Error code: -36 when attempting to mount Windows File shares

Hi BDAqua, and thank you for the welcome!

BDAqua wrote:
Hi MacBrianAdams, and a warm welcome to the forums! 🙂

I hope I am posting this question to the correct discussion area.

You did great, & it isn't easy to find your way around AD!

Seemed like the right place, thanks.

For error -36, might try this...

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301580

Thank you for the link. It looks like this is not my problem however. When checking the Console as suggested in this article, the error message that I get is similar, but not identical to the one listed: I get "mount_smbfs: negotiate phase failed: syserr = Software caused connection abort" instead of "mount smbfs: session setup phase failed". Still, this sounded similar enough that I decided to try the suggested resolution method, adding a nsmb.conf file and configuring my computer to allow connections using plain text passwords (although this made me a little nervous) 🙂 The end result was the same when trying to connect to the server: the same error messages as before.

The article also suggests that I attempt to reconfigure the smb/cifs server at the PC end to always use encrypted passwords, but I am assuming that Windows 7 does this by default, and if it doesn't then I don't have any idea how to go about doing this. I guess for that answer I'll probably need to go to Microsoft's forums...?

Any other ideas? 🙂

BDAqua wrote:
I only had Windows7 for the beta test, & no idea how much it's like XP in this respect, but have you tried adding the Mac User to the PC?

I'm pretty much a noob with this stuff, so I'm not quite sure what you mean by "adding the Mac User to the PC". If by that you mean adding a user account to the PC with the same username as the Mac, then yes. I am able to see and connect to the eMac shared folders on this PC--just not the other direction--from PC to Mac.

Have you tried Bonjour for Windows on the PC?

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/windows/bonjourforwindows.html

Well, again... I must confess I don't know what I'm doing here. 🙂 I do have Bonjour installed (as part of an iTunes installation I think) on the PC, but I guess I don't know how to use it in this situation. I also installed Bonjour Print Services for Windows in a (failed) attempt to get a printer that is connected by USB to this Windows box to share with the eMac, but that is perhaps a topic for another thread. 🙂 Again, I don't know how to apply it to this situation either.

As I think I mentioned in the original post, I have no problems connecting to this server using a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X (10.5.8) Leopard, I just can't do it from the eMac running Tiger...strange...

BDAqua wrote:

On XP I needed to not mount, but make a new user on the PC to get in...

"On a stand-alone computer or a computer that is a member of a workgroup, a user account establishes the privileges assigned to each user. On a computer that is part of a network domain, a user must be a member of at least one group. The permissions and rights granted to a group are assigned to its members."...

http://www.microsoft.com.nsatc.net/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddo cs/en-us/usercpl_overview.mspx?mfr=true

http://www.microsoft.com.nsatc.net/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddo cs/en-us/usercpladduser.mspx?mfr=true

http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2006/12/05/create-a-new-user-account-in-vista /

Thanks for the links. Maybe I wasn't clear: I have created new user accounts on the Windows PC... and modified old ones too, but I still cannot connect to any shares on it using the Mac. I have also tried changing the Windows 7 advanced sharing settings in these accounts, but I still keep getting the same error message. Perhaps there is some sharing settings in the new user account that will enable the Tiger Mac to connect, but I haven't found it yet.

Well...I have an update to report on this problem. My question is now (tentatively) answered.

After trying numerous possible solutions suggested both here (thank you BDAqua!!!) and in other Apple Discussions topics, I finally tried what should have probably been one of my first attempts: I shut down the firewall on the Windows 7 PC, and I was immediately able to see the PC in the Network browser window on my eMac, and was able to connect to and mount shares straightaway. Duh! ... It's the firewall, stupid! No more Error Code: -36!

So, I am very elated (if somewhat embarrassed) by this great success! However, I can't very well run my PC without a firewall, can I?! I was running a third-party software firewall which is part of the internet security suite offered by my ISP. I couldn't find a "security profile" in the software to allow my Mac to see the Windows shares, so I switched off the third-party firewall and switched the Windows 7 firewall with default recommended settings, and it worked.

All that is left now is to try and find a setting in my other firewall software that would allow traffic on certain ports for the smb/cifs service, but I don't really know where to begin there. Does anyone know what ports are used for file and printer sharing in windows smb shares? It's all very mysterious to me...

Thanks again BDAqua. I will look into this at some point. For right now I am wrestling with the security profile settings in firewall software. I can add "rules" which allow/deny access to traffic from/to certain ports or ip addresses, but the security profiles in place have certain rules already set in place, and they are not edit-able by the user--they are "greyed out". I have been talking with tech support for my ISP, and it sounds like this could be more trouble than it is worth, and I think I will shut down the 3rd party firewall and go with the Windows 7 firewall since it seems to work.

I consider the problem solved and question answered though -- it's not really a Mac problem anymore...if it ever was.