MS Windows Home Server

Analyst Michael Gartenberg from Jupiter Research has a great article on Windows Home Server, but as Colin Walker from Randomelements states, it needs to be marketed correctly in order for it to be the successful product that it should be. Give it a read.

Colin is also in the process on writing an article on WHS for a computer magazine in the UK. I have read a copy of his work and we wish him all the best here at MSWHS.com. Great job!

• Our Knowledge Base has been updated with article 940884 “Renamed files may not immediately appear in the Remote Access search results on the Windows Homer Server Remote Access Web site”.
• The ars tecnica article “Windows Home Server released into the wild” has details on the availability of WHS and why there is no launch date.
• For those DIY builders of Home Servers out there Toms Hardware has an article on Cheap And Efficient Dual Core Processors for your WHS.
• An old article which I came across the other day on the WHS forum’s is PC Backup: The backup system seems like magic. How does it work? which explains how the backup system works on Windows Home Server. Well worth a read.
• Who needs Windows Home Server with Linux around? That’s the title of an article by Steven J. Vaughan Nichols at Linux Watch.

The HP MediaSmart Home Server are now listed on Amazon.com.(1,2) There are two models to choose from, which are both basically the same unit with larger HDD’s and are spec’ d out with an AMD Sempron 64Bit CPU. The EX470 has one 500GB HDD and three empty bays, and the EX475 has 1TB of storage comprising two 500GB HDD’s and two empty bays.

Although no pricing is listed, they are expected to retail around the $600 mark for the EX470 and approximately $750 for the EX475. Both will be bundled with HP’s Photo Webshare application for the sharing of photos and video.

Thanks to James B of the Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist Blog for the pricing details that leaked on the Internet here and here. (These are Google cached pages as the pages were taken down).

UPDATE: According to an article at Computerworld the systems will be available at Amazon from September 15th 2007.

Following up on Terry’s We Got Served article last week the Harmony Home Server from Tranquil PC is now available for pre-order. The small fan less appliance comes as standard with an internal 500GB hard disc and 512MB of DDR2 Ram at an affordable price of £338 excl VAT.

The Ram can be upgraded to 1024MB of DDR2 for an additional £19 and the hard disc to either 750GB or 100GB for £119 and £169 respectively. Since the T7-HSA has 4x USB2.0 ports, additional external HDD’s can be added. Tranquil have two models available. A 320GB unit at £59 and a 500GB unit at £74. They add that delivery will be guaranteed as soon as Microsoft ship the software (due mid September 2007 or earlier).

PC Pro’s test report and more information as a PDF file are available, and if you have some spare cash available you may also pre-order the T7-HSA Tranquil Harmony Home Server right now.

Ian Dixon’s The Media Center Show is a weekly Podcast focusing on Digital Media and Windows Media Center. In this episode Microsoft MVP Richard Miller explains how to integrate Windows Home Server with Windows Media Center. We are taught how to use Windows Home Server to store and share Recorded TV and recap on some of the features of Windows Home Server. You can catch the 48 minute The Media Center Show #119 @ TheDigitalLifestyle.com.

There is also a great guide on the site explaining how to Play Pre-Recorded TV from WHS and how to record Live TV direct to WHS which works for Vista , MCE 2005 and the Xbox360 also.