Windows 10: Setup/use a single networked music folder?

Hello,

I’m trying to figure out a way to use a single network folder for my music across three local computers. I’d like to just be able to point the folder to a location on a networked laptop so that I don’t have to maintain and use the space on each machine. However, I cannot seem to figure out how to accomplish this. Could anyone please give me advice and options on how to do this? Any similar method that achieves the same thing would be great. I’d rather not use “cloud space” for this although I know it’s an alternative. So, how would you go about doing this?

Thanks so much!

:)

 

Win 8 Music App and NAS

I can not believe that Microsoft did not make the built in apps (music, video, photo, etc) not work with NAS setups. I just recently bought a Surface and a new Windows 8 pc and before I made the switch I moved all my photos, music, videos onto a NAS so
I did not have to store any of the information locally on a single device assuming Windows 8 would work with NAS. I guess I should not have assumed an OS from 2012 would work networked media. Shame on you MS.

 

How do I use a networked optical drive in windows 10

You might need to post your query here: Technet forums

 

Don't know if you want to spend money but my solution was to get a NAS/Network Attached Storage drive and plug into my Router via an Ethernet cable. Then on any computer that can access the Router, such as for using the Internet, I can Map that drive and create any Folders desired. Or just Map only a particular Folder on the drive. Any computer I have can use it, includes Win7, Win10, Mac OS X and Linux Mint. I've done the same with both my printers that have the Ethernet/RJ45 port. One nice feature is no particular computer has to be running like would be necessary if using File and Printer Sharing and Mapping a drive or Folder.

 

I'll definitely keep this in mind as I have a router that support this. However, I already have a computer that I use as a home server so it's not a big deal on that part. I just can't figure out how to physically map the folder to the music folder.

If I cannot figure it out any other way, I'll take a look at whether I have any older smaller hard drives that could act as a NAS as you suggested.

But could anyone please give me some instructions on how to map my Music folder? I generally can figure stuff out but this one has me stumped and Google searches and been surprisingly unhelpful.

 

Hi lifeinspired!
If I understand you correctly, you have a notebook with a folder full of music, that you want to share to three other computers?

On this notebook, did you share this folder? Are other computers in the same network? Or perhaps even in the same Homegroup - this is the easiest way for home sharing...

And what is you level of computer knowledge? This is useful information, you know.

Easiest way: share folder / select user to allow or homegroup / map folder on computer you want to listen to music / add that drive to Music library.

 

Another vote for a NAS, since they have dropped way down in price for the past year.

 

It is your choice, whether to go with NAS or using file server as a NAS.

You were looking for something like this making symbolic links.

Folder on your server will act just like another folder in your music library.

Edit: if you are not in the mood for reading, this is essential to you:
In elevated command prompt type :

Code: mklink /d C:\something\yourmusic \\server\music[/quote] you can replace C:\something with %userprofile%

 

Absolutely brilliant information!

Thanks you so much!!

I feel like an idiot. For some reason, my brain just plain got stuck. I had shared the entire external drive that the music folder is on - and it was working successfully as expected. However, when I went to just that music folder, it WASN'T shared!! I don't understand this at all. So, I went through the process of sharing it and was easily able to then create a shortcut in my quick links. I think I'll go back with the wonderful info you posted on symlinks and the make my actual "My Music" folder point to this, which was my original goal. I just cannot understand what it wasn't sharing and why I couldn't get my head around that.

Just for the background that you asked for, all three computers are on the same local network, workgroup and HomeGroup. I generally am fairly tech savvy and can follow instructions. However, I clearly had brain freeze around this or I would have been able to work out what I should have done. I just got stuck somehow in thinking that because it was one of the primary document files in Windows, that it would be different. Kind of like when you move the user profile to a separate partition but want it to seamlessly integrate with Windows.

Thanks again for all of your help. Super great info!!

 

Great and you're welcome.
Such things happen now and then to everybody *Wink. Google is great, but you still have to enter right keywords. Symlinks crosses my mind, since I've once played with them too. You will still have to make those shares...

Sincerely, I also have NAS for few years now and it is worth all of the money. *Cool

 

I tried doing this with my NAS, before it crashed.
I am learning that a NAS device, or mine anyway, formats the drives in linux.
I am having an awfully hard time trying to retrieve my data.
Never again. I built a home server and bought an external drive for it.
I'll share my stuff like that from now on, from a PC, with a windows drive.

 

If that NAS is indeed formatted by Linux, usually ext4, you may be able to get a Linux LiveDVD and boot to it to get your files. The LiveDVD is a downloaded .iso file used by a CD/DVD burning program to create an exact duplicate of the original. I just got a copy of Linux LXLE 64-bit to try, an running Linux Mint 17.3 on a Desktop and an HP Notebook.

My Windows machines show both of my NAS drives as NTFS but both Linux and Mac OS X can read and write to them.

 

wow thanks
I'll give that a shot

 

Hi there

I'm using an HP Proliant Gen 8 Microserver as a NAS with CENTOS 7 as the OS -- you can create NTFS file systems if you want to on most Linux versions - install ntfs-3g package (often installed by default) and you will have 100% READ / WRITE NTFS capability -- wouldn't recommend that though as NTFS isn't a good file system for large volumes of shared data such as multi-media files on a server.

Share files from Linux to / from Windows in any case is easily done via SAMBA.

The HP microserver is very tiny, can take up to 4 HDD's and an SSD and you can even run WINDOWS 10 on it as your main OS --built in RAID too if you want it - use the built in W2008 / 2012 server drivers - works fine for W10. Drivers included for CENTOS / RED HAT as well.

With the price of these cheaper than a typical desktop it's a No brainer as far as I can see --- also you can run a W10 VM or too if you use the Linux OS. These servers are built for continuous running and are far more reliable than cheap consumer grade desktops.

It's hugely cheaper setting up a NAS in this way rather than buy a specialized NAS box. I run a Squeezebox server (music) and PLEX for video plus other streaming services. You don't need a huge powerful CPU for this type of job also very quiet and low power consumption.

HP Gen 8 proliant Microserver :

HP 712317-421 - MicroSvr Gen8 G1610T Entry NHP EU Svr: Amazon.co.uk: Computers Accessories

To boot from SSD use RAID 0 in the setup for SSD as single volume, and in the RAID controller setup set this as the boot device --it's very easy with a nice built in GUI. This way all 4 HDD's are then available for data and the OS is where you want it - on the SSD. I also have a W10 VM on the SSD too.

(Note you have to add your own HDD's / SSD's when you buy the server - they just fit into the 4 bay caddy).

I've got 2 of these servers - both running 100% perfectly 24 hrs a day 7 days a week - not a single complaint with them.

Another trick - although better a topic for another post -- you can use an old Router as an Ethernet-->Wifi bridge so you don't need to mess around finding Wifi adapters for a NAS system if you can't put the box near your cable router or you want to store it out of the way.

Using the 5GHZ protocol you can get INTERNAL LAN speeds really fast (theoretically up to 433 Mb/s) so attaching the NAS with a small piece of LAN cable to the bridge works really well and saves messy cables all over the place -- with new fast wifi anyway I suspect LAN cables will go the way of the Dodo anyway.

Cheers
jimbo