If you have an Xbox 360 console, you can easily share all the images, videos, and music stored on your computer with it. This is handy if you have an Xbox connected to a huge flat-screen TV and want to show family and friends your home videos or photos.
Depending on which operating system you have and whether you have a Windows Media Center PC, there are several different ways to connect your Xbox to your PC.
Connect Windows XP to Xbox 360
If you have Windows XP without Media Center, you will need to use Windows Media Player to stream content to your Xbox 360.
It’s a fairly straightforward process and shouldn’t take long to install. First, do the following in Windows Media Player:
1. Click Tools – Options in the top menu.
2. Then click the Library tab and click the Configure Sharing button. Depending on which version of WMP you are using, there might be a Media Sharing button under the Library tab instead.
3. Now check the Share my media box and select your Xbox 360 console from the list below.
4. Finally, with Xbox on the list, click the “Allow” button. A green checkmark should appear next to the console icon.
5. Click the Configure button to specify what type of media you want to use on your Xbox.
Now, to access your media on your Xbox, simply go to the Media area in the Xbox Dashboard and select Music, Pictures, or Videos.
6. Xbox will automatically detect computers on your network that are running WMP network sharing, so you can simply select a computer by name.
It is so simple! You can now view media from your PC to Xbox.
Connect Windows 7/8/10 to Xbox 360
To connect your Windows 7/8/10 PC to your Xbox (which doesn’t have Windows Media Center), follow these steps.
1. Click “Start”, then “Control Panel”, then “Network and Internet”.
2. Click Homegroup & Sharing Options.
3. Then click Change Advanced Sharing Settings.
4. Scroll down to Streaming Media and click Select Streaming Media Options. The parameter can be found in the “All networks” section.
5. Go ahead and click Enable Media Streaming. You can then give your media library a name and choose what to share.
6. Click OK, and then click Save Changes on the Advanced Sharing Settings page. This will take you back to the homegroup screen. This is where you want to test streaming my pictures, music and videos to all devices on my home network.
You can now follow the same steps on Xbox 360 to access media stored on your Windows 7/8/10 PC.
Connect Windows Media Center to Xbox 360
If you have a Windows Media Center PC, this is a very simple process. Follow the instructions below.
1. First, on the Xbox 360, you need to get the 8-digit media center setup key. You can do this by going to My Xbox and choosing Windows Media Center.
It can also be found on the “Media” tab.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen until you reach the media center button. It should look something like this:
3. Now go to your Windows 7 or Vista Media Center computer and start it. Then click “Tasks” and “Add Extender”.
4. Now enter your 8-digit code and click Next.
At this point, unless you have a crazy firewall setup, your PC should be connected to your Xbox 360 and ready to stream music, videos, and pictures!
Having trouble connecting your Xbox 360 to your computer? Let us know in the comments and we’ll try to help. Enjoy!
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