Screen sharing is hit or miss

Ever since replacing my 2007 iMac with a new Mac Mini in Dec. 2012, the ability to share the Mini's screen from my 2011 MBP is a hit or miss, same goes for rmounting the disk in the Mini. I cannot recall this ever happening with the iMac.
I usually have to restart the Mini to be able to get the sharing work again, but this is very inconvenient. I might as well go to the Mini. I have assured all sharing settings are correct, obviously since it will work sometimes.
Any thought on how to make the remote connections more reliable? Wifi is very strong in the home. This happens 80 feet away or two feet away from router which is next to Mini.
TIA
Bill

I did not check IPs before restarting Mini. Connection is OK now, and IPs match now that screen share is working. I will test IP match next time sharing fails.
Bill

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Screen sharing performance hit with new remote desktop client?

Having not used my headless Mini for a few days I started it up and was controlling for software updates etc from the Mac Pro.
Both the Mac Pro and Mini softwae updates had a new version of Remote Desktop Client - after installing on both the secreen sharing and control seems very laggy with poorer updating.
Anyone else?
Can I get the previous client version?
AC
Both Macs on 10.6.8

OK, earlier client here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1491
Can someone kindly instruct me how to uninstall the latest version so that I can revert.
AC

Screen Sharing app missing

As of 10.10, I no longer have access to the Screen Sharing app, it was normal found in /System/Library/CoreServices
I was using this tool on a daily basis to control my one server. I also use the terminal as well. But a lot of times, you just need a finder and a screen.
Any ideas where the app went? And is the alternative now using a third party VNC client?
The shared clipboard was a nice feature, and used that also a lot.
Cheers

Select your server under the Shared section of a Finder Window sidebar. Then you'll have the option to screen share from it.
I have no idea why you were going into Core Services...

Screen sharing and home sharing makes network drop

Hi. I've upgraded to OS X Mavericks and I am having a weird network issue now. I use home sharing all the time to stream to my Apple TV and I use screensharing so I can connect from downstairs using my ipad or another computer. Every since the upgrade, If I am watching something on the Apple TV and then connect to my Macbook Pro, after a few seconds the Macbook Pro's network connection drops for a few seconds. The Apple TV loses connection to the Macbook Pro completely and my VNC app freezes for about 5-10 seconds. It eventually comes back, but this just happens over and over in a vicious cycle. Any ideas? I've tried running the Mavericks install again and fiddling with screensharing settings and VNC settings on the app, but it just seems like the two don't play well together on Mavericks. I never had any of these issues on Mountain Lion. My Macbook Pro is the late 2011 17 inch model with 16GB RAM. I also have a Belkin thunderbolt dock connected and a monitor connected to that via hdmi to mini display port. The disconnections happen whether I use the ethernet port on the Macbook or on the dock.

I've been having a similar issue since upgrading to Mavericks. I use screen sharing all the time to access my home computer from the road, but now it's hit or miss whether I can log in at all, and when I do, screen sharing eventually drops out after less than an hour.

Back to My Mac / Screen Sharing

I am trying to (and have had sporadic success with) controlling my desktop computer (at home, iMac, OS X 10.10) with my laptop (via Internet, Macbook Pro, OS X 10.10.1) through connecting through Screen Sharing from the Finder window's "Shared" computers. It's really hit or miss whether the iMac shows up in the Finder window, and I can't figure out why.
I've been all over websites and forum posts for information, and have learned a lot of things, but many of them are outdated. Here are some things I've done/learned about:
I can always log into my iMac through Chrome Remote Desktop, but I want the functionality of Screen Sharing.
I cannot simply start the Screen Sharing app and type in my icloud id, because that only allows viewing and not controlling the screen.
SSH through the terminal is hit or miss; it works more often than Screen Sharing does, but still not 100% of the time. I use it to copy files, but most of the time I need to be using the GUI.
A couple times the iMac showed up in Shared computers right after I did something, i.e. trace route to icloud.com or initiate a Screen Sharing session from the iMac, via Chrome Remote Desktop. Other times I've tried to jumpstart it like that and it doesn't work.
I've tried a variety of networks (home networks, workplace, mobile tethering) and I get different results every time, on every network. I might see my iMac in the Finder at work one day, and the next day it doesn't show up now matter what I do. So it must not be blocked ports in every case.
I've been taking notes almost every time I successfully connect, and I have documented cases where I can get it to work by (once again) going into my iMac via Chrome, disabling Back to My Mac and/or Screen Sharing, then re-enabling them. But of course, this hasn't worked consistently.
Any help or insight is appreciated. Again, this is all purely done over the internet, as accessing my home computer over a local network is of no use to me; I'm physically separated from it most of the time. (Most articles and walkthroughs teach people how to do it with their 192.168.x.x addresses, and they assume that your computers are always in your Shared section in Finder. This is not the case for me.)

