see any shares for some reason. Have to say, it is definately looking like some sort of problem with my Mac and/or it's settings....

There must be something else you aren't telling us then. Look at what we know:

Client A can see the server.
Cliant B can not see the server.

Since the server can be seen, the server is ok, hence client B is having a problem.

Where's the information or logic that's telling you it's the server?

The logic that is telling me that it is the server that is at fault is that client A can see my list of shares. Client B could not even see the server untill I cleaned all the servers caches out. Clients A and B can see ALL of the servers shares by typing in the fully qualified share name eg \\192.168.0.3\Archive. Also, I alter something on the server by cleaning the caches, and the server itself automatically showed up in the Windows workgroup computer listing, which is one stage further than before. Next question is, what do I have to alter on my Mac to get this list of shares up?

I'm going to answer on the premesis that both the comps are on a LAn together behind a firewall... Check your PC's TCP/IP settings for the buggy account... Do you have any DNS sugffix info there or anything of the kind ? Also make sure that in System Properties, under the Computer name tab by clicking on the Change button that your computer name is 13 characters or less and that your settings are set to join a work group and not a domain ? Those contditions may impact your ability to see files on the Mac without the complete addressing as there different settings will interfere in network browsing by "auto-completing" info to try and help you.

Oh no! Could it be that the PC "domain" is the problem? :rolleyes:

The smart man always waits for confirmation before becoming sarcastic :p

I couldn't resist. :D

I know its hard, but I learned from having more PC guys around thatn mac guys, and especially bigger guys... So you stay quiet until it blows up in their face :D

I understand. You learn more from failure than from success. Still...

I guess sometimes you just have to admit defeat and accept the fact that Windows is not the root of all evil and that sometimes there may be other factors involved that you just can't see. Just because someone is relatively new to the world of Mac it doesn't mean they don't know a helluva lot about Windows. Yes the machines are on the same workgroup (We do not use a domain and the PC is not set up to use a domain), and the PC name IS less that 13 chars, there is no info that shouldn't be there, everything on the PC side of things seems to be set up the way I would expect it to be. As for the Mac, AFAIK everything is (on the surface) fine there as well. I guess the only way to get this sorted is to reinstall Mac OS and see if the problem persists then.

Believe it or not, this isn't a Mac vs PC thing, although I admit that experience has led me to believe that when there's a problem and there's a PC around, it's probably to blame.

The fact is though, nothing you've shown us indicates it's the server, in this case the Mac.
If one client can log in and one cannot, the most likely cause is a problem with the client that can't. Yes, there are other possibilities, but the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of it being the client.

Did you check the tcp/ip settings on both clients?
And have you tried swapping ethernet cables? - er, scratch that. It works on one client on the same machine. That indicates it's a software issue on that machine.

For once I'm happy to see that there is actually an agreement on the fact that windows does not entirely ***** Personnaly I find that the best thing on a network is a mix of OS as it makes the general system more flexible (because you are forced to with lots of different OSs) and also more secure in the sense that you will very rarely see all systems affected by the same issue at the same time.

Entirely? No. I like the... er, I'll have to think on that one, but there must be something about it that isn't horrible. :D

Ooh! I found one! I like the ability to set a tasks priority from the Task Manager. I wish the Activity monitor had that. I know, it's not much, but hey, it's not easy to find good parts!

If you want a good sarcastic reason for windows... It diverts hacker and virus wirter attention away from the mac platform :p :D

If that were true, there'd be at least one decent Mac virus. Think of the noteriety gained by being the first!
;)

Well I think this one can finally be laid to rest. I got fed up of trying to find a solution and decided to reinstall the Mac. Set up the two user accounts in question as before and surprise surprise, everyone can browse the shares from Windows. I don't know what had happened on the Mac but it was, as I thought, a problem with the Mac and nothing to do with Windows. A lesson for us all! Windows isn't always to blame! (Usually perhaps, but not always!)

Well a virus may be nast, but I did like the guy who thought of punishing illegal software downloadeds on LimeWire and other ptop networks when a file was posted stating it was Office 2004 and it actaully was a shell script that simply ran rm -rf ~ on the users machine..> This was to pushing the msot gulible of users since the file was only 400ks... Who in their right mind would think Office 2004 was 400ks ??? I found that one amusing as it only targeted people who were doing something illegal to start with...