Linking to Media

[rickcbanks]

I am having some trouble with my intranet that I am setting up; mainly with the media files I am serving to the network. I have a working website up for it, and everything works except for the video files opening into the default player. Instead, it opens up into a "Page cannot be displayed". However, when I am previewing the website through the HTML kit, the video opens in the player without a problem. The files I am attempting to open are located on a different computer than the web server itself, where the website is stored. This is an example of the code I am using. <a href="//Windowsxppro/Movies/Action/A_Man_Apart.avi" ><img alt="A Man Apart" src="Images/PNG/AManApart.png" height="99" width="70" /></a>Any ideas what is wrong here?

[scott100]

Is there a problem with you putting the files on the web server?

[sbrownii]

Not sure if I understand, but... on the machine that you have problems opening of the video file... can you just type

//Windowsxppro/Movies/Action/A_Man_Apart.avi

in the browser's address bar and access the video?The link is relative to the client... not the server! So if the client doesn't have access to the address, then... well... it doesn't have access to it - whether the server does or not, doesn't matter.

[rickcbanks]

Is there a problem with you putting the files on the web server?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, at the present time I am unable to relocate the files to the web server (lack of funds mainly). So I am attempting to link to them from the computer they are on for the time being. I am trying to make the files viewable from all of the computers on the network (there are 2 servers, one desktop and 1 laptop currently, but there is a future addition of 1 more desktop soon), as well as work on my networking skills (I am a networker, not a web designer). Like I said, the site works, but the links do not.

[rickcbanks]

Not sure if I understand, but... on the machine that you have problems opening of the video file... can you just type

//Windowsxppro/Movies/Action/A_Man_Apart.avi

in the browser's address bar and access the video?The link is relative to the client... not the server! So if the client doesn't have access to the address, then... well... it doesn't have access to it - whether the server does or not, doesn't matter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, it doesn't work. The drives containing the avi's are shared on the network, but it won't open in the browser. Like I said, when I use the editor, they open fine; it is from the web site that I am having the problem. That is why I was wondering if it was my code or the setup.

[sbrownii]

Well... if you can't access a file by typing the address in the address bar, then you certainly can't access it through a link to the same address.As long as you have the location of the file correct in href attribute of your <a> element, there should be no problem with the code. You say it works in your editor. Are you saying that if you type the address in the browser on the SAME machine as you run the editor you can't access the file?You should work on getting it so you can type the location in the browser and access the file.What is the "HTML kit" you refer to?Are you working on MS Windows?Last question... what browser are you using? What you are trying to do seems to work fine in IE, but I haven't figured out how to get it to work in any other browser as a link.IE and FF try to add the host name to the front of the address because you used forward slashes and it seems it assumes that means you are trying to refer to the root of the server (take a look at the address bar AFTER you click the link). You might be able to just add "file:" to the beginning of the address. The following is quoted from experts-exchange.com

Of course you can do that.Here is a trick to lurn the good URL :go to the file menu, ask to open a page on disk,and you will see how to acces.

[rickcbanks]

Well... if you can't access a file by typing the address in the address bar, then you certainly can't access it through a link to the same address.As  long as you have the location of the file correct in href attribute of your <a> element, there should be no problem with the code. You say it works in your editor. Are you saying that if you type the address in the browser on the SAME machine as you run the editor you can't access the file?You should work on getting it so you can type the location in the browser and access the file.What is the "HTML kit" you refer to?Are you working on MS Windows?Last question... what browser are you using? What you are trying to do seems to work fine in IE, but I haven't figured out how to get it to work in any other browser as a link.IE and FF try to add the host name to the front of the address because you used forward slashes and it seems it assumes that means you are trying to refer to the root of the server (take a look at the address bar AFTER you click the link). You might be able to just add "file:" to the beginning of the address. The following is quoted from experts-exchange.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the help with this one; turns out I will be able to change the network configuration after all. The desktop with all of the drive space has crashed, so I am turning it into the server instead. Then I will try to place the website on that one instead, and re-code it with the new file locations. If that doesn't work, I will ask again. Thanks for the input though.