Music library in Windows media player?

[MrShaky]

I'm also trying to move my music and photos to a network drive. Is it possible to see my music library in Windows media player?

 

[mhealy]

I've written a guide on using network folder in Windows 7 libraries, you can find it right here you can also find a general guide on using libraries over here.

 

[MrShaky]

I appreciate the help, but I'm a bit lost. Are you saying that another computer must do the indexing? When I go to my "indexing options" there's no entry for the network drive.

 

[mhealy]

I appreciate the help, but I'm a bit lost. Are you saying that another computer must do the indexing? When I go to my "indexing options" there's no entry for the network drive.

If you want to add the folder from WMP you just need to make sure the folders are shared on the remote computer. If you want to add them through the library interface in windows explorer then yes, the remote computer will have to be told to index the files first.

The drive would be listed under the indexing options of the computer holding the drive.

 

[LePoilu]

You need to say something very important:

The network drive must be NTFS formated!

It exist a sort of plugin for "non-NTFS" drive (like FAT and other) which names UNCFATDms but it's not compatible with Seven at this time (I try it).

So if, like me, your network drive are on a linux file serveur (ext formated), you can't add it on the index and then you can't add to the Seven librairies.

I hope that MS will do something until the release of seven, because NAS solution become more and more popular and it's really offen linux inside

 

[Barman58]

Another thing to consider is that to work with the libraries feature on windows 7 the sharing OS must be running Search 4.0 which is available for xp vista and Server 2003


Description of Windows Search 4.0 and the Multilingual User Interface Pack for Windows Search 4.0

 

[MrShaky]

My network drive is a Buffalo Linkstation external NAS, so there's nothing else to do the indexing.

I don't know what I did, but after a bit of fiddling around, WMP spent over an hour scanning the network drive and imported all my music into it's library.

Perhaps a related question: When I click on the icon on my desktop with my name, up pops a file-explorer window with several special icons (AppData, Contacts, Desktop, Downloads, Favorites, Links, My Documents My Videos, Saved Games, Searches) But now that I've moved my music and pictures to my network drive, the icons for those are very different. They just look like an open folder, and the "properties" dialog is all different. Any ideas?

I'd post a picture if I could figure out how...

 

[jfar]

Hi, to post a picture use the snipping tool, in accessories.

 

[MrShaky]

Here's a snip of the icons I'm talking about.

Also, I discovered that my music folder on the NAS is now in my Music Library in windows (as well as in my WM library).

 

[Barman58]

Have a look at this tutorial from our sister site that vista forums which gives information on resetting the display of user folders, It should be valid for windows 7

Personal User Shell Folders - Vista Forums

 

[LePoilu]

Here's a snip of the icons I'm talking about.

Also, I discovered that my music folder on the NAS is now in my Music Library in windows (as well as in my WM library).

Damn!
I'm so curious to know how you made this!

I tried lot of thing for my network drive, without succes (File server, Debian R4 + Samba)

 

[LePoilu]

I currently test Windows Home Server 2003 (got it on MS Connect).
At this time it run really fine into a virtual machine with VirtualBox. Network sharing work fine, I have total access to the "file server", even to the remote desktop, etc.

BUT: I still can't add the network drive (pointing to a WHS sharing location) to the index location and in extension to my librairies.
I installed Desktop search V4.x on WHS, it did'nt change anything.

I don't understand what is the problem. Maybe a network configuration that I didn't done??
(Note: no firewall active on both machines)

(Edit: I've send a feedback.. maybe it's a bug in my installation of Seven)