Sharing DVDs Across A Network

Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, Julie writes:

Hi, Matt! I have just added a DVD-ROM to my computer and I want to let others on my local network access it and watch from their computers. Do I need software for this? Sharing the drive and mapping it do not seem to work. Hope you can help. Thank you!

Well, Julie, I have shared a CD drive many times, however, I am unsure about sharing the functionality of a DVD player over the network. Here is what I would try. First, make sure that you have your DVD drive shared correctly. Try putting a data CD into it and see if it can access the CD from the remote machine. Then install your DVD viewing software such as PowerDVD or whatever to the remote non-DVD drive-carrying PC. The software will most likely not see the shared drive and may even bug you about this. Ignore any warnings and proceed with the install. Now place a DVD into the PC you’re ‘broadcasting’ from. When it autostarts, close the window so that you can continue working without it playing on the wrong PC. Go to the remote PC and click into the shared drive. With any luck it should start the DVD software right up for you! Hope this helps!

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