HELP! - Streaming from Windows Based PC to XBOX 360 Elite

[admin_exported]

Hi

I recently bought a XBOX 360 Elite. I already have a Sony VAIO laptop connected wirelessly to the internet by a BT Homehub. I am now trying to connect the XBOX to the laptop through the wireless network mainly to stream music and pictures from the laptop to the xbox.

I'm having initial set up problems though and can't even get a basic connection between the laptop and the Xbox. Individually both Xbox and Laptop can connect to the internet no problem through the Homehub but they can't connect together.

I'm stuck in a loop now as follows.

1. When I go into the menus on the Xbox: "My Xbox - Music - Computer" it says "No computers found". "On your computer, go to www.xbox.com/pcsetup"

2. So on the laptop I go to that link. The first option it tells you to do is to download "Media Center Extender Software". I've done that, its about 20mb and then run it. After about a minute, Media Centre opens up and I get the following message:

"There is a problem with the installation of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Uninstall the update to Media Centre Edition 2005 and then re-install the update from the Windows Update Website. Then run Media Center Extender Set Up Again"

3. So I go into the Control Panel in the laptop and under "Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005" I have "Update Roll Up 2 for Windows Media Center 2005 - installed 16/03/2006" listed.

However when I click to remove that the set up wizard opens up and begins to copy and delete files. It gets about 4/5 of the way through and stops with the following message:

"Setup cannot copy the file epgtos.txt. Ensure that the location specified below is correct, or change it and insert 'Windows NT Service Pack Uninstall Directory' in the drive you specifiy.
Copy files from c:WINDOWS$NtUnstallKB900325$" with the option tabs to "browse", "retry" or "cancel"

Unfortunately at this point I am well out of my depth and don't know where to go with that. Can anyone advise? I would have thought this should be relatively simple but this is pushing at the boundaries of my basic IT knowledge!

Can anyone help please?

 

[Anonymous]

Ok - seems this is a Microsoft problem after all and not confined to my PC - caused by being on SP3. After much messing about found the fix at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954622/en-us

Installed the fix and it sorted the error. After that, got two thirds of the way through the setup wizard only to be foiled by not having a clue how to configure the firewall settings to make Media Center run properly!

The setup wizard does it automatically for some Firewall software but not Norton 360 that I've got. Setup then bombed me out after that and then Media Center Extender seemed kind of half installed and Media Center itself was no longer working at all. Have had to revert back to yesterdays system point and will regroup again at some point in the future and reapply the fix again once I've researched the firewall settings!

6 hours wasted and no further forward then - should have been practicing my Golf or Tennis on the Xbox instead. Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhh!

I don't suppose anyone has set up their Norton 360 firewall to work with the XBOX and could pass on an easy guide?

Thanks for listening.

 

[smuggs]

i have to turn all my firewalls of while streaming then open them one by one untill i found which ones where cause me problems then i took my laptop in and the guy said if i use firefox i would be fine and 9 months on i stream now and then and while i have it off have never had a virus

 

[Gerrardasnails]

mrmrj:Ok - seems this is a Microsoft problem after all and not confined to my PC - caused by being on SP3. After much messing about found the fix at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954622/en-us

Installed the fix and it sorted the error. After that, got two thirds of the way through the setup wizard only to be foiled by not having a clue how to configure the firewall settings to make Media Center run properly!

The setup wizard does it automatically for some Firewall software but not Norton 360 that I've got. Setup then bombed me out after that and then Media Center Extender seemed kind of half installed and Media Center itself was no longer working at all. Have had to revert back to yesterdays system point and will regroup again at some point in the future and reapply the fix again once I've researched the firewall settings!

6 hours wasted and no further forward then - should have been practicing my Golf or Tennis on the Xbox instead. Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhh!

I don't suppose anyone has set up their Norton 360 firewall to work with the XBOX and could pass on an easy guide?

Thanks for listening.

Not sure if this will help but, I use a media center extender (Linksys) but through Vista and different anti virus (Kaspersky). However, try turning off the Norton firewall and use the Windows Firewall (if you have one, again I use Vista and mine is foung in the Security Center). I use this and have no issues whatsoever.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

If this doesn't help, try reading from here.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/p/67172/324396.aspx#324396

 

[professorhat]

This Microsoft article lists the programs and ports required for Media Center Extender. To make life easier, you may find the Norton software has a means of notifying you when something is attempting to access your PC and then allow you to choose whether you want the firewall to allow it or not. I've no idea if 360 has this, but certainly some do so if you can turn this on, it should just be a matter of clicking Allow when you try and access the PC using the Xbox.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this folks. My Norton 360 has that option turned on normally Professorhat and I've had many of these types of requests from time to time in the past no problem - but not in this case which seems strange. I'm thinking there may be a setting I need to change on the router software to allow two different things to talk to one another on my wireless network maybe?

Otherwise I have no idea from looking in Norton 360 how I would enter the information from the Microsoft table manually.

I've also read elsewhere that its also possible to stream from Windows Media Player 11 itself directly and maybe that would be a better option. I guess I would still need to get around the firewall settings though.

Maybe first port of call is to turn off Norton 360 firewall for half an hour tonight and see if I can connect without it first.

 

[PJPro]

If you're worried about attack when your firewall is turned off, simply disconnet your router from the outside line. This is what I do when I have to lower defenses to resolve an issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Got there in the end (eventuallY) after contacting Norton's support desk. They added a new traffic rule to the firewall which sorted the problem.

I'm now able to stream pictures to the Xbox no problem which is great. Video is a miss though as the wireless network is a "g" type and it seems the engines just can't take it Captain! I'm entitled to a new Homehub from BT so I may upgrade in due course to a wirelss N network.

My music streaming has been next to useless though. I've been using I Tunes with all my files stored on a USB hard drive to date. I've two copies of each file - an Apple lossless version for syncing to my IPOD classic and an 128kbps AAC version for our Gym Shuffles, wife's Nano etc. They are both stored in the one Library in I Tunes and sorted via 2 Smart Playlists.

I had hoped to be able to stream the 128kbps file version to the Xbox but when I try and load them into either Windows Media Player or Windows Media Centre the Artist Name, Albumn Name and Track name come up as "unknown" making it next to useless!!

Any ideas?