By Philip Churchill on February 28th, 2008
Data Corruption Bug and How to Avoid it
Terry Walsh from WeGotServed talks about the data corruption bug that has hit Windows Home Server and points out how to avoid it over on The Media Center Show Podcast.
Available here.
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I don’t see why anyone would want to buy WHS and then be told to wald through a mine field with their data.
You got to be joking!
Just Turn off WHS and return it back for a full refund for a failed product. That being what it is.
OR… continue to use WHS as a backup repository for multiple PCs in your house, and use the shares to store static files for archival purposes, not active editing.
See, choices. They’re a good thing.
I don’t see why anyone would come to a Windows Home Server site just to leave negative comments. Every post here seems to have someone pointing out that they should return it because of the bug and just abandon it. We obviously own it since we’re here and I’m happy with it as a media server and backup repository.
Why is it that WHS zealots require passionate and inept enthusiast?
I don’t think an HP EX476 WHS Home backup should cost $800 dollars dude! That’s got to be the highest cost of any backup appliance ever! And this data corruption flaw is a result of the DE (WHS Drive Extender Technology) which is the foundation of this so called home server.
And if you haven’t as yet notice the growing list of software applications that are experiencing DATA CORRUPTION, you’re just NOT seeing the whole point as to why the rest of us don’t want to sacrifice our data, financial data, photos and videos, etc…
And WHS sucks at streaming videos, for all those who don’t know yet. No HD 1080p or wireless connectivity support at all!
This isn’t even a backup solution at all. Microsoft has told everyone that you need to backup WHS. That means a backup for the backup. Geez, some individuals are just stuck on Microsoft as if glued in bottomless pits!
I’m NOT the only one here experience data corruption, and we didn’t buy WHS to have our data corrupted and at risk!
Them Microsoft fanboy’s have been claiming Microsoft will come up with a fix, and yet this was reported in beta, released as RTM last year, and now several months later into the new year, still no resolution and NOT even a word as to WHEN this serious flaw if ever will be provided.
WHS has many other bugs, it’s NOT only data corruption too! For anyone else reading this, you had better think seriously as to why anyone would want to invest all their data as a centralized storage appliance that has major problems, such as limited storage ability due to it;s design, no active directory, lack of 64bit support at this time, and rebooting issues that cause backup data corruption of all your PC backup files at once!
I don’t think the previous poster has explored all the possibilities of the WHS as a wireless media server.
My WHS is connected to a Linksys WRT350N wireless N router. We have an XBox 360 that’s also connected to the router via the new Linksys wireless N gaming router.
We have the XBox 360 connected to a 32 inch HDTV via the HDMI cable.
We use the XBox 360 as a Windows Media Extender via a Windows Vista Ultimate computer that’s also connected to the router.
The XBox is setup as a media extender via Windows Media Center in the Windows Vista Computer. All of the Videos, Music and Photos on the WHS is added to the Windows Vista Media Center as part of it’s library.
We are able to play WMV, DivX and XviD video from our WHS via the XBox on the HDTV.
We’ve watched hours of movies from the WHS without a glitch.
Works great, give it a try.
Got to say, I stream video with no problems. Granted, not 1080p, but can you really do that reliably over wireless on any appliance? Go wired if you want to stream 1080p.
I think WHS is an outstanding piece of software and I could not (and would not want to) live without it now. I’m not for one minute saying that WHS is perfect – far from it, just check the WHS forums on Microsoft. But it is very good, and can only get better with subsequent fixes and new versions.
WHS backs up four of my pcs with out a hitch. It lets my friends log on remotely and listen to music. It lets me stream movies and music. It lets me log on to my home PCs at while I’m at work. It stores 100GB of media and personal files in a redundant manner. All in all, it is an extremely useful piece of kit.
I haven’t experienced the data corruption bug – which, it should be pointed out – ONLY happens when the server is under heavy load.
People bashing WHS when they haven’t even used it and experienced problems – why should we even care what you think? Jog on.
I am a great fan of WHS and have not had any problems with it. But, that being said, I also feel that MS needs to keep the user community better informed about such issues if they want to maintain what is left of their reputation. This type of problem can make people crazy worrying about their valuable data.
Can’t the WHS hardware and user community ‘movers and shakers’ jointly pressure MS to be more responsive to this problem??
MS has got way too much invested in this technology, and how it fits into their global view of the information world, to not respond to heavy negative public pressure, IMHO…
Why should anyone be expected to just live with data corruption? We paid good money for the expectations of a working and usable product, NOT some flawed, buggy, broken software application!
There needs to be a class action lawsuit here, on behalf of everyone who’s been suckered into yet another misleading misdirected and fraudulent misrepresentation of this failed software product by Microsoft!
Did Microsoft tell anyone purchasing WHS that so many software applications, even it’s own would result in data corruption? Was there a warning label? Was there some indication that what was promised was actually provided in all truth?
