By on April 05th, 2011

Turning Home Server into a Domain Controller

The How-To Geek returns with another guide for Windows Home Server users, and this one is on turning WHS into a domain controller.

Active Directory Domain Controller

Active Directory lets companies manage users, computers, printers, and more from a centralized location. Have you wanted this functionality at home but don’t have money for Windows Server? Here’s how you can promote Windows Home Server to a domain controller.

A comprehensive and complete guide which you can find here.

Tutorial • Windows Home Server
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By on April 05th, 2011

Add-In: WHS Money 1.1.9.9

A new add-in has just been released that allows you to keep track of your personal finances by allowing you to access all the features of Microsoft Money Plus ‘Sunset’ (Deluxe or Home and Business), without having to install a copy of Microsoft Money on every machine that you want to use it from.

WHS Money Remote Desktop Connection

Although Microsoft stopped producing Money in mid 2009, they replaced it with the Microsoft Money Plus Sunset versions as replacements for expired versions of Microsoft Money Essentials, Deluxe, Premium, and Home and Business. This allows existing customers to use MoneyPlus to continue accessing their data.

WHS Money Settings

WHS Money User Settings

WHS Money Connection Settings

By using the WHS Money add-in your installed copy of Money (and all of its data) remains safe, and secure, on your Windows Home Server allowing you to access it remotely from anywhere in the world.

WHS Money Taskbar Settings

WHS Money is riced at $19.99 USD and can be found on The Office Maven website.

add-ins • Windows Home Server
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By on April 04th, 2011

Add-In: KeepVault for Windows Home Server 4.0

KeepVault have just released version 4.0 of their online backup add-in for Windows Home Server users.

KeepVault Logo

Available for both v1 and WHS2011 this latest version includes many enhancements:

  • Backward compatible with existing KeepVault storage accounts
  • New platform support for Windows Home Server 2011 (code name Vail), Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (code name Aurora) and Windows Storage Server (code name Breckenridge)
  • Protect multiple versions of files (pro version only).  Retain, at a minimum, the most recent 5 versions of your files.  KeepVault will automatically prune, and free your storage space, of older file versions.  KeepVault will never automatically prune a file younger than 24 hours old.
  • 256bit encryption (pro version only, the standard version continues to use 128bit encryption)
  • Updated web.keepvault.com download portal.  Easier navigation.  Faster downloads.  Restore multiple versions of any protected files from any browser on any network connected device.
  • Administrate your storage pool.  Allocate storage “sub-buckets” for family, friends, and co-workers (pro version only).  Log into the KeepVault portal administrate your storage http://business.keepvault.com
  • Optimized file deletion process.  Much quicker to delete old files and folders from your storage account
  • File queue viewer.  Prioritize your files.  View, order, and delete files before they are protected
  • New OSX Mac Client for KeepVault Connector
  • Small bug fixes and updates

This latest version can be downloaded from here.

add-ins • Windows Home Server
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By on April 04th, 2011

Windows Home Server 2011 Unleashed Sample Chapters

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of the third edition of Windows Home Server 2011 Unleashed then a few of the chapters are up online, which will give you a feel of the book which you can find here.

Windows Home Server 2011 Unleashed

You can find a copy for purchase at Amazon  in the US with $20 off or in the UK where you can save 15%. 

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By on April 04th, 2011

Drive Bender 1.1.2.6

The guys at Drive Bender are working hard as they have just released another update.

Drive Bender Logo

Version 1.1.2.6 fixes a potential Windows Explorer lockup issue that some users were experiencing, so If you installed v1.1.2.5,n update to the latest version:

  • Bug fix: Explorer can lock up when opening a folder.
  • Improved error handling in some areas.

As always you can find this latest release here.

add-ins • Other Software • Windows Home Server
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By on April 02nd, 2011

Drive Bender 1.1.2.5

An update to beta 2 of Drive Bender has been released.