That means that the Remote Management is turned on.
All you have to do is turn the Remote Management off if its not in use.
You may want to investigate how the Remote Management is being used to make sure you are not turning something off that needs to be on.

Has Anyone Gotten Screen Sharing To Work Religiously?

Since its inception, I've been so excited about this for helping family members and its hit and miss for me - always has been, no matter how I configure things. In fact 99% of the time it just doesn't work. Has anyone gotten it to work all the time with everyone they try it with?
Thanks.

Hi,
I can.
It needs UPnP to be used to open ports rather than Port Forwarding as it uses a random port to do the Screen Sharing.
This Article tells you the ports for iChat for the AV chats (In Tiger) and the Bonjour and Jabber ports.
This one tells you the AV ports in ichat 4 (What it does not do is remind you you need the Jabber and Bonjour ports)
The Second one says nothing about the Screen Sharing port.
Those of us that have tested using Little Snitch that tells you IPs and Ports says it is random.
I helped someone today (About 30 mins ago) who was using a 2wire device.
It did not have any Port Forwarding set, nor could I see any UPnP in the settings
(I could Share his screen from My end by he could not share mine)
We found on looking through his router settings that it had a Stealth and Ping block enabled
We disabled the Ping Block and he was able to Share my Screen.
On the basis he was having successful Video chats (USA to Holland and to me in England) these setting change seemed to smallest we should try.
Ideally I would say use UPnP in the devices at either and and disable Features such as Ping Blocking, DoS (Denial of Service) and SPI (Stateful Packet inspection).
9:37 PM Thursday; February 12, 2009

Screen Sharing Connection failed when using dock shortcut

I have 10.10.2 installed on this computer - just updated - and 10.10.1 installed on a couple others (in the process of upgrading) as well as older versions installed on some older computers.
I have Screen Sharing in the Dock and when I right click on it I get a list of recently connected computers. Until recently this generally worked for making the connection to that remote computer. Sometimes there were minor issues such as systems showing up which are no longer on my network - or showing up with an obsolete name. The big issue is that lately systems are showing up with a .vncloc extension and even when they don't it is hit or miss as to wether or not using the shortcut will make the connection.
I get an error message that says: Connection failed to "ComputerName".
Please make sure that Screen Sharing (in the Sharing section of System Preferences) is enabled on the computer to which you are attempting to connect. Also make sure your network connection is working properly.
In every case - after I see that message if I open a Finder folder - and navigate to the other system and click on Screen Sharing in the Finder window it will connect - and I can do this repeatedly. Every so often the shortcut will work but mostly it does not.
I have looked for ways to clear that recent items list without success.
I have cleared the keychain access to the remote computers and reset without success.
I don't recall seeing this behavior prior to the first 10.10.x system being on my network.
I have not (yet) tried - turning off screen sharing on ALL systems throughout the network then turing them all back on.
Not sure if this is a I am using a single iTunes/iCloud account for many of the systems - but also have one permanent and several guest machines that have their own iCloud account.

Hi Matt Wolanski,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. Based on what you stated, it sounds like you are having intermittant trouble with screen sharing. It looks like you have already done some troubleshooting. I would recommend that you read this article, there are several things you can check that may be able to help the issue.
OS X Yosemite: If you can’t share computer screens
Cheers,
Mario

Screen Sharing/network problem seems confined to 1 volume. What's the fix?

