Cannot Turn On Media Streaming

[tomservo1]

I'm desperate and I hope someone can help me. I recently purchased a Laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit. I upgraded my Desktop PC from Windows Vista to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit. Both computers run great except for one thing: Neither one will stream media to other devices on my network. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to work but nothing seems to help. Here's the situation:

1. All my media is stored on my Desktop PC which is connected to my home network via a D-Link gaming router (DGL-4500).
2. Besides my laptop, there are other devices conntected either wirelessly or wired including an XBOX 360 (wired), Playstation 3 (wired) and a DirecTV HD DVR (wired).
3. I can easily stream media to the XBOX 360 via the extender with no problems. I cannot stream to the Playstation 3 at all and I cannot stream to the 360 without using the extender (so I can't access anything via the Dashboard). All these devices can access the internet through my router with no problem as can my wireless devices such as the Wii, PSP, etc.
4. When I open Windows Media Player (from either my laptop or my desktop) and click on STREAM then AUTOMATICALLY ALLOW ALL MY DEVICES TO PLAY MY MEDIA, I click ALLOW and am taken to the CHOOSE MEDIA STREAMING OPTIONS screen. On this screen no devices are listed (even if they are turned on), and the SHOW DEVICES ON drop down menu is blank. Since I can't make any selections, the OK button remains grayed out.
5. If I got to STREAM and click TURN ON MEDIA STREAMING I'm taken back to the same screen I talked about in #4, still with nothing listed in the SHOW DEVICES ON drop down menu and absolutely none of my devices listed anywhere on the screen.
6. If I go to the actual PS3 and select SEARCH FOR MEDIA SERVERS I get nothing.
7. If I click CHOOSE HOMEGROUP AND SHARING OPTIONS, under SHARE MEDIA WITH DEVICES, the STREAM MY PICTURES, MUSIC, AND VIDEOS etc check-box is grayed out.
8. All my devices show up on my router as being connected and with no issues.

I've had no problems streaming media in the past running Windows Vista. Before I upgraded to Windows 7, I kept hearing how easy it was to stream media with it but I can't seem to stream anything except through Windows Media Center Extender and only to my 360. What gives? In case you couldn't tell, I'm very frustrated.

 

[chinga69]

first thing to check is that all puters are named the same for the workgroup and then try sharing again

 

[tomservo1]

Yup, both the laptop and the desktop have the same workgroup name and are also a part of the same homegroup. I can share files back and forth between the two computers but I sill can't turn on Media Streaming in Windows Media Player so I can stream to the Playstation 3.

 

[logicearth]

Is "Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service" enabled and started in Services?

 

[tomservo1]

I can't find "Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service" listed anywhere in services on either computer.

 

[spudguy]

I had this problem, here's how I solved it...

I had this same issue, trying to stream to my PS3.

The issue is definitely with the Media Player Setup. You basically need to do a reinstall of the player, and it's pretty easy in Win7/WMP12.

Here's how to resolve it:

- Click Start button.
- In the Search field at the bottom, type "Turn Windows features on or off"
- Under Media Features, uncheck the Windows Media Player box, and click Ok
- The system should prompt you to reboot. It will uninstall the WMP.
- When the system has rebooted, go back again through the same process and re-check the Windows Media Player box to re-enable it.
- Now, go back into WMP and you should be able to enable Media Streaming, which was blocked out before.
- If you are trying to connect to PS3, once streaming has been enabled on WMP, just go to the PS3 Search for Media Server option, and it should now find your PC streaming.

Hope this helps people out. This was aggravating until I was able to resolve it this way.

Spudguy

 

[tylerorr95]

If that don't solve your issue I recommend a Sharing Service called TVersity. I had Windows Media Player sharing to my PS3 and Xbox 360 as well, but I was not satisfied with the quality. Go here to get it free TVersity - Home. All devices that connect to your network are automatically allowed to access your data.

There is only one problem I ran into while using this program, which I easily fixed. If you are streaming to the Xbox 360 from multiple computers. Heres how to fix it

1. in Media Server/UPNP_AV_MediaServer_1.0.xbox360.xml
in Line 8 change
<UDN>uuid:d1d17c53-ace6-4349-b5fa-6edcfc87159a</UDN>
to
<UDN>uuid:d1d17c53-ace6-4349-b5fa-6edcfc87159b</UDN> or c or d as long as no two machines have the same one

2. in Line 10 change
<friendlyName>TVersity on ${HOSTNAME} : 1 : Windows Media Connect</friendlyName>
to
<friendlyName>TVersity on ${HOSTNAME} : 2 : Windows Media Connect</friendlyName> or 2 or 3 as long as no two machines have the same #

3. Now we need to tell the software that we have changed the uuid
in Media Server/MediaServer.exe
open it in notepad++ (You can get it free here Notepad++ - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com) and find 'd1d17c53-ace6-4349-b5fa-6edcfc87159a'
to match whatever you changed it to in Media Server/UPNP_AV_MediaServer_1.0.xbox360.xml (b or c)

Restart all your computers and streaming should not be a problem

 

[tomservo1]

Thanks Spudguy, that worked like a charm! I can now stream to the PS3. Thanks for the help.

 

[tomservo1]

Well, guess I spoke too soon. Although uninstalling and reinstalling Media Player worked, I now have to do it every time I turn my computer on. For some reason when I start up my desktop or my laptop, Windows Media Player goes right back to shutting me out of streaming. I'm going to try TVersity and see how that works. But in the meantime, if anyone knows away to turn on streaming in Windows Media Player and keep it on, please let me know.

 

[tomservo1]

TVersity works much better and is simple to use. So I'll stick with it. Thanks to everyone for all the help