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Can't connect via SMB

Prior to installing Lion, I would connect to our shared drives at work via SMB. Today, after installing Lion, I can't connect to my shared drives. The one SMB connection that works is to an FTP server. I connect via SMB to map the drive in my Finder rather than using an FTP program. This still works fine.


However, I can't connect to the shared drive for file sharing. In the Connect to Server box, I have "smb://PathToFiles" . Is smb:// the correct prefix to use now that Lion is funky with SMB support?


I'm sorry...I really don't know much about SMB connections, what kind of server it is that I'm trying to connect to, or much else. I know we run Windows Exchange, but I'm not sure if that's the server that hosts these shared drives...I just need to connect to get back to work. Any help would be AWESOME.

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 1:55 PM

Reply
132 replies

Jul 27, 2011 10:25 AM in response to aroszak

I'm wondering how long Apple is going to let this problem go completely unaddressed. If they want to gain wider usage by businesses, these sort of things can't happen, and they certainly can't just pretend that it isn't happening. Are they working on a fix? Should I be checking for a Software Update? I just need to know what to do here. Even if the update is going to take a little time, I just need to have the problem acknowledged.

Jul 28, 2011 5:21 AM in response to upeace

It's just a mess.


After installing Lion, can't access some types of files on the mac throught a windows computer (so far for now can't access my .max files, as well as office and some PDFs). I have several PCs and Macs. PCs for 3D work and Macs for design work. But all my files and renderings from PCs are storage in macs, since I do editing and motion in the Macs. Prior to Lion it's all ok, working great in both directions for years. But now Apple just kicked far away. It's a nasty job done in Lion (want to jump from a bridge for updatind so soon, **** a mistake and still waiting for an update).


Have called to Apple and there is no glance of a solution. In fact they even have heard of this problem before (come on, is there any testing work before launching a new OS ???!!! looks like not). I'm not a IT especialist, but not even these people are having easy fix/workaround in these cases. Will wait for a week for a solution or update, but probably will go back do Snow Leopard...


We all have seen these before... Vista >>> XP!!!! Steve, there is no Wow this time for you! 😟

Jul 29, 2011 9:56 AM in response to jigglythighs

Folks, bad news for you... Cmd+K does not work in this issue. The real problem is that windows can't authenticate on Lion as a registered user. Lion does not allow access and saving some kind of files, like office and 3dsmax (probably much others too). So who works on both systems, or run NAS storage is unable to do anything. Sorry to say, but... Snow Leopard is the only solution. I just downgrade yesterday, and what a diference. Faster, simple, network and shares working perfectly. Bad to downgrading cause you loose new cool features (actually not that coooool), but...... can't work without network, right Steve???!!! Probably I will skip this version, will upgrade direct to White Lion (or whatever they'll call next release).

Aug 1, 2011 12:46 AM in response to jigglythighs

nope, that does not work for me.


Since for example I can perfectly use SMB-Shares from 2008 R2-Server IN our LAN, but as soon as it goes over the VPN to another location the username/password-Dialog is simply not coming, hence it is not possible to use username@domain and password.


But with SnowLeopard the normal Username/Password Dialog comes and I can login. No chance with lion.

Aug 1, 2011 12:50 AM in response to Dbassi

And this is a totally different problem. You are trying to connect to Lion shares from Windows, while this thread is about connecting to windows-shares from Lion.


Your problem is somewhere else, and since Windows can access the Mac-Shares for you, the problem of not being able to save certain document-types is something totally different.


Sorry if that came of rude, no harm intended!


Kindest,


maybea...

Aug 1, 2011 4:21 AM in response to upeace

I hope this helps someone.


I put the first Mac (mac mini OSX Lion) into our office PC based office yesterday (Win7 server and PC clients) and could "see" every windows shared directory in finder immediately, but alas could not connect to any of them and spent 6 hours reading every post that I could find including those above.


