[Suftop]

I hope this is the right forum for this question, if not, apologies.

My question is simple.

I run XBMC on an ion/atom netbook (hp mini 311) with windows 7, connected up to my TV via HDMI.

My movie and TV collection is on a 2 TB external USB HDD which is connected to my linksys router's USB port. (I have a second identical drive I use to back up the main one ever other week or so, then store it elsewhere)

All my stuff is accessed from the netbook via SMB shares, and it works flawlessly, even over my wireless network.

What I am now wondering, is if it would be possible to take my library with me. Say I am going to a friends house, I want to bring my netbook and my external HDD with all my stuff on it. I know if I plug the netbook in to my friends TV, and plug the hard drive into the netbook directly, my database will not work, since XBMC will be looking for that SMB share located on my home router...

I suppose I could just manually play what we wanted to with mpc-hc, but I'd like to be able to show my friends my library, browse through it, look at plots, etc...

Any solutions for this?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[live4ever]

Create a second XBMC profile and set up sources to map to the USB drive - probably D: when plugged in.

[Suftop]

Create a second XBMC profile and set up sources to map to the USB drive - probably D: when plugged in.

Cool, that sounds simple enough.

I was considering re-doing my database, and instead of using an SMB share, mapping the share to a drive letter(s), and using those drive mappings as my sources.

Then when I plug the drive in directly, unmap that share, and make sure the drive is using the same letter(s).

I think that would work, but your recommendation sounds much better.

Now time to read up on how xbmc profiles work, and how to create a second one. (am a bit of a newb)

Thanks!

[Suftop]

Ok, I created a second profile, named it "Away".

I chose "shares with default" for media info (this is stored locally in the Master profile, right?)

For Media source I chose "separate".

I have my HDD plugged in directly, but when I load the Away profile, and go to Video\add source, there is nothing there. Just a black/grey window with no add source button or anything.

Am using Dharma\Confluence if that matters.

What am I doing wrong? :o

[Suftop]

Crud, not sure what happened, but I can no longer add new sources from the video - Files screen.

I deleted the new profile, so the only profile is the Master profile (which is the only one I've used up until now).

Problem remains even on this master profile. When I go to Video - Files, there is just a blank black screen. No folders to browse, no add source button like there used to be...nothing!



Not sure what happened. All I did was add a new profile using settings I described above.

Do I need to reinstall XBMC now?

I've tried switching to a different skin and back but no change.

[kedda]

easiest thing to do would be to setup a seperate advancedsettings.xml file and change and do a pathsubstitution. when you are away and plug in the usb, use the away advancedsettings.xml and sub the smb:// path to drive letter.

[mad-max]

Or just use portable mode and copy the xbmc installation onto your HDD