Drive Bender Logo

Version 1.1.2.5 has a number of improvements and fixes, including a fix for the WHS dashboard crashing issue:

  • Bug fix: The Drive Bender WHS addin crashing issue has been fixed.
  • Bug fix: File security is now handled correctly.
  • Bug fix: BSOD issue with XP fixed.
  • Improved duplication speed.

You can download this latest release from here.

add-ins • Other Software • Windows Home Server
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By on April 01st, 2011

WSS Essentials Released

Yesterday just 4 days after WHS2011 was signed off Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials (WSS Essentials) was also signed off and will be on NAS devices very soon.

Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials which was known as code name Breckenridge can be used as a new server for storage or to add additional storage capacity to an existing server.

Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Quote

WSS Essentials enables OEMs and system builders to build NAS appliances that are ideally suited to help the small business owner keep important data automatically backed up, protected, organized and accessible from virtually anywhere. As well as this Active Directory join capability enables WSS Essentials to easily integrate into existing infrastructure and networks.

  • When will OEM’s offer WSS Essentials-based server appliances? We expect to start seeing NAS storage appliances running Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials in the next few months. Further information will be released about supporting OEM’s as they unfold their release strategy.
  • Can I buy WSS Essentials through all channels? No, WSS Essentials will only be available via specialized OEM’s only.
  • What languages does WSS Essentials support? 19 languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Chinese (Hong Kong), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.
  • When will the Evaluation for WSS Essentials be made available? The evaluation experience for Windows Storage Server Essentials will be released in early April.
  • When will I be able to download WSS Essentials via my TechNet or MSDN subscription? WSS Essentials will be made available only through MSDN starting early April.
  • Can you tell me more about WSS Essentials? You can learn more with our WSS Essentials datasheet. It is part of the Windows Storage Server family.
News • Windows Home Server
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By on April 01st, 2011

Installing SharePoint Foundation 2010 on WHS2011

Tom Ziegmann from Tom On Tech.com has published a great how to guide on how to install SharePoint Foundation 2010 on Windows home Server 2011.

Hosted SharePoint Foundation 2010

It’s finally here! I’m releasing the first draft of my Sharepoint on Windows Home Server 2011 guide. Compared to all the steps that had to be taken on Windows Home Server v1, the install experience is vastly improved and with SharePoint 2010, the feature set enhanced.

The 19 page guide can be viewed or downloaded from the Scribd website.

Tutorial • Windows Home Server
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By on April 01st, 2011

The Home Server Show Podcast Episode 129

home_server_show_small

The latest edition of The Home Server Show podcast is up with an hour and a half of pure Home Server talk with a pinch of media and gadget mixed in. Dave and the gang also dive into the release details of WHS2011.

Episode 129 can be found here.

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By on March 31st, 2011

Win 3 Copies of CloudBerry Online Backup on World Backup Day

With today being “World Backup Day 2011” we thought we would make it special for Windows Home Server users courtesy of our friends at CloudBerry Lab.

Cloudberry make the fine add-in CloudBerry Online Backup for Windows Home Server which enables you to backup and restore online to the cloud using Amazon S3 storage.

CloudBerry Backup for WHS2011

The Cloudberry add-in works for WHS v1 users plus there is a free upgrade for WHS2011, so you are covered whichever version of Home Server you use.

The add-in would normally cost $29.99, but with today being World Backup Day we have 3 copies to give away. So without further ado, for your chance to win a copy all you need to do is tell us is why using Windows Home Server with CloudBerry online backup is the ideal backup solution by using the comment form below.

BONUS: To be entered twice into the competition, all you have to do is follow us on Twitter and include @mswhs in your Tweet, leaving your same comment as below and you will have doubled your chance of winning.

The closing date for the competition is Monday 4 April 2011 at 12pm (midday) GMT, no entries will be counted after this date. The 3 winners will be selected at random from the best entries received and notified via email by 8 April 2011 who will receive the software digitally.

Best of Luck!

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