A call to Apple Care this morning didn't help. I then rang our external server admin who freely admits to knowing nothing about OSX but he gave me a tip on the Windows side.


I'm no IT Professional but this is the workaround that I came up with (in no particular order): I created a new user account on the Win7 server using the same user name as the mac mini user. I then edited the security settings for the shared folder concerned on the Win7 server to give the new user account all relevant permissions and bingo, immediate access on the mac mini to the shared Win7 server folder without any reboots etc.


Cheers,

Brett

Aug 1, 2011 5:25 AM in response to maybeapreacher

Hi,

actually this and many many other threads and discussion lists is about in and out lion (connection to and from windows, to say in other words). And really, really there is something very wrong about Lion. I've been reading a lot of things, but what I found to be the most clear vision of the problem is Apple adopted a diferent king of SMB protocol (or whatever they call). It is most secury, but in other hand it disables or at least difficults the windows connections. From Lion to Windows is a wonderful one way road, everything works, I don't see why people are having problems. For me all these going on is past situations, all solved already. 70% solved by cmd+K. But the real problem is from outside into Lion, from Windows AND other OSs. I was just about to upgrade my storage to NAS type, but when I see whats happening with Lion I just put in standby. Many people are waiting for updates from NAS manufactures AND/OR Apple, to fix connection problems.


Whell, as I said before. Good luck... I don't think worth suffering that much with Lion because a few useless updates. I'm much, much more productive now with Snow. After all, it's (almost) all about making money right?


Bye

Aug 1, 2011 1:18 PM in response to upeace

I think there are two separate problems here.


1) Some people can't connect to their NAS at all, presumably because of the authentication protocol issue described by others - Apple has implemented only a new version and some NASs only do an older version


2) Some applications, specifically Finder, can't deal with a NAS that has been connected, in that they see the folders as not having the correct permissions. Applications vary on how they handle this. Finder won't open folders it thinks it shouldn't, Word marks them as no permission but opens them anyway, and Contacts and muCommander ignore the permissions and lets you use the folders as normal.


I have problem 2 but not problem 1. My workaround is to use muCommander instead of Finder until Apple fixes this.

Aug 1, 2011 1:59 PM in response to upeace

For those of you trying to access SMB shares, I found a free and easy solution.


Since a lot of people report they are able to access their NAS using apps other than the Finder itself, I decided to look for a free Lion-compatible File Manager to use instead of Finder.


I have found muCommander ( http://www.mucommander.com/ ) and indeed it works fine. All I did was click on the button highlighted bellow, go to "bonjour services" and select my NAS. It prompted me for my username and password and voilá, it works fine.


User uploaded file


I keep Finder for everyday use and just load muCommander when I want to access the NAS. At least now I don't have to start my WinXP VM anymore just to access it.


Hope it helps you all.

Aug 2, 2011 7:05 AM in response to Governa

This is helpful, but it appears to only copy the file from my Windows File Server onto a temporary folder on my my Mac. This is great if I'm working on an Excel file or something like that, but I am a designer and frequently am working on InDesign files that have lots of files linked throughout our File Server. All the links break using this method.


This is a step in the right direction, though, because it does allow me to actually see the files on the server, and it shows that the connection can be made using Lion. Hopefully Apple will copy their connection method into the Finder soon.

Aug 6, 2011 2:39 AM in response to upeace

Solution found for the avahi problem!


Just change the port in the samba.service from 139 to 445, see below


<!DOCTYPE service-group SYSTEM "avahi-service.dtd">


<service-group>

<name replace-wildcards="yes">%h</name>

<service>

<type>_smb._tcp</type>

<port>445</port>

</service>

<service>

<type>_device-info._tcp</type>

<port>0</port>

<txt-record>model=Xserve</txt-record>

</service>

</service-group>


I've searched over days before i've found the solution FU APPLE!

Just tell us and everything is ok, but changing without documentationi is NOT ok.

Can't connect via SMB

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