Home Networking

September 14, 2004 8:13 AM

Home networking question inside.

I have an iBook running OS 10.2.8, 2 other PC's and a third PC that I don't use that has a 60GB hard drive and is running Windows 98 (although, I could install any OS necessary). Here's my idea:

I'd like to setup the PC as a server for media files so that I can keep my iBook strictly for applications and business. I would like to be able to map a network drive on the iBook (that part I can do) where I can read/write files from P2P programs, bittorrent, etc. and play them through iTunes.

What type of software am I looking at for the PC? Free is best, and if there are any tutorials on this, I'd love to know. Thanks in advance.

posted by dflemingdotorg to computers & internet (10 comments total)

Preferably all the PCs will be running WinXP or Win2K with NTFS file systems (not Fat32). Other than that there isn't any "special" software you need.
posted by falconred at 8:18 AM on September 14, 2004

is there something that doesn't work? you say you can map a drive (view the pc disk from the ibook), so what more do you want to do?
posted by andrew cooke at 8:31 AM on September 14, 2004

I wrote myself a neat apple script that automatically mounts the media drives on my PC. Would you like a copy of it?
posted by ascullion at 8:44 AM on September 14, 2004

ascullion, I think that's exactly what I was looking for. Sorry about the basic nature of this question, I felt it was much further above my head than it was. (Email's in the profile, thank you!)
posted by dflemingdotorg at 8:46 AM on September 14, 2004

In addition, you can install iTunes on your Windows machine and share your music via Rendezvous (I'm assuming you can do that with Windows iTunes, I'm doing it with iTunes and some program on my boyfriend's Linux system that also plays mp3s)
posted by annathea at 8:50 AM on September 14, 2004

ascullion, could you send that script to me as well?
posted by bshort at 9:07 AM on September 14, 2004

I'd be interested in that script too, ascullion. Thanks!
posted by adamkempa at 10:35 AM on September 14, 2004

I'd like to do something similar, and would appreciate a copy of your script, ascullion. Thanks in advance.
posted by brism at 10:57 AM on September 14, 2004

Ascullion, maybe you could put your link on some webspace so we can all download?

With regard to Annathea's suggestion - the only drawback I have found with that is that you need to leave iTunes on the PC open to stream the music via Rendezvous.

I have found that it's simpler to open up the PC's folder from your Mac, then to drag and drop the music files onto your Mac iTunes application. (Make sure the "copy to iTunes music folder" preference is not selected.) Now you can play any tune you like on the Mac, but without actually storing any files on the Mac.
posted by skylar at 11:13 AM on September 14, 2004

Skylar, that's a really good idea, thanks for that.
posted by dflemingdotorg at 11:33 AM on September 14, 2004