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Applies To: Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials

You can share your favorite music, videos, and pictures from Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials by streaming files to any supported digital media receiver (DMR) such as computers, mobile phones, televisions, digital media receivers, extenders for Windows Media Center (including Xbox 360) and other personal electronic devices.

For a current list of digital media devices that are compatible with Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials, see the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.

Enabling Media Sharing

To share the media stored on your server, you need to turn media streaming on. Media streaming is turned off by default.

Turn on media streaming

  1. Open the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Dashboard.

  2. Click Server settings.

  3. Click Media.

  4. Click Turn on.

  5. Click Customize, and then select Yes for each shared folder that you want to include in the Media Library.

  6. Click OK to save your changes.

For information about the digital media types supported by Windows Media Player, see: Information about the Multimedia file types that Windows Media Player supports.

Sharing copy-protected media

Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials does not support the sharing of copy-protected media. This includes music purchased through an online music store.

Copy-protected media can be played back only on the computer or device that you used to purchase it. Copy protection prevents you from playing media on more than one computer or device, even if you copy the media to your server and play it from there. However, you can store the copy-protected media on Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials and continue to play back the media on the computer or device used to purchase it.

What else should I know about sharing the Media Library Sharing?

  • Before you turn on Media Library Sharing for a shared folder, you should know that Media Library Sharing bypasses any type of user-account access that you set for the shared folder. For example, let's say that you turn on Media Library Sharing for the Photos shared folder, and you set the Photos shared folder to No Access for a user account named Bobby. Bobby can still stream any digital media from the Photos shared folder to any supported digital media player or DMR. If you have digital media that you do not want to stream in this manner, store the files in a folder that does not have Media Library Sharing turned on.

  • If you turn on Media Library Sharing for a shared folder, any supported digital media player or DMR that can access your network can also access your digital media in that shared folder. For example, if you have a wireless network and you have not secured it, anybody within range of your wireless network can potentially access your digital media in that folder. Before you turn on Media Library Sharing, make sure that you secure your wireless network. For more information, see the documentation for your wireless access point.