How do you Browse/copy files form shared windows 7 folder from IPAD (3)?

[AnMig]

Wife bought an IPAD (3) and I want to transfer some of my movies on my shared network folder (win 7) via WIFI

Dont want to install Itunes into my computer.

I usually do this with my android devices using ES Explorer. Is there an equivalent ap for the IPAD?

I don't want to put all my movies in dropbox.


GOOGLE found this 2010 article about difficulties in doing this, I am hoping things have changed by now

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscent..._struggles_at_printing_and_sharing_files.html

Basically looking for an ap or way to copy files from Windows 7 shared folder via WIFI form IPAD, without installing anything on my WIN 7 system.


I am sure lots of IPAD and Iphone users here have been able to figure this out, hoping to harness their collective wisdom.

Thanks

Side question can I plug in the IPAD to my pc and drag and drop files into it via Windows explorer? (without Itunes)

Thanks

 

[zerogear]

Maybe try iPhone Explorer or something, but it needs to be a certain format/style and goes into a directory a certain way. Other than that SSH is the only way, but is out of the question until your device is jailbroken. Things haven't really changed, there is no easy way to get files on iOS devices without iTunes.

Generally, iOS devices are pretty locked down to do stuff like this (file transfers, interaction between apps), which is also why Android gives a lot more flexibility.

If you don't HAVE to have the file on the iPad itself, you could try AirVideo, that allows for on-the-fly video transcode and streaming. Of course, you'll need to keep the PC one for that though.

 

[AnMig]

Thanks for reply, I guess I could transfer the files into her laptop that has Itunes and then she could then transfer them to her IPAD.

I would have thought browsing shared folders would be easy and should be expected with these new mobile devices.

Further goggling also indicate that file browsing thru windows and dragging and dropping files into the IPAD is not feasible (Ipad renames them, weird jumbled file structure).

I guess I was just spoiled with the way android easily does these things.

Wifey is just going to need to learn how to use Itunes.

peace

 

[zerogear]

Pretty much yeah, even with iPhone Explorer, you still need iTunes installed. After you get past the "pretty" interface that is iOS, the actual OS itself is pretty damn user unfriendly.

 

[notposting]

Pretty much yeah, even with iPhone Explorer, you still need iTunes installed. After you get past the "pretty" interface that is iOS, the actual OS itself is pretty damn user unfriendly.

Well, to considering the interface is what users use...that's friendly. But that is part of their lock-in and lock-down methods. WP does the same thing thus far with the file system (ie approved file-types only through Zune or the Mac program for it). Though it is rumored that full SD-card support is coming.

Lately it seems MS is the most responsive to user's complaints/requests/wishes. Apple definitely has their own belief on how things should be done, and el Goog just seems to scattered and unfocused. They don't fix things, just release new half-baked things

 

[runawayprisoner]

If you are copying just movies, then get AVPlayerHD on iPad. It has both an FTP access and an HTTP access.

What you do is tap a button on the iPad, then go back to your computer, open up the browser and type in the HTTP address, or the FTP address, and the rest is pretty straight-forward.

Edit: and the added benefit is that AVPlayerHD allows you to play a lot more movie codecs than what the iPad supports originally. Up to 720p MKV. Complete with subtitle support and so on.

 

[AnMig]

If you are copying just movies, then get AVPlayerHD on iPad. It has both an FTP access and an HTTP access.

What you do is tap a button on the iPad, then go back to your computer, open up the browser and type in the HTTP address, or the FTP address, and the rest is pretty straight-forward.

Edit: and the added benefit is that AVPlayerHD allows you to play a lot more movie codecs than what the iPad supports originally. Up to 720p MKV. Complete with subtitle support and so on.

Thanks will try this out, as I understand it Iphones and Ipads store files (pictures, movies documents) on the applications own folder so if you have different video players or document viewer they will each have their own folder for the files. No centralised areas for movie's, pictures or documents. So if you use different programs files will be in different places.

Thanks for the suggestion

 

[Aikouka]

Also be aware that any media like that will balloon your backup size up quite a bit, because a backup includes an apps extraneous files, which includes your movies.

 

[runawayprisoner]

Thanks will try this out, as I understand it Iphones and Ipads store files (pictures, movies documents) on the applications own folder so if you have different video players or document viewer they will each have their own folder for the files. No centralised areas for movie's, pictures or documents. So if you use different programs files will be in different places.

Thanks for the suggestion

That's correct. Each app has its own "document" folder that it stores its files in. This is to prevent security issues where your files in one app can be seen by another app without your permission.

There is still a way to transfer files from one app to another, though, provided the app you are using supports file exporting. Take AVPlayerHD, for instance. If you have an MKV file in your Dropbox app, then when you tap on the file, it'll pop up a list asking you which app you want to send the file to, in this case, AVPlayerHD should be among the list. What happens is it'll copy that file over to AVPlayerHD's storage folder but still retain a copy in the Dropbox folder.

Just a note in case something like that happens, because as Aikouka noted, when you do a backup, it'll also back up all of the documents inside an app indiscriminately, so your backup size will inflate by quite a lot (and thus it makes iTunes back up slower).

But if you and your wife don't plan on using iTunes at all, then you don't have to worry about all that.