Error window: "There was a problem connecting to the server ...my office computer - from my laptop

Richard1

I installed the most current version on a new MacBook laptop. Error window: "There was a problem connecting to the server [name of my office computer]. This notice comes up every 10 seconds or so.

I'm traveling now with the laptop and access to my 1Password is vital. How do I fix this?! I have "Back-to-my-Mac" so in theory I can change settings remotely on the office computer (MacBookPro).

Originally set up by exporting the database on the office computer - then importing it from the new laptop.

When looking for the 1PW "version" from the menu bar - the application opened with all data intact. I closed the app to see if I could open it again - and what I now have is a completely empty database.

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1Password Version: 6.3.1
Extension Version: 631006
OS Version: 10.11.5
Sync Type: manual
Referrer: forum-search:Won't open; error window says looking for a server

Drew_AG

Hi @Richard1,

I'm sorry you're running into some trouble with 1Password on your MacBook!

Can you please let us know some more details about the error message you keep getting? I'm not sure if I understand where you're seeing that or how it's connected to 1Password. Are you trying to do something in 1Password when the error appears? What seems to trigger the error (for example, trying to launch the main 1Password app, clicking on the 1Password extension in your browser, etc)?

If possible, it would be great if you could take a screenshot of the error message. To include it in your reply, simply click the document button above the comment field and select the file.

I'm not sure if this is related to the problem at all, but you mentioned your sync type is "manual". Can you please elaborate on that? Which option do you use to sync your 1Password data between your two Macs?

...the application opened with all data intact. I closed the app to see if I could open it again - and what I now have is a completely empty database.

Do you mean you cannot currently view any of your 1Password data because the app appears empty when you open it? If you click the 1Password mini icon in the menubar of your Mac, does it also appear empty? If you reboot your Mac and open the main 1Password app again, what happens? Does this problem seem to be related to the "problem connecting to the server" error message, or is it a separate issue?

The more details you can give us about these strange issues, the better. Thanks in advance! :)

Richard1

I imported password data to the "new" 1Password application on my laptop from my office computer. When I attempt to open 1P on my laptop, I get a gray'd out representation of the master password and after about 15 seconds I get the message you'll see in the screen capture attached to this message. Once that happens - the error window persists to come back every 10 seconds or so - unbelievably annoying.

Megan

Hi @Richard1,

Thanks for the screenshot! This is an odd error indeed, and not something we see often related to 1Password. It makes me wonder how you exported your data from the office computer and added it to your laptop.

That message to me suggests that 1Password might be looking for your data on a server instead of your hard drive. Did you follow the steps in this guide when setting up 1Password on your laptop?

Use existing 1Password data on a new computer

Sproses

I am having the same problem as Richard1, I see a query back to him but do not see an answer as to how to stop this from happening.

I initially tried setting this up to have a base data file on the home iMac but switched that off in the preferences (which my MacBook Pro keeps seeking out). Now every time I use Password1 on the laptop, I have to use Activity Monitor to quit the process to stop the message reappearing every few seconds. In the application options, I now see nothing refering to the other computer or data file. All else is working fine including syncing to my iOS devices.

Would deleting the pref's file or some such cause Password1 to stop looking elsewhere for a datafile? Thanks.

Drew_AG

Hi @Sproses,

I'm sorry you keep getting that error on your MacBook Pro! We didn't hear back again from Richard about this, so I don't know how it all turned out. But we'll be happy to help you solve this problem one way or another!

I initially tried setting this up to have a base data file on the home iMac but switched that off in the preferences (which my MacBook Pro keeps seeking out).

If I understand, it sounds like you set up one of the sync options in 1Password in order to copy your data from your iMac to your MacBook Pro. Is it possible you used the Folder sync option to do that? If so, my guess is that 1Password on your MacBook Pro was syncing directly to a folder on your iMac over your home network. That kind of setup can be problematic if the sync file becomes unavailable, as it will cause 1Password (on your MacBook Pro) to keep giving errors when trying to sync.

What you'll want to do first (if possible) is disable the sync settings in 1Password on your MacBook Pro:

• On your MacBook Pro, open (and unlock) 1Password.
• Go to 1Password > Preferences > Sync.
• Choose None from the “Sync vault with” pop-up menu.
• Click the Disable Sync button.

If you can't do that because the sync settings already show "None", there's a workaround:

• On your MacBook Pro, open 1Password and go to File > Backup from the menubar.
• In the Backup preferences window, select the new backup you just created and click the Restore button (follow the steps to complete the restore).

Restoring from a backup will disable the sync settings, so it will stop trying to look for your iMac.

Assuming that works, you'll probably want to use one of the other sync options to sync your 1Password data between your Macs. We explain the different options here: Sync your 1Password data

Please let us know how it all goes, and if it's still a problem, we'll continue from there. Thanks! :)

timsak

I just started having a similar problem. Up until yesterday I was able to connect to a NAS server and to shares on several Windows PCs on my local network. I upgraded to OS X Sierra a little over a week ago. Now I get connection failures when I try to connect from Finder, with a dialog box looking like the one pictured in Richard1's post. I am able to connect to the NAS server only by using the Connect to Server dialog, and connecting via its IP address. It fails if I try to connect by server/share name.

AGAlumB

@timsak: I'm sorry to hear that. I've seen a number of discussions on various Apple forums about similar issues with file sharing. Apple made some changes to authentication and file sharing in general in Sierra. My personal pet peeve is needing to login to a share each time, even with the password saved in the Keychain (and prefilled). And since you're getting this error in Finder as well, there won't be anything 1Password can do to avoid it. It would be best to bring this to Apple's attention.