You can call WHS whatever you want, but that fact is and remains, WHS doesn’t do what was promised, what was advertised and what was paid to do by customers!
How about the next time you buy gasoline to drive you automobile, would you mind if it had 20% water?
Would you mind if you bought food, and it had rusty nails?
Would you mind or even care if your doctor whom you ask to tend to your broken finger just removed your whole arm?
Why should a home server be allowed to corrupt your data, at any time, because of a known flaw Microsoft was made aware of way before public release?
Microsoft was just enriching it’s own pockets at our expense, and that isn’t right, nor legal. You shouldn’t be expected to have your data corrupted, especially from a major player who ought to know better than to release this unfinished product upon the public!!!
Anyone stating that they “just cannot live without WHS” certainly sounds like a Microsoft devotee, doesn’t it! 🙁
WHS has a fatal flaw, it’s called data corruption. WHS Drive Extender technology is what causes it. It hasn’t been fixed for almost a year from being reported in the beta testing. Go read KB 946676!
WHS streaming is a joke. How many streams can you share at once? When DE is balance it’s pools? When transferring a PC file to or from WHS while at the same time? When a PC backup is being saved? By now you should be getting it, that WHS only functions at minimum if at all. And why wouldn’t you expect to stream 1080p? Or is “down sampling” you cup of tea?
How many more Microsoft software programs need to be added to the “do not work with” WHS list?
1) Microsoft Windows Vista Photo Gallery
2) Microsoft Windows Live Photo Gallery
3) Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
4) Microsoft Office OneNote 2003
5) Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
6) Microsoft Money 2007
7) Microsoft Office Excel
8) Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
9) Microsoft Zune Software
10) Microsoft Virtual PC 2008
11) Microsoft Digital Image Library
12) Microsoft Project 2000
13) Microsoft SyncToy 2.0 Beta
But by all means, say WHS is outstanding. 🙁
And another thing, WHS doesn’t need to be to be any under heavy load just to cause data corruption, so says Microsoft KB 946676.
So 13 of Microsoft’s own applications experience data corruption and yet some fanboy’s assume everything is just fine and okay. That’s certainly a “wow” thought.
It’s a good thing fanboy’s like to play around with their own computers, being how they don’t store financial data as I do for the Bank of New York (Mellon). Just imagine how bad the economy would slip into a recession with our financial data becoming corrupt, loss or stolen. Obviously, this is where the boys are separated from the men.
The WHS data corruption flaw should have NEVER made it’s way into a public release.
@DaHoServer
What is more important, that you think, “MS has got way too much invested in this (DE) technology” or for the fact individuals will experience data corruption, where priceless family photos, videos and their data succumbs to worthless memory?
You’re obviously thinking of Microsoft’s own ass, rather than the greater needs of society and certainly us customers. I suppose you work for Microsoft, so you cannot help understand how people should come first.
And anyone saying, they haven’t personally as yet experienced the WHS data corruption flaw hasn’t taken into consideration the rest of us who already lost our data to WHS. Must a million more suffer to prove a point?
So the next time you see someone drowning, by all means keep telling yourself, it’s NOT me drowning. How about caring about someone else other than just yourself!!!
Why is it that customers are asked to take step in avoiding what Microsoft has created?
Why shouldn’t Microsoft take responsibility to just FIX the problem that effects everyone using WHS instead?
Microsoft Headlines – See For Yourself!
Microsoft Internal Emails Show Dismay With Vista 🙁
http://www.yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/28/1746211
Microsoft knew Vista was unready – report 🙁 🙁 🙁
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/28/microsoft-knew-vista-unready
Microsoft knew of Vista shortcoming prior to release 🙁
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/microsoft-knew-vista-shortcoming-prior/story.aspx?guid=%7B75BE59C7-EFA1-48B5-B4A4-90F5E01A52A0%7D
Microsoft Foresaw Vista Problems 🙁
http://www.online.wsj.com/article/SB120425216737201943.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Dell Pointed Out Vista Mistakes, Internal Documents Show
http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18002573FE006B7266.html?ref=technology
Buggy WHS is also flawed too! ;(
Anyone can run WHS in a virtual machine. If you using VMware, install with 80GB partition, so IDE works. Simple…
Obviously, Microsoft KB 946676 tells you there is a serious flaw in regards to data corruption. Who wants to risk their data on a product that’s been known to corrupt your data?
Why not switch to a proven and FREE server such as a Linux distro? You can run them without worry, even on a CD/DVD, USB Drive or in a virtual machine as well without requiring a second PC just to serve files.
By the way, D-link, Linksys (NSLU2) and even Belkin use Linux for their NAS units… and they work! You can also look at Qnap TS 209 Pro, Synology 207+ Pro, Excito Bubba Miniserver, Seagate, Western Digital, FreeNAS, which all run on Linux…
See: http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/nas-linux/
It is strange how who seem to hate MS post on this MS WHS dedicated website.
