Networking: So why does my Mavericks Mac Mini disappear from the network so often?

[PinkyMacGodess]

So I downgraded my Mac Mini to Mavericks, and then did not upgrade the iTunes on it.

Well, it can be reached on the network occasionally, but it's not at all stable. It disappears until it is rebooted, which being headless usually means either shlepping a monitor and keyboard/mouse into the closet where it's located, or just holding in the power button...

Should I upgrade the iTunes to the current version? It seems a stretch that would be causing it, but I guess you never know...

BTW: all of the other macs are at Yosemite, so far...

This is getting to be a MAJOR PITA!!!

The system can't run run Yosemite, and pretty much any other app at the same time, so I downgraded...

 

[Taz Mangus]

So I downgraded my Mac Mini to Mavericks, and then did not upgrade the iTunes on it.

Well, it can be reached on the network occasionally, but it's not at all stable. It disappears until it is rebooted, which being headless usually means either shlepping a monitor and keyboard/mouse into the closet where it's located, or just holding in the power button...

Should I upgrade the iTunes to the current version? It seems a stretch that would be causing it, but I guess you never know...

BTW: all of the other macs are at Yosemite, so far...

This is getting to be a MAJOR PITA!!!

The system can't run run Yosemite, and pretty much any other app at the same time, so I downgraded...

Try this, create a new partition on the internal hard drive and clean install Mavericks on the new partition. Boot to the new partition, set it up but don't install anything, leave it as it was installed. Setup file sharing and see if the Mac-Mini stays seen. If the problem does not happen with the clean install then I suggest that you need to do a clean install of Mavericks on your primary partition. When you are done reboot back to your primary partition and delete the new partition.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

When I hooked a monitor up to it, it was hung. The resolution was off, and the mouse and keyboard couldn't get a response. After a warm reboot, it came back as if nothing happened. Except that it wanted Yosemite. Nope, not going down that road again. I hid that update...

I'm thinking that a complete scrub and reinstall is probably in order. When I did the downgrade, I didn't wipe both drives, only the main startup drive, and then added the content back in post...

I know it needs more memory (for a fortune) but there may also be another underlying issue with this box. DRAT!!!