I am having a networking problem on one of the volumes of my multi-volumed, three-Mac local area network, and I need a networking guru to identify the specific software file(s), application(s), or system configuration that is the cause of the problem. I have already spent several hours checking and re-checking the various hardware and system preference settings involved, and I have narrowed the problem down to a software corruption issue and/or system configuration issue on one volume.
I now need someone to identify specifically what the nature of the problem is, and how to eliminate it. I am not looking for a sledgehammer solution that says I should re-install all of the Mac OS X software on the problem volume. That may be held in reserve as a last resort. I'm looking for a more elegant approach, one that points out the specific corrupt files to remove without disturbing everything else.
Here's some background to set the context. I have a MacBook Pro laptop; a PowerMac iMac G5; and a PowerMac G4 hooked up in a network. All are running Leopard 10.5.8. All have file sharing and screen sharing enabled. Besides being able to connect to each other using registered users, my goal here is for each of the Macs to be able to share the screen of the others upon my demand. Since each of the 3 Macs can theoretically share the screens of the other 2, that makes a total of six possible connections. Five succeed; one does not. That's the problem. I am trying to determine why the iMac G5 cannot share the screen of the MacBook Pro.
The iMac G5 has no problem sharing the screen of the PowerMac G4. That connection is fast and immediate. But, every time that I hit the Share Screen button on the iMac G5 to try to connect to the MacBook Pro, I get a window with the blue barber pole spinning for two or three minutes as it is allegedly "Connecting to Mac Book Pro," followed by a window with a headline telling me that "Connection Failed to MacBook Pro." The text within that window goes on to say: "Please make sure that Screen Sharing (in the Sharing section of System Preferences) is enabled on the computer to which you are attempting to connect. Also make sure that your network connection is working properly."
Well, as I indicated, the PowerMac G4 has no problem sharing the screen of the MacBook Pro, so the Screen Sharing settings on the laptop are correct; and the iMac G5 can share the screen of the PowerMac G4, so its network connection is working properly in that regard. It is only in regards to sharing the screen of the MacBook Pro that the iMac G5 is not working properly.
The reason why I say that the issue must be unique to the one volume in question, let's call it "iMacG5 Music," is that another Leopard volume on the same computer has no problem whatsoever in sharing the screen of the MacBook Pro. Whenever I boot up in that volume, let's call it "iMacG5 JMB," it makes a network connection with a registered user name immediately, and it is able to share the screen of the MacBook Pro within a second of my issuing the command. In sharp contrast to the success of the iMacG5 JMB volume, the iMacG5 Music is unacceptably slow (several minutes slow!) in making a network connection with the MacBook Pro, and it always fails to share the screen of the MacBook Pro, preferring instead to take about three minutes to attempt the connection, before announcing its failure.
Since the iMacG5 Music volume makes an immediate network connection to the PowerMac G4, as well as sharing the screen of the PowerMac G4 the moment I ask it to, I have concluded that the hardware of the iMac G5 is just fine. The problem seems confined to the system software and/or associated networking files that are unique to the iMacG5 Music volume. I just don't know what those files could be, or where the problem lies, so I've issued this call for help.
Let me add one more little twist to this puzzle which baffles me even more. I use external LaCie Firewire drives as clone backups of my Macs. As part of my trouble-shooting process, I booted up from the cloned versions of the iMacG5 JMB volume and the iMacG5 Music volume. What I learned surprised me!
The iMacG5 JMB clone worked just fine in making a fast network connection to the MacBook Pro, as well as sharing the screen of the MacBook Pro. I expected that. What I did not expect was that the iMacG5 Music clone was also able to make a fast network to the MacBook Pro, as well as share its screen!
Yes, that's right. It's weird! Screen sharing works OK when I start-up from the clone of the iMacG5 Music volume, but it does not succeed when I boot up on the source itself! I was surprised to find that out, but I'm glad I did.
(Over the past few days since I executed the last clone, I did use Drive Genius to de-frag the source volume, and maybe that has contributed to the problem I am now encountering. But it's hard to say, since nothing else seems to be amiss.)
One solution, I suppose, would be to sync the clone back to the source. But, before I do that, I'm just wondering if anyone has a clue as to the nature of this problem on the source volume and what I might do to remedy it—short of re-installing the system software or restoring from the clone. Anyone have any insight to this problem?

CORRECTION #2:
Ignore the previous "CORRECTION" post.
Oops, excuse me, I wrote that sentence correctly the first time.
I was trying to point out that the ability of the iMac G5 computer to connect quickly and effectively to the PowerMac G4 when booted up into the iMacG5 Music volume was an indication (to me, anyway) that there is nothing wrong with the computer's hardware, nor its network connection ability, but that the problem lay somewhere in the files/settings used to connect to the MacBook Pro, which it cannot accomplish.
This is what happens when I get engrossed in one of these technical morasses and it ***** me into its vortex all through the night... time for bed.

