Windows cannot access \\RETROPIE

Agrajag

I'm also having this problem and it's quite vexing. I used to be able to type this in File Explorer and have it work fine (it's even there as a quick link under Network, but doesn't work any longer. I can easily get to the system by typing the static IP it's on: 192.168.1.41. File Explorer instantly connects to it, so does Filezilla and Putty, but typing the hostname doesn't work.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>ping 192.168.1.41

Pinging 192.168.1.41 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.1.41: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.41: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.41: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.41: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.41:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

I'll be darned if I can figure out how you guys highlight stuff in red to be able to type the double-slash, but that's what I type.

mitu

@agrajag What happens if you run ping retropie or ping retropie.local, does it work ?

Agrajag

@mitu
"Destination Unreachable" in the first case and "Name or service not known" in the second.

<joke>Maybe it's because I have a keyboard connected</joke>

mitu

So for some reason your Windows system doesn't 'resolve' anymore the name to its network address. Is your router providing also DNS ? What's the output of ipconfig /all on Windows ?

Agrajag

@mitu

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19041.867]
(c) 2020 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : #########
   Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hm

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : hm
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Ethernet Connection (2) I219-V
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : ##-##-##-##-##-##
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : ###################(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.27(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, March 14, 2021 1:14:56 PM
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Friday, March 19, 2021 3:14:55 AM
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :###################
                                       192.168.1.1
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 270021055
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-##-32-##-B0-18-##-BF-2C-##-##
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix Search List :
                                       hm

Unknown adapter Local Area Connection:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Private Internet Access Network Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : ##-##-##-##-##-##
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Changed a couple things that shouldn't matter for security.

The router is OpenDNS

Agrajag

@mitu I should also mention that it actually worked for about an hour earlier today. It started by hitting me up with the Windows prompt for the User/Pass and then worked for the next hour or so. Then it stopped again. Go figure.

mitu

Looks like DNS is provided by your local router (192.168.1.1), so it should work if your Windows system queries it.

I should also mention that it actually worked for about an hour earlier today

Yeah, that looks like a Windows issue - do you have any VPN setup ? I see a 2nd adapter that's disconnected, maybe connecting it changes the DNS settings and that 'confuses' Windows.
Does it work if you restart your Windows system, right after the reboot ?

Agrajag

@mitu I have Private Internet Access that I use maybe a couple times a year, if that. I haven't used PIA in about 3 months (or even turned it on).

I'll do the restart test tomorrow and report back. Thanks as usual!

Agrajag

@mitu Rebooted and it now \\retropie doesn't work again. Going direct to the IP does.

I suspect I could add an entry to HOSTS that MAY work, but I'd hate doing something like that as then I'll forget it's there and later may want to move the IP and won't know why that's not working.