X360 and Windows XP (MUSIC HELP!)

[TheMagicalJew]

So I read you can hook up your pc via the network but you must have a media center based pc. I was curious I put my music on my flashdrive is it possible to pull it onto the xbox hd so I don't have to leave the flashdrive plugged in

[Naldo]

nope, but you can stream music from your PC to the 360 without having Media Center (you need media center for video's and TV and stuff like that though). You need a program called windows media connect. Only method of getting songs to the hard drive would be to burn them to a CD, and then rip the CD to the 360 (but that would take forever unless you only wanted a handful of songs).

[Babbster]

First off, as far as I know the 360 will only read data from sources like this. It won't save them. Second, if all you're looking for is music streaming, you don't need MCE to do that. All you need is XP (presumably, SP2) and then go here (www.xbox.com/pcsetup) on your PC (you'll need the 360 on once the software is downloaded for installation). Voila! Easily shared music.

[TheMagicalJew]

the file executes but nothing happens?

[Babbster]

I don't know what to tell you. I used the linked procedure to hook up my PC and Xbox 360 just last week. It installed, asked me to turn on my 360 (inconvenient since the PC and 360 are two floors apart :)), and then gave me a screen where I could add and remove folders to be shared with the 360. After that, it was smooth sailing with the 360 indexing the 30+ GB of MP3s I have and offering me options to play by artist, album, genre or playlist (or just a specific file, of course).

[Staples]

Yes, the free media connect is the only program you need to share mp3s or wma. You can put these files on your flash drive and the Xbox will also play them however the only way you can save music to your hard drive is by ripping it off an audio CD.

[Erasmus354]

Media Connect is *NOT* the only way to share files to your 360. Windows Media Player 11 (BETA) will also allow streaming of music to your 360, as will Windows Vista. In WMP11 there is an option under one of the menus for sharing, it should detect that you have a 360 on your network (if the 360 is on) and you just have to enable sharing to the 360.

[jflail2]

Another option would be an external HD hooked up to your 360. I bought a 180gb mybook at Bestbuy on sale for like 90$. Dumped all my music to it, and now I've got it all available without having to turn on my pc at all (as well as all of our family pictures.) And the green light on the base model matches the 360 nicely.

Was well worth the 90$ to me.

[Ludic]

the file executes but nothing happens?

This happens if XP doesn't pass the genuine advantage test.

[Staples]

Media Connect is *NOT* the only way to share files to your 360. Windows Media Player 11 (BETA) will also allow streaming of music to your 360, as will Windows Vista. In WMP11 there is an option under one of the menus for sharing, it should detect that you have a 360 on your network (if the 360 is on) and you just have to enable sharing to the 360.
Never knew there was any truth to this. I remember early reports say you can share video with WMP11 and after it was declaired an error, I believed that any sharing with WMP11 was false. Anyway, WM COnnect works just fine so I will continue to use it. I will look in the menus of WMP11 for the options.

[MasterShredder]

Windows Media connect sharing uses resources and I don't like that. I have Media Center Edition and if you open up WMP 10, and add your songs to the library, the 360 will automatically pick them up without having to set up media connect. I like it better that way cause I can just share certain cd's I like instead of having to go through my 80+ gig music collection on my server.

[vischo]

WMP11 works because it includes Windows Media Connect in the program. It's built in. ;)

[KidzMD]

One thing to keep in mind with streaming - some of the online component of games don't play nice with the Media Connect (I know Ridge Racer is one). So, for most purposes streaming from your computer to the 360 is fine, but if you suddenly notice online stuttering you might need to disable it.

[mdk30]

I don't want to get too off topic, but does it piss anyone else off that you can't stream video to your 360 from XP machines? I can stream all kinds of video from XP to my modded XBox (original, not 360) and it works flawlessly except for HD content and then the old XBox can't keep up which is why it would be ideal for the 360 to have that kind of functionality out of the box. I don't have Windows Media Center Edition so if I want to stream video and watch it on my big screen, I always have to unplug the audio and video cables from my 360 and swap them with my original XBox, and then back again so I can play 360 games. It's annoying. It's also retarded that I can do more with my original (modded) XBox than with my 360 because Microsoft cripples their own products. :mad:

[Babbster]

It's also retarded that I can do more with my original (modded) XBox than with my 360 because Microsoft cripples their own products. :mad:

While I agree with you generally that Microsoft should offer up the same functionality - at least to XP Pro users (who pay a bigger premium than even MCE users) - it's not really that MS "crippled" XP Home and Pro. MCE adds gadgets specifically designed for use with video, and that's what you get for the premium in price over Home. I suspect that the only reason MS even made the MCE version of XP was because Vista was so late, and that the Xbox 360's requirement for MCE to stream video was actually, originally intended as an incentive for 360 owners to upgrade from XP to Vista.

Let's face it, MS has done this kind of thing before and they'll do so again, and as unfair as we might perceive it to be it's probably a good business decision - much like making DirectX 10 only for Vista is probably a good business decision.

Like you, it probably doesn't affect me that much because I have an Xbox that serves this function more than adequately, and once "everyone" upgrades to Vista (perhaps at the same time as Duke Nukem Forever is released?) it will be a non-issue. It's a shame, but, then again, making people upgrade to get new features is not unique to MS - Apple, Adobe, and virtually every other true "application" company have been doing this for virtually forever.

[mdk30]

...it's not really that MS "crippled" XP Home and Pro.

All I know is that if my XP Pro machine can steam ANY kind of video to an original XBox, and that same machine can't stream video of ANY kind to a 360... something is most definitely CRIPPLED. I find it hard to believe that for purely "technical" reasons the only Microsoft O/S that can stream to a 360 is WMCE and I highly doubt there's any good reason why it can't work on the 360's end either.

[Staples]

Of course MS could offer it on XP but they want to sell another OS that is failing miserably and will continue to die if they offered video streaming on XP.

But if you are running Vista RC1 or later, you can try out the feature. It does not work so well as far as I am concerned so I know I am not missing much.