Cannot connect to a Windows PC

Hello,

sometimes I cannot connect to a Windows PC using the Connect to Server command. I suspect that this happens after the Windows PC has waken up from sleep mode. Can this be the case? If so, how to remedy this (without restarting the PC). Note: restarting the Mac doesn't help.

You say sometimes you can't connect, what happens when you try to connect? Does it bring up an error message? Can you usually connect to the Windows PC?
Also what are your computer specs and OS?
- Simon

New MackBook Air Mac OS X 10.6.6, the PC is running Windows 7, connected via Wi-Fi, the error message reads:

The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time.

When I try to connect again, the message changes to:

There was an error connecting to the server.

When I restart the PC, the connection works fine.

EDIT: I also lose the already established connection when I put my Mac to sleep and wake it up again. Just tested it.

Does the PC actually go to sleep? Do you have wake-on-lan setup?
Access Your Computer Anytime and Save Energy with Wake-on-LAN

What do you use to establish the connection? IP Address? The windows computer name?

Do the ip addresses of all computers stay stable?

IvanLasston said:

Does the PC actually go to sleep? Do you have wake-on-lan setup?
Access Your Computer Anytime and Save Energy with Wake-on-LAN

What do you use to establish the connection? IP Address? The windows computer name?

Do the ip addresses of all computers stay stable?

Click to expand...

Yes, the IP addresses of all computers stay stable, I use the windows computer name to connect and yes, the computers wake up before I try to connect.

Does it connect with smb://ipaddress instead of the windows name?

IvanLasston said:

Does it connect with smb://ipaddress instead of the windows name?

Click to expand...

Well, it's either:

both the IP address and windows name work (computers freshly restarted)

OR

neither the IP address and windows name work (one of the computers "experienced" a period of sleep mode and the connection broke down and cannot be re-established)

chomper said:

Well, it's either:

both the IP address and windows name work (computers freshly restarted)

Click to expand...

Computers, plural? As in both your Windows box and the Mac need to be restarted in order to reinitialize a connection?

chomper said:

neither the IP address and windows name work (one of the computers "experienced" a period of sleep mode and the connection broke down and cannot be re-established)

Click to expand...

Which one went to sleep?

I'm sorry to ask for specificity here, but the first step in finding a solution to a problem is figuring out where the problem is located -- and this post sort of conflicts with your first...

Sorry for puzzling you. I have to restart only the computer that went to sleep and woke up. Just doing some search on Google and this seems to be a common problem.

I have no problem connecting to my Windows 7 PC from my Mac. The difference is my PC never goes to sleep. It stays on as it is the main itunes server and file server of my house. My Mac sleeps and wakes all the time as I close the lid to move it around.

So I guess my first suggestion is to try to keep the Windows 7 box on for a week or two (while trying to connect with your wake from sleep Mac)- and see if the problem goes away. That is a a sucky answer though as that is a lot of power used when you don't need it.

Guys, I tried to turn off the built-in firewall and suddenly I can connect to a PC that was in sleep mode, I can also connect to a PC from my Mac that was in sleep mode. Did a plenty of tests with putting the PC and/or the Mac to sleep and waking them and I can still connect OK. The only problem is that when I was connected to the PC and put my Mac to sleep, the connection didn't work and I had to reconnect after the Mac woke up. However, this happened only sometimes, not always.

My question is: is it safe to leave the firewall turned off? I think it was off when I bought the Mac.

At home it should be fine to have it off. Others are of the opinion that you can keep it off all the time (which is why Apple has it off by default because you don't really need it)

I do have my firewall on - and don't have these connection issues coming from sleep.