Media sharing

VincentAC · September 2011

We're having trouble doing media sharing between two PCs. This is what we've got connected directly to our router:

Wired (network cables):
2 PCs

Wireless:
Xbox360
Wii
HP Touchpad Tablet thingy (running WebOS)
2 mobile phones

My PC and the 360 can see each other fine. Siouxsie's PC can see the 360 fine aswell. The problem is that the PCs can't see each other at all.

How can I get WMP to share folders between both PCs? Both have Media Sharing turned on in WMP on both machines but nothing is coming up in the connected devices other than the Xbox and the HP Tablet (the tablet appears as "unknown device" but it works fine).

AndyC · September 2011

What version of Windows are the PCs running?

VincentAC · September 2011

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Both have XP Home SP3.

AndyC · September 2011

Hmm, that makes it trickier. It's probably a firewall configuration issue, so I'd assume adding media player to the exceptions list might help. I can't remember what the precise limitations of media player sharing were in XP though, but I'm reasonably sure there were some.

VincentAC · September 2011

AndyC wrote: »

It's probably a firewall configuration issue, so I'd assume adding media player to the exceptions list might help. I can't remember what the precise limitations of media player sharing were in XP though, but I'm reasonably sure there were some.

But, both of the PCs can share media through WMP to the 360 fine so I didn't think it was the firewalls.

WMP uses wmiprvse.exe, wmpnetwk.exe and wmpnscfg.exe for sharing. All 3 have net access on both machines.

guesser · September 2011

can the PCs ping each other across the network?
(you may have to enable ICMP on the network card properties if it's not already)

VincentAC · September 2011

Tried pinging both ways between the PCs and they time out every try.

I've gone into the network card's properties and can't see anything for ICMP (that's the message protocol?) on either machine. Both have the same card, it's an NVIDIA nForce. I'm sure it's onboard.

--edit--
Okay, I can only see ICMP in the windows firewall settings, but neither machine has the windows firewall enabled. We're both using Sygate Personal Firewall. I can't see anything for ICMP in there.

TriadDevelopments · September 2011

VincentAC wrote: »

Tried pinging both ways between the PCs and they time out every try.

I've gone into the network card's properties and can't see anything for ICMP (that's the message protocol?) on either machine. Both have the same card, it's an NVIDIA nForce. I'm sure it's onboard.

--edit--
Okay, I can only see ICMP in the windows firewall settings, but neither machine has the windows firewall enabled. We're both using Sygate Personal Firewall. I can't see anything for ICMP in there.

Are the PCs on the same domain/workgroup?

guesser · September 2011

VincentAC wrote: »

Okay, I can only see ICMP in the windows firewall settings, but neither machine has the windows firewall enabled. We're both using Sygate Personal Firewall. I can't see anything for ICMP in there.

In that case disable the firewall and test again :)

if you still can't ping across the network with firewalls disabled then there's something messed up in the routing.

VincentAC · September 2011

Right, I've set up the network again using the XP CD and they're both able to use shared folders.

I've restarted both machines and I can definitely share through the standard shared folders (I've added other folders with no problems at all) but I cannot ping either way.

And WMP still can't see the opposite PC.

Would it be easier just to add the shared locations to the library instead of going through the shared media route?

guesser · September 2011

VincentAC wrote: »

I've restarted both machines and I can definitely share through the standard shared folders (I've added other folders with no problems at all)

And WMP still can't see the opposite PC.

So sounds like there is a firewall blocking the server media player runs. I've never used that media player sharing thing, I suspect the easiest solution is just to forget it and use a network share yes :)

VincentAC · September 2011

guesser wrote: »

So sounds like there is a firewall blocking the server media player runs. I've never used that media player sharing thing, I suspect the easiest solution is just to forget it and use a network share yes :)

The strange thing is, both have the same firewall, both can share through WMP to wireless devices, yet can't share through WMP to wired devices.

All the services I've seen for WMP are allowed.

Another strange thing is that the machines can't ping each other at all.

But I think I'll stop messing about with it as it's kinda working now and I don't want to screw that up :lol:

xbomber · September 2011

I've been through a lot of the above and got so ****ed off with network issues and xp/firewalls randomly blocking my classic xbox (i use it as a media player) I just looped the pc output via a vcr which modulates signal via coax. just watch everything via the 25 year old rf aerial! Use a media player remote from downstairs with powermid.

prehistoric solution which I put up with as can't be arsed with it anymore. one day used to be fine, the next the smb share couldn't be seen. times 100 infuriating...

AndyC · September 2011

VincentAC wrote: »

Would it be easier just to add the shared locations to the library instead of going through the shared media route?

Possibly. I have a nagging suspicion that XP can only share with passive reciever devices, so won't work if you try to share with another PC.

Media sharing

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