Screen Sharing with Mac Mini

[timztunz]

I don't get the impression that screen sharing should be as much trouble as I seem to be having. I'm trying to share the screen of a Mac Mini with a MacBook Pro. When I initiate the Screen Share I get a dialog box asking for user name and password. Once I enter them it starts "Connecting" and that box never closes, ever. Even after the screen sharing session is closed it never goes away and there is no way to close it. It sits on top of all windows and doesn't show up for Force Quit. The only way to make it go away is Restart or Shut Down. It also seems to take a really long time for a screen share to come on. This is all happening on an Airport Extreme network. I'm new to Macs so be gentle.

 

[Vincent Borrelli]

Chicken of the VNC is an excellent free software application that you can use to control another Mac on your network that does not have a monitor. I use it to control my PowerMac G5 music server over ethernet from another main G5 in my office. It's easy to use and you can 'quit' like any other application.

 

[timztunz]

In Chicken/VNC is there a way to control the size of the screen of the remote computer to avoid having to scroll?

 

[timztunz]

Also, I don't really know what to expect for "responsiveness" for the remote computer but what I'm seeing with Chicken/VNC is extremely slow. I wouldn't even put the word responsive in the same sentence with what I'm experiencing. Does this seem right? I don't see how anyone could tolerate "headless" with this kind of response time. I must be doing something wrong.

 

[wgscott]

Screen sharing needs to be turned on in the mini's System Preferences. Alternatively, turn on "Remote Management".

 

[timztunz]

I can even control the remote computer. I just can't get that connection dialog box to close, ever. At least not until I restart or shut down.

 

[wgscott]

It sounds like it is trying to open a second connection simultaneously, which would also account for the bad response times. Anyway, it is supposed to work seamlessly with low overhead (not much demand on CPU, etc). It might be a wee bit sluggish, but I am using it with a 7 year old Airport wireless router without any significant lags.

 

[Vincent Borrelli]

I have not been able to change the size of the default screen on the remote Mac (just full-screen mode). If someone knows how to do this, so you don't need to scroll as much, I'd love to find out too.

 

You can adjust the level of "responsiveness" (and inversely, the amount of taxing on the processor) in the preferences.

 

I use an iPod touch for most all remote needs when playing, and VNC for when I need a "monitor" (to update software, change bit/sample rates in Audio MIDI... as I don't have Amarra yet), etc.).

 

[timztunz]

Apparently I'm just stupid because today everything works fine. I thought I was doing the same things yesterday but something must be different. Thanks to all for your suggestions.

 

[rancew]

On my old Mac mini I was able to screen-share to my MacBook Air and expand the screen to almost the size of my MacBook's own screen. However, with my newer Mac mini it will only let me expand the screen so far, resulting in a rather squarish screen that is at most perhaps two-thirds the width of my MacBook .

 

Any idea why the difference and how I can make the screen larger?

 

[Cemil]

Mine usually works fine (using my Macbook Pro to control the Mini). However, every now and then, when there is a loss of connection (say, power cut), the Macbook is unable to reconnect and behaves in the same way as you describe. You can open another connection, but you still have the annoying first screen with the "reconnecting .." legend on. Rebooting the laptop is the only way to get rid of it.

 

My guess is that it's a software bug.

 

[rancew]

Fixed the screen-sharing screen size problem by simply changing the Display setting (under "System Preferences") to 1680 x 1050.

 

[ChadHahn]

Rance, was this on the host computer or the one being accessed?

 

Chad

 

 

[rancew]

Chad-I changed the display setting on the computer being accessed.

 

[ChadHahn]

Thanks,

 

Chad

 

 

[sfdoddsy]

Theoretically, is the bottle neck for speed the host computer, the wireless connection, or the remote computer?

 

In other words if you used a netbook or older Mac to control the latest Mac Mini over Wireless N, would that work less well than a more powerful remote computer such as a Macbook Pro.

 

I ask because I've used Chicken via an older Powerbook G4, a Macbook Air, a Macbook Pro and UltraVNC via Dell XT without any of them being appreciably faster.

 

Although these are faster than my iPad.

 

 

 

[Audio_ELF]

Not definitive, but I get better performance remotely controlling a Intel based Leopard computer via VNC to a Windows machine than controlling a G4 running Tiger.

 

Eloise

 

[sfdoddsy]

There's another variable. Should the remote computer be Windows or Mac. I find the speed of my Macbook Air and my Dell Xt to be about the when remoting

 

[sfdoddsy]

Well, I did some experimenting and I was wrong. I set up UltraVNC on my Lenovo U110 (C2D 1.6) and on my gal's Asus netbook (Atom 450).

 

The Lenovo was almost instant in screen refreshes. The asus took 3-4 seconds.

 

So via Windows, the controlling laptop matters.

 

[Bob Stern]

This donation-ware program for OS X installs an icon in your menu bar from which you can select any computer on your network to initiate a screen sharing session. A bit more convenient than using the Finder.

 

http://www.klieme.com/ScreenSharingMenulet.html

 

[RankStranger]

screen sharing is working pretty well. hangs sometimes but I'm pretty happy overall. Quickest way I found to get into it is to drag the server address from the address field in the browser to the desktop, rename the link it creates "mini" and give it a shiny new icon (a picture of the new mini of course). when I want to access the mini's desktop I just double click on the icon. Piece of p*ss!

 

RS

 

[confitesprit]

macbook allows one to easily edit meta tag data, album art and so on? I use an itouch remote to run everything when listening, but would need to have more control when occasionally ripping and actually managing music files, etc. The new mini would likely be a nice upgrade for me if I'm understanding this correctly. It would allow me to significantly shorten connections, for one thing.

 

Any confirmation or advice much appreciated, as always.

 

[wgscott]

Screen sharing (as implemented in apple's Finder) allows you to do anything you would do on a normal monitor-equipped Apple computer. The display is remote, and resides within one window. The graphics quality and response time is degraded a bit, but the functionality is all there. I have my mini connected to a TV, but 99% of the time use the screen sharing remote display to do everything, including ripping CDs.

 

[confitesprit]

Thanks for your help, wgscott.