File sharing windows media player 2 users, 1 computer, JUST HOW?

Tao81

I have lost patience with this! So have come along to see if any kind soul here can put me straight?!

Daughter wants to listen to music from my music folder using windows media player.
She has her own account with a password (windows vista) which, I was under the impression is important to have in place when trying to share files with others??

I have gone into media player and under library tab selected media sharing, in this dialogue box have set share my media to: all other users on this PC.

When my DD logs on to her desktop and starts media player how does she access these files, I haven't a clue? :mad: I was expecting to go into the windows media library via her desktop and see an option under library tab for my files? Nothing new there?!!
Is there something I should be doing via the control panel or via her desktop to get access for her within WMP to these files?

Read the help menus and 'vista for dummies manual' but the instructions for sharing files just seems to be tying me up into more confused knots the further I go?!!:o

I know there are several different ways of sharing files dependent on how and what you want to use them for. My aim is to allow her to access all media files, but without the ability to delete or change them (we all know what these pesky little teenagers are like for liberally pressing buttons their not particularly familiar with?! :rolleyes: ) Spent ages ripping our CD collection into media player and don't want it to, without warning, disappear into the ether, if you get my drift?!

I KNOW I MUST BE MISSING SOMETHING - BUT JUST WHAT IS IT?? :mad:
PLEASE HELP? I'LL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO SORT THIS SHARING CONUNDRUM OUT! :cool:

Red_Rose_Exile

I think all she may have to do is to go to the Library tab and click on Add to Library

No, actually thinking about it, all the media files should be in the Shared Documents folder

U've_been_framed

Try copying them into the C:\users\public folder. This is the folder in vista for sharing documents or files with other users.

Tao81

Thanks guys I've done both of these things........ still stuck?! :huh:

When copied albums into the public folder the problem I encountered was that albums copied over, showed within my media player with individual tracks copied twice, meaning that when I want to play an album in sequence I have to listen to each track twice! :mad: So ditched that idea!

Used the add to library option -nothing copied over and can't find access to my media library from her desktop?

Any other ideas anyone? There must be some of you lovely people out there who are sharing their files as we speak?.......How are you managing it? Please tell me?......Pretty pleeeease?!

Tao81

Red_Rose_Exile wrote: »

I think all she may have to do is to go to the Library tab and click on Add to Library

No, actually thinking about it, all the media files should be in the Shared Documents folder

I'm trying to find a way to give my DD access from files that are within my media player without her being able to delete them, I'm afraid that if I copy them over to the public folder they are vulnerable to [STRIKE] teenage fiddling [/STRIKE] corruption there?!

Surely, there must be someone out there in MSE land who is sharing their media files from their folders with a partner or family member on the same computer, who uses a different desktop? ...........Come on, please spill the beans on just how you get away with it? I'm on my knees.......PRETTY PLEASE??;)

Tao81

Bump!.........So is everyone else in the dark too then???

It gets worse :rolleyes: .....This morning I found files in media player had disappeared and I definately didn't delete them on the date it says they were last modified!:eek:

Red_Rose_Exile

Did you move your music to the Shared Documents Folder.

If you did, did you make sure that it was sharing too?


Go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents

Right Click Shared Music

Click Properties

Click the Sharing tab

put a check Mark in the Network sharing and security, Share this folder on the network box

Click Apply then OK

Tao81

My music folder icon shows a smaller 'sharing' icon at lt lower edge and the bar at the bottom of the screen says Music folder is shared with C:/Home-PC/*****.

Our computer is called Home-PC and my DD name is stated within the pathway but I have * it for the purpose of this post.

So if the computer says this folder is shared do you know how my DD accesses this folder via her desktop? as I haven't a clue how to do this?!!

Red_Rose_Exile

Log off your user name, and log on as her
Open Windows Media Player
Click library then add to Library
Make sure that you check My folders and others that I can access, and if necessary add the Music folder if it is not listed
Click OK

Tao81

Red_Rose_Exile wrote: »

Log off your user name, and log on as her
Open Windows Media Player
Click library then add to Library
Make sure that you check My folders and others that I can access, and if necessary add the Music folder if it is not listed
Click OK

Yeah did this previously and it didn't appear to work!

I have managed it now and this I'm sure is due to the instructions you gave in your previous post because it made me revisit the media sharing options and go into the network center and change options there several times to see what works?

The frustrating thing is that, I'm still not sure exactly how I did it?!
I do know that it was something I changed via the media sharing options and the networking center and had it not been for your post I probably wouldn't have ventured there again because I thought I'd already done everything I needed to in this area.

I've read several books on loan from the library on the subject of windows vista and NONE of them explain clearly the prime differences between sharing files and folders on a network of computers and sharing files between different users on the same computer even though to all intents and purposes they give the appearance they do?!! :mad: or could it just be my alzhiemers playing up again?! :eek:

I really appreciate you returning to keep trying to point me in the right direction, your persistence paid off, it kept me motivated and ploughing on to get it sorted which, has made my teenage DD ecstatically happy as now she can access all of our music........Thanks a million from both of us :beer: