Author Archive for Steve Crick

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LaCie 5big Backup Server Review

There haven’t been that many Windows Home Servers specifically designed for the small business market, so what does the 5big server from LaCie have to offer a home user? Hardware With love it or hate it Cyclops styling, the LaCie 5big server is nothing if not distinctive. Its blue eye (reminiscent of the Dr Who […]

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ICY DOCK MB561-S4-1 Review

We have reviewed external drive enclosures before, they are a really good way to increase capacity if you have no space left in your server. But the Icy Dock MB561 is a little different; why? Because it’s not ugly and it’s not finished in shiny gloss black paint, so is it a good enclosure or […]

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HP MediaSmart VGA/PS2/Serial Debug Board

The MediaSmart VGA/PS2/Serial debug board from VOV Technology is very useful gadget which allows you to add a screen, or optionally a keyboard and mouse or even a serial device to your HP MediaSmart server to convert it from a headless appliance back to a fully functional PC. In addition to the HP MediaSmart and […]

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Tranquil PC Safe Server Module Review

I have to confess to being a little puzzled when I was first handed the Tranquil Safe Server Module. From the brief I was given, I had assumed it was some sort of backup device to keep server data safe, used like an external hard disk. But no, after visiting Tranquil PC product page for […]

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ASUS TS mini Review

ASUS have taken a rather different path for their home server, forgoing the traditional four bay caddy design favored by other manufacturers for a sealed case that can hold two internal disks. So this is only a small capacity server then, aimed at users who don’t want to store a great deal of information? Well […]

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Sans Digital TowerRAID TR5UT-B Review

So you have your Windows Home Server, with its four built-in drive bays already maxed out with storage. How are you going to expand it so you can rip the rest of your movie collection or store all of that TV you record on the Media Center? Perhaps you can expand by connecting standalone external […]

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HP MediaSmart V3 upgrade on an EX475

HP have decided to release their MediaSmart v3 software to owners of the EX47x and EX48x range of Windows Home Servers. Good news, as this upgrade contains some extra features that will add real value to the older MediaSmart servers. But do all these extra features work on the lower specification servers? In theory they […]

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Acer Aspire Revo R3610 review

Today we have a bit of a departure over previous hardware reviews, as the Acer Revo R3610 isn’t specifically designed or sold as a Windows Home Server. We thought that as it was such a neat and compact box, with good spec hardware it might make a handy and capable little server. The Acer Revo […]

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Exclusive – WHSClamAV Add-In for Home Server

There are several schools of thought about the idea of anti-virus scanning on a Windows Home Server; some people can’t see the point while others wouldn’t dream of running without it. Whatever your opinion on the subject, anything that helps to keep you virus free must be a good idea, and if a solution can […]

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Lenovo IdeaCentre D400 Review

It is good to see another major manufacturer get on-board with Windows Home Server, and when it is a company with the reach and pedigree of Lenovo it can only be a good thing for the home server community. The more home servers there are available from recognisable brands, the more consumers will adopt the […]