Screen sharing and time machine

I have a mini without a monitor. I also have a 17" G4 PowerBook. Both are running Leopard. I use screen sharing to control the mini from the PowerBook.
When I open Time Machine on the mini the screen sharing goes all white... Is this because all the nifty graphics in the Time Machine app are too much for screen sharing to handle?

What screen resolution has your headless machine defaulted to ? Since you can get in via screen sharing, see what it's defaulted to.
Consider that TM probably has a required resolution (like, Workgroup Manager requires 1024x768 minimum).
If you need to have the resolution default to a different setting on reboot, try this that I put together:
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20070211165654615
It's not my work just easy-to-use packaging of existing software (read the article).
It's Universal and there's a link there for a double-clickable installer.
For those bemoaning their experience jumping ahead with 10.5 server in a production environment:
well, that's your doing. Did you do full pre-testing in a non-production setting and confirm for yourself that it's ready for your needs ?
If you think 10.4.0 was perfect you are living in a fantasy. 10.4 server was a very rocky road til around 10.4.3 and there were still many fixes needed that came with later revisions.
10.3 had plenty of problems (!!) and 10.2 was a beast til 10.2.8 and I don't miss it.

Screen Sharing and finder

Just bought an Apple Time Capsule a fortnight ago.
Previously I was able to see local computers and conduct screen sharing through finder with no problems with my old wireless setup.
Having problems do so now. I have reinstalled 10.5.6 on my main mac but all the details and shares are standard and setup on the other.
I am able to screen sharing if I do it by ip but it is a mess around and not as easy as before.
Am I missing a setup item/process in Time Capsule?
Cheers.

Hi amthflea
I have a very similar setup.
I VNC to my other computers using JollyFast VNC (free and open software) - very very very fast and a lot better than the built in one. Very easy to use. You need to input the ip once, that's it, then it saves an easy list of your computers.
http://www.jinx.de/JollysFastVNC.html
I don't know about the sharing though. The devices i VNC to Are PPC-models and it pops up fine in finder.
In sharing
Personal File Sharing
Apple Remote Desktop and Printer Sharing are enabled.

Screen Sharing and Open Directory (10.8)

I'm trying to allow Open Directory users to login over Screen Sharing to my Mountain Lion servers. I have tried the solution on the page linked below and it isn't working. Maybe I'm missing something:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2329389?start=0&tstart=0

From the menu bar on the Screen Sharing server, select
 ▹ System Preferences... ▹ Users & Groups ▹ Login Options
and check the box marked
Allow network users to log in at the login window
If there's a closed padlock icon in the lower left corner of the preference pane, you may need to click it to unlock the settings. Enter your login password when prompted.
Note that this option is only available when the server is bound to a network directory server.

Screen sharing and ARD windows to other computers are invisible!

Hi
I have been using screen sharing and or ARD with no problem, for some odd reason today when i went to control a iMac in my network, the window opens but is not there, like i hit command W and i noticed it closed windows on the iMac i can not see the screen at all.
Please advise

ahhh, thanks you did it!
forgot to restart after system update!
cheers

Can't access iTunes and Screen Sharing sharing services on my mac Mini

Since several weeks now I face a networking issue of the stranger kind.
Currently I've got my Mac mini acting as the central server for music, photos and files in my home. Central Network Mgmt device is a Wireless Lan router.
In the past I was accessing the Mac Mini from my MacBook via Screen Sharing this doesn't work anymore. When requesting the service the connection effort just runs idle. In iTunes on my MacBook I can see the Libary of my Mac Mini iTunes but clicking on it brings the rotateing ball and after a certain while the message that the iTunes Libary is not responding and that I should check my Firewall settings. Which I did on both computers and they are wide open. 'Ipfw show' in Terminal brings back the message 'Open for any to any communication' also on both computers.
Makeing use of the File sharing service from the MacBook to the MacMini works but it takes a extreme long while until the shared folder appears on the MacBook.
Trying to access from the Mac Mini my MacBook for all these services is no problem.
One more thing is that my Mac Mini cannot access the Wireless Lan router anymore thru the Web Browser or thru a Ping. Here I get the message 'Ping Send to: permission denied'. I changed the Router still the same message. Internet traffic is only possible after I manually applied a DNS Server with its IP number.
Anyone out there who could help? I'm close to completely reinstall my Mac Mini but would naturally love to avoid this.

