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Help me escape from Bonjour jail

Anonymous
2024-11-28T03:33:52+00:00

I have a Windows 10 host that apparently cannot communicate with whatever the Bonjour protocols do.

It's probably been like this for years; I know I tried wireless sync with iTunes a long time ago, it didn't work, but I didn't need it so didn't work on it.

Now I need it. (I don't want to go into why.)

I think I 've done everything. I've tried configuring and turning off windows firewalls, 3rd-party anti-virus.

I removed and re-installed itunes and bonjour. The latter starts as a service and appears to be running, contentedly, just doesn't connect to anything.

I installed a couple of bonjour browsers. They see absolutely nothing.

I don't see anything on the ancient linksys wireless router that would be stopping it.

On a windows 11 laptop right next to this host, on the same network, I installed bonjour & the browser. It's fine. It can see all the weird services on the local net that use bonjour related protocols. It has the same 3rd party antivirus - didn't touch it.

What am I missing?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-12-04T10:39:24+00:00

    Dear Michael.Helm

    Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community.

    Bonjour is a protocol developed by Apple for discovering local network services, but it relies on multicast DNS (mDNS), which sometimes doesn't work properly on Windows systems due to firewall settings, network configuration, or service issues. The scenario you've mentioned suggests that your Windows 10 host may have some network configuration or system settings issues that are preventing Bonjour from communicating properly. Here are the detailed steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

    1. Check if the Bonjour service is running normally.

    The Bonjour service is the core of the Bonjour protocol, so make sure it is running properly on your Windows 10 host.

    1. Check the status of the service:

    Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.

    Locate the Bonjour Service and make sure its status is “Running”.

    If it is not running, right-click on the service and select Startup.

    Set the Startup Type to Automatic.

    1. Restart the service: If the service is running, right-click on it and select Restart.

    Make sure there are no errors or exceptions.

    2. Check your firewall settings

    Even if you have turned off your firewall, some rules may still prevent mDNS (the protocol Bonjour uses) from communicating.

    1. Allow Bonjour to pass through the firewall:

    Open Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.

    Click on Allow applications or features to pass through Windows Firewall on the left side. o Find Bonjour in the list.

    Find Bonjour (or mDNSResponder) in the list and make sure that “Private” and “Public” networks are checked.

    If you don't see Bonjour, click Allow other applications to manually add the Bonjour executable:

    The path to Bonjour is usually: C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe.

    1. Open the mDNS port manually:

    Bonjour uses UDP port 5353 for communication.

    In Windows Defender Firewall, manually create inbound and outbound rules:

    Allowed protocol: UDP

    Port number: 5353

    Application: All networks (or your local network only).

    1. Check third-party firewalls or antivirus programs:

    Some antivirus programs may block mDNS communications. Try temporarily disabling your third-party antivirus software to test if Bonjour is working properly. o If it works fine after disabling, add a new antivirus program.

    If it works after disabling, add an exception rule to allow mDNSResponder.exe and UDP 5353.

    3.Check network adapters and settings

    Bonjour uses multicast DNS (mDNS), if the network settings block multicast traffic, Bonjour will not work properly.

    1. Enable multicast support:

    Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings.

    Right-click on your network connection (WiFi or Ethernet) and select Properties.

    Ensure that Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) is enabled. o Click Configuration and go to the Advanced tab.

    Click Configuration and go to the Advanced tab.

    In the Properties list, find Multicast Mode and make sure it is set to Enable. 2.

    1. Reset the network stack:

    Open Command Prompt (Administrator) or Windows Terminal (Administrator).

    Run the following command to reset the network settings:

    netsh winsock reset

    netsh int ip reset

    ipconfig /flushdns

    ipconfig /release

    ipconfig /renew

    Reboot the computer.

    4. Reinstall Bonjour

    Although you have already tried reinstalling Bonjour, you can try the following more thorough steps:

    1. Uninstall Bonjour completely:

    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.

    Uninstall Bonjour and iTunes.

    Delete the following folder (if it exists)

    C:\Program Files\Bonjour

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Bonjour

    Open Registry Editor (press Win + R and type regedit) and delete the following key (if present): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Bonjour Service HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\mDNSResponder

    Finally, since the main problem lies with Bonjour, the advice we can give you belongs more to the network level, you can also contact APPLE's support agent for further debugging.

    We hope your problem will be solved soon.

    Best Wish

    Shawn.Z-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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