Guess they are so consumed by their hate that this is there life.
Carry on spitting the venom if it makes you feel better I guess.
There is a serious bug. It is being worked on urgently, but the fix (which is in practise a rewrite of DE) needs to be extensively tested. This can not be done in a couple of days and MS would do no one a favour by releasing a fix which introduces other problems.
I built my own WHS for the sole purpose of backing up my workstations. For that purpose alone, this product is amazing and works perfectly! I’ve already has my first hard drive failure and the restore worked perfectly (except for having to re-activate Windows – that’s a pain on the phone with MS, but I can live with that). Microsoft will correct the data corruption bug in time and the product will mature nicely. Great job on the concept MS, I’ve got to give them that. Remember, the third time’s a charm with MS 😉 Two service packs or so and it’ll work fine.
Backup Files are NOT safe either! Why is it, some fools can only pretend that on their WHS system, data corruption cannot happen despite Microsoft’s own warning that it’s happening!
It’s been about 1 year since this flaw was reported to Microsoft during the beta period. It’s been about 5 months since WHS was sold to the public… In all this time, Microsoft knew about the flaw and yet we wait, and wait…
It’s so obvious in how a few pat their back for a fine great job, only these types don’t offer a fix or resolution and think that’s accepted to all those that had their data corrupted. Buggy WHS has many other issues, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
It’s no wonder why Microsoft warns everyone on KB 946676 to backup their data stored on WHS! Anyone talking about how nice it is to use WHS for backing up, and then needs a backup for the backup, really demonstrates and drives home this point. That WHS is fatally broken.
And another thing, if WHS DE must be totally rewritten, that’s obviously a very good indication just how messed up WHS is!
The corruption is NOT happening with automated client machine backups – only files accessed and modified from shares on client machines. Stop spreading misinformation – the automated backup feature (the primary reason many are using WHS) is working perfectly as it’s supposed to. I’m not denying that the corruption exists for file shares but, again, I’m not using WHS for that type of file access, but rather another solution. I agree that it’s ridiculous that this hasn’t been resolved yet, but it will be. As for me, I’m willing to wait because the automated backup works so well.
HOwever many of us DO wish to use it for sharing and not just backups.. It is part of the REASON for WHS or it would be called the Windows Backup Server.
This issue has been around way too long….
As a metter of interest how do you (Surfer) know that “It’s been about 1 year since this flaw was reported to Microsoft during the beta period”.
I am intrigued by this.
Walter Wood is a WHS Beta tester. He claims like many, that they had reported this data corruption to Microsoft many months before RTM during the beta period.
Walter’s Website: mywoodfamily.us
Walter’s posting on:
http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/2007/12/28/ed-bott-has-more-on-the-data-corruption-bug/
Everyone knows Microsoft already had confessed and admitted that during the early beta test period, this data corruption design flaw had been reported to them.
Ask Kevin Beares, Microsoft’s Community Lead for Windows Home Server. Better yet, get him to deny it here! He will NOT. Because, WHS data file corruption bugs get reported all the time.
kbeares@microsoft.com
If you truly think that some 100,000 WHS beta testers couldn’t discover this DE design flaw when so many of Microsoft’s own software applications did NOT and still do NOT work with WHS, then I suppose not even a freight train would deter your thinking, that Microsoft wasn’t aware, and wasn’t at fault here.
“For Microsoft, this is the third product the company has rolled out this year that contained significant flaws in its code. These are problems their own internal testing should have found! If Microsoft does not correct its testing practices and repair its reputation, the initial consequence will be a significantly protracted adoption period for new products”, said Michael Cherry, lead analyst at Directions on Microsoft.
In addition, Microsoft even had claimed (until changed) their original KB 946676 publication date as April 3, 2007.
This flaw is actually relatively easy to reproduce by end users. Just edit, access, modify or save files on WHS from your PC using the following Microsoft’s applications…
–> Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
–> Microsoft Money 2007
–> Microsoft Office Excel
–> Microsoft Digital Image Library
–> Microsoft Windows Vista Photo Gallery
–> Microsoft Windows Live Photo Gallery
–> Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
–> Microsoft Office OneNote 2003
–> Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
–> Microsoft Zune Software
–> Microsoft Virtual PC 2008
–> Microsoft Project 2000
–> Microsoft SyncToy 2.0 Beta
Notice a developing pattern?
Can anyone guaranty on my WHS data corruption will not happen? Heck, even rebooting WHS can lead to data corruption. If Windows operating system wasn’t so buggy to begin with, there wouldn’t be the need to backup, but only for the sake of hardware drive failure in most cases.
Unfortunately, software failure is relatively high even compared to hardware failure. Microsoft sells us crippleware, then randsonware, which is more like crimeware, because it’s always causing us all the need of buying more solution for the failed solution we original had bought.