How do I access a DVD drive over my network?

[FPSguy]

I am using Win98 and am networked to a WinME machine. I would like to share the DVD drive on the Win98 machine with the WinME machine. To try to do this, I right-clicked on the drive, selected Properties, and shared the drive. Then I went to the ME machine. It sees the drive, though it shows it as a folder rather than a drive. I mapped the shared "folder" to a drive on the ME machine. Then I opened PowerDVD and tried to get it to find the video files on the shared DVD. PowerDVD refused to recognize that there was a movie in the shared drive, though, and I couldn't find any files on the shared drive that I could double-click to start the movie. I tried Windows Media Player and it could see the files on the shared drive but it wouldn't play them (it complained about a CODEC error). Does anyone know how to make this work?

 

[Bug]

Have you tried using the CD Mode/File Mode button underneath the Zoom Button? It should allow you to switch to a mode where you can then click on the Menu button and browse to the shared folder.

 

[SocrPlyr]

i couldn't figure out how to do it w/ powerdvd, but if you find a copy of windvd, all you have to do is set the default dvd drive to be the mapped drive and it works fine... sorry i couldn't really help w/ power dvd, but i know the windvd trick works...

hope that helps
Josh

 

[FPSguy]

Thanks Bug and SocrPlyr! I will try Bug's suggestion and if it doesn't work I will think about getting WinDVD. I may have to wait until this weekend to try it, but I will try to report back whether either approach fixes it for me.

 

[FPSguy]

Bug's solution worked (sort of). My 802.11b wireless network apparently is too slow to play a DVD over the network, but Bug's solution did allow PowerDVD to find the DVD and try to play the VOB files.

Is there a solution for playing DVDs over an 802.11b wireless network, or do I have to go to a wired 10/100 network, or copy the VOB files to the remote computer, or just get a DVD player for the remote computer?