Network drive to seem local?

**Little John** · 15th September 2010

I am trying to get 2 pc's using lightroom to auto import a single folder. But Adobe Lightroom doesn't support network sources.

This is what I want to do.
PC 1 recevies photos taken on a camera automatically via an eye-fi wireless SD card the files are stored in a folder c:\photos I have shared this folder as \\pc1\photos. Lightroom automatically imports the files as they are saved to the PC that bit works. PC1 will be connected to a printer for the printing of photos.

PC 2 is a viewing station, I want PC 2 to automatically update with new images just like PC1 so they can be viewed pretty much as they are taken no need to refresh or anything. No need to copy files over to pc2 or anything just view the images stored on PC1.

The simplest way I think would be to find some software to do a slideshow that automatically imports as files are created just like lightroom, or maybe fool lightroom in to beleiving the mapped network drive is a local drive?

If I need to use another peice of software for PC2 then tell me which one, I am hoping to have multiple viewing stations at some point but 1 will be enough for the sort term.

So does anyone have a solution?

**Mobius** · 15th September 2010

Can you not map a network drive?

**cyprus** · 15th September 2010

Right-Click, "Computer"
Choose "Map Network Drive"
Use \\pc1\photos as the path
Choose a drive letter if not happy with the default

The drive should now show in "Computer" as a local disc

**Little John** · 15th September 2010

I have the drive mapped no problem, the problem is that lightroom detects it as a network drive and won't use it. so I would like it to think its local and not a network drive any ideas?

**burner1** · 15th September 2010

Not sure about on the fly updating into a slide show app mate, but maybe some sort of sync software could do something?

Had a quick look and seen this sort of thing:

http://www.tech-pro.net/ajcdirsync.html

**beerman** · 15th September 2010

This may work for what you want. You can create a virtual disk to save your files to on PC1 then map that as a virtual disk (not a mapped drive) on PC2

http://www.kernsafe.com/product.aspx?id=3

Not used the software myself so can't confirm it'll do exactly what you want but it was one of the first I came across on google.

**Little John** · 15th September 2010

Lightroom does the on the fly updateing which is why I am trying to use it I also have another system but it wants to copy the images to PC2 which I supose is ok when its 1 viewing station but get more and your going to end up with multiple coppies of all the images and lots of network traffic slowing the whole process down.