By Philip Churchill on December 18th, 2007
Building Windows Home Server
PC Magazine’s enthusiast tech site ExtremeTech has a 5 page guide on building a Windows Home server. First up is a build list, followed by assembly and installation instructions and finally how to configure the system. As ExtremeTech states:
“In the end, for the same price as an HP MediaSmart Server, a home built server is a powerful new computing ally.”
Over on Vlaf Mazek’s blog, he discusses what he used to build his Windows Home Server. From the case to the components with pricing details too. Check out the Building the Windows Home Server article.
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Can someone please address the requirement that the 1st hard drive (system drive) be the largest of the drives available? This makes adding larger hard drives at a later date a near impossible chore. Rearranging drives and performing system restores is a lousy way to spend an afternoon. This assertion can be found in the ‘WHS Unleashed’ book, and I’ve read it in another resource as well.
Thanks for any light you can shed on this.
Hi John Pierce,
The system drive being the biggest drive is a suggestion and not a requirement and naturally over time the data drives would probably be replaced with drives that are bigger than the system drive, so it is no problem. Since most people re-install every 1 to 2 years I would rearrange the drives at this point.
SHOCKING!
Reinstall WHS once a year? Tell that to Grandma or would you allow your kids to do this for you? By the way when reinstalling, unless you got the old DVD image of WHS, your going to need all the hardware drivers!
And who wants to install the old WHS image without all the patches and updates?
WHS reinstall is required once a year if you just use WHS by storing more data? At least Windows XP doesn’t require a reinstall by saving photos, music, and videos once a year!
WHS doesn’t seem very efficient, because when you think about it, it’s REQUIRING a computer that in most cases end users already have, but without the software or knowledge to upload their files over the Internet.
Windows XP already networks your files, and if you the Professional edition, you get to individually define files which WHS only allows folders, right?
There already exist wireless hard drives, that family members can upload and share. These portable WiFi HDD do the job fine without the hassle of buying a second computer to do it. No worry about extra antivirus, additional software to backup and monitor and unlike WHS, you can bring these small portable wifi HDD with you wherever you go!
Just insure USB 2.0 and eSATA connections using 802.11.n wireless connectivity. An additional value would be to get the new cable free USB connectivity standard.
If anyone is interested look to Shenzhen, China.
Also, in Shenzhen they are selling wireless HDD that come with wireless remote control that allow you to playback your Dvix and Xvid codec movies without the use of a PC, connected to your TV or monitor display. Aus Deutschand ist Gut!
So why pay for a WHS computer when you can just use the same PC you got now running a virtual machine or convert an older PC?