wireduck,
Highlight the music folder and on the keyboard type (Command) + i: on the window that opens scroll down if need and click on the lock on the bottom right. Type in an Admin User name and password. Then under the (Sharing & Permissions:) make sure the users you want to open the folder are listed and that there (Privilege) is set to @ least Read. If not hit the ( + ) sign and add them. After you have that all set up click on the little gear next to the ( - )s sign and (Apply to a enclosed items). that way each user can read the files. After that the little ( - ) sign should be gone on the folders.
Hope that helps.

Screen Sharing no longer working

Hello, everyone. I have developed an issue with screen sharing on my MacBook Pro running OX 10.6.8, and I cannot seem to resolve it. Perhaps I am missing something. I realize this is a long post, but I am trying to be as complete as possible with my description of the problem and the steps I have taken to try to resolve it.
Screen sharing is of particular importance to me because I use it to control a Mac Mini that has my entire iTunes library. The Mac Mini is running OS 10.6.8.
Ordinarily, I would open Finder, click on the Mac Mini under "Devices," then "Share Screen" in the upper right corner of the Finder window. I enter my name and password in the login box, and I am controlling my Mac Mini within seconds.
Within the last few days, however, I have been unable to complete the connection. The first sign that something was wrong was when it took almost five minutes just for the login window to appear. Then, after I entered my login information, the "Connecting..." gear began spinning. It never gets any farther than that. I have even tried waiting as long as 45 minutes for the connection to complete before giving up, which requires restarting my computer, since force-quitting Screen Sharing doesn't work.
First, I tried re-booting my Mac Mini a few times, with no success. I also tried re-booting my MacBook Pro both in normal and safe mode, followed by repairing permissions and checking the volume structure (Disk Utility found no errors). I even tried running the full suite of Onyx scripts.
To isolate the issue, I took two other computers in my house, one running OS 10.7.4 and the other running OS 10.8, and they connected perfectly. All computers are on the same wireless network (although the Mac Mini connects to the same network through ethernet). Therefore, the issue has to be with my MacBook Pro.
Does anyone have any ideas as to how to resolve this issue? Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.

I too was running a Mac Mini with Server 10.6.8. Using it as a Netboot server was working just fine, but I wanted to look up the version of something on the mini. Connecting over screen sharing hung all day yesterday, so today I hooked up a keyboard, mouse, and display to look up the information from the mini. Turning off and restarting the shared services, restarting the mini, deleting keychains, attempting to get a screen share from a Finder connection... all hung at the "Connecting..." dialogue. I found this thread and signed out of MobileMe on the mini, and on the iMac I was using to connect. The connection went through at last, and now it's re-establishing without a hitch.

Lion screen sharing over Internet

I'm having some issues setting up screen sharing. The problem is that I set it all up and can see the other computer when we are on the same network. But I cannot see the device when I'm back home and trying to screen share over the internet.
I need to be able to see the screen of my client's Mac while I am at home.
Here is what I've done to set up screen sharing:
Both Macs are running Lion 10.7.3
I have set myself up in the address book of the Mac I want to access.In my address book card I have multiple emails. One of them is the email that I use as my Apple ID.
I turned on screen sharing on the remote computer and added myself to the list of people able to screen share by selecting my address book card that includes my Apple ID.
Access is for all users
I have checked "Anyone can request permission to control screen."
On my computer I have ensured that my Apple ID is included in the Users and Groups control panel.
When I am on their network, in their home, I see their computer in the shared devices section of my Finder window.
I am able to request permission to screen share and am able to gain permission when they accept.
But when I get home, their computer does not show up in my Finder window under shared devices.
What critical step am I missing?
Thanks!

Yes, I didn't say Back to My Mac doesn't let you share the screen over the internet - it does. But it requires you to know the password of the iCloud account that is signed in on the client's computer, as I've said. Your client would be nuts to give you that password, as would you be to sign in your iCloud account on his/her machine. That's not an option.
Here's what Apple says about using Back to My Mac:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH3866
Here's another nice summary:
http://www.40tech.com/2011/12/25/how-to-use-back-to-my-mac-to-get-free-and-seaml ess-remote-access/

Screen sharing is hit or miss

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