By on March 25th, 2008

Windows Update for WHS – March 2008

A new update is available for Windows Home Server via Windows Update.  It will download automatically within the next 24 hours and get applied if you have Windows Updates turned on.    The update is explained in the KB article entitled:  “You may randomly receive a false expiration notice that prompts you to activate Windows Home Server“.

This update resolves an issue for Windows Home Server users who receive a false expiration notice prompting users to activate Windows Home Server.

News • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 25th, 2008

7 Terabyte Hard Drives Compared & Tested

If you are building or upgrading your own Windows Home Server then enthusiast site ExtremeTech could be of use to you. In their Storage Showdown they compare 7 Terabyte Hard Drives and put them through their paces.

For those of you wanting a spoiler the Samsung Spinpoint F HD103UJ Terabyte Hard Drive got an impressive 10 out of 10 closely followed by the Western Digital WD10EACS One Terabyte Hard Drive with a 9 out of 10

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2274993,00.asp

News • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 25th, 2008

Tranquil PC M one FAQ

Do you want to know more about the M one Home Media Server from Tranquil PC? Then the M one FAQ may just be for you, with questions like:

Will the HD Set Top Box work with the WHS-A3 I bought from you ?
Can I upgrade my T2-WHS-A3 to a M one server ?
What about language support? Are the STB’s adjustable in another language?

You can find the answers to these questions and many more on the Tranquil PC blog.

News • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 25th, 2008

Add-In: Recorded TV Manager 3.4.5

Rick Drasch has been in contact to let us know that the add-in Recorded TV Manager has been updated to version 3.4.5.

Recorded TV Manager

Release notes:

  1. Startup Requirements – Improved the startup code regarding problems running the program including extended error reporting in the local eventlog.

  2. PERFORM_STARTUP_CHECK – Each time the client application starts it performs a consistency check between the Series Info database and the current state of recordings on the network.  The reason for that is because outside agents such as Media Center, Windows Explorer and other programs are constantly changing things.  You can skip the consistency check to start the program faster:

    1. From the Start menu on the client machine select Run and type Regedit, then click OK.  (In Windows Vista select All Programs >> Accessories.)
    2. Navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Drasch Computer Software\Recorded TV Manager WHS Client
    3. Add a new string variable named PERFORM_STARTUP_CHECK and set its value to “False”
    4. Close Regedit.
  3. The default value for PERFORM_STARTUP_CHECK is True.  If you skip the startup consistency checks, sometimes the program will get a little confused.  Click the Refresh button to refresh the display and run the consistency checks.  Use the Refresh button often, especially if the program is running for extended periods of time when there is AutoCopy activity.
  4. MCECollections – Provides support for MCECollections Beta 1 – Play Next add-in for Vista Media Center. See here for more information.

http://www.fjdrasch.com/WHS/ClientApp.htm#Version_3.4.3_Posted_January_29,_2008

add-ins • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 24th, 2008

Add-In: Advanced Admin Console 0.3.0 Beta

Advanced Admin Console 0.3.0

Version 0.3.0 of the add-in Advanced Admin Console is available for download. The add-in which allows you to access administrative tools on the server directly from the console adds a new feature in this version. You can now customize the display order of the built-in tabs and program shortcuts or you can disable them.

http://keinplatz.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8C36276B2BB53CB6!248.entry

add-ins • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 24th, 2008

Amahi – A Linux Home Server

wiki

The Home Server Tips website bought a Linux based alternative to WHS called Amahi to my attention.

The Amahi server (pronounced ah-MAH-hee – rhymes with Mahimahi, the fish) is about making your home networking simple. They came up with the term HDA (Home Digital Assistant) to describe what the Amahi Linux Home Server aims for. Something as simple to use as a PDA, for home networking. 

An Amahi HDA provides:

  • Calendaring
  • Wiki
  • Shared network storage
  • Network Backups
  • Printer server
  • Remote access

You can use a spare computer with at least a 800MHz processor and 512MB RAM or they can send you a desktop box pre-configured as an HDA with a Pentium III 800MHz processor with 256MB of memory and a 20GB disk for FREE (-shipping). A Power user option is available with a PC using an AMD Opteron 244 chip running at 1.8GHz with 2GB of memory and a choice of hard disk, all in a black desktop workstation case for a very low cost.

Amahi is currently available as a private beta program for enthusiasts and I have got 3 invitations available for anyone interested in participating. Just leave a comment below. If you still want to participate once all 3 invitations go then email Amahi for an invitation code as they state:

“We really love it when people write us telling why they would like to use the Amahi Linux Home Server, and we are very thankful for the requests we get to join the program.”

More information on Amahi, including an FAQ, a WIKI and their blog are all available from here.

News • Windows Home Server
Full Story
By on March 24th, 2008

Tranquil PC M one Available for Pre-Order

tvm_product

The M one from Tranquil PC is now available for pre-order with an expected shipping date of 14th April (2008).

The Home Media Server with it’s included 4 DVB-T tuners is available in 2 configurations. The 1TB model is available for just over £750 and the 2TB model for £950.

set_top_box

The HD Set Top Box which is designed to work seamlessly with the M one Home Media Server is available for £175. It connects to your television set and enables you to control the Home Media Server.

  • Video format supported: MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264 up to 1080p, AVI, VOB, WMV9/VC-1 up to 1080p
  • Audio format supported: MP2, MP3, AAC, WMA, Vorbis (stereo only), AC3 (stereo down-mix/pass-through), FLAC, DTS (pass-through)
  • Video Outputs: 1 HDMI, 1 Component, 1 Composite, 1 S-Video
  • Audio Outputs: Left/Right audio output and optical S/PDIF

    • http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/HOME_MEDIA_SERVER.html

    News • Windows Home Server
    Full Story
    By on March 24th, 2008

    Norway and New Zealand Continue to Dominate WHS

    The Home Server World Cup numbers for February are in, and the top 8 countries remain the same. As can be seen from our previous post, Norway and New Zealand continue to hold the top 2 spots.

    1. Norway
    2. New Zealand
    3. United States
    4. United Kingdom
    5. Denmark
    6. Australia
    7. Germany
    8. Switzerland
    9. South Africa
    10. Canada
    11. Netherlands
    12. Sweden
    13. Austria
    14. Belgium
    15. France
    16. China

    All the details are available from the Windows Home Server Team Blog.

    News • Windows Home Server
    Full Story
    By on March 24th, 2008

    The Week in Review – Sunday's Summary

    What was going on this week at mswhs.com? Here’s your chance to catch-up if you missed something!

    • HP MediaSmart Server Page Updated
      • The MediaSmart Server page at HP has been updated to include links to reviews on the EX470 and EX475.
    • Home Server Media Server and TV Recorder all in one
      • The Media one (M one) is the new offering from Tranquil PC. It’s a Home Server, Media Server and TV recorder all in one. This single “One Box” solution from Tranquil PC enables you to: Watch live DVB-T television with time shifting (TV Pause)Playback of recorded TV programs Setup TV recording…
    • Add-In: Photo Timeline
      • Photo Timeline is an add-in by French developer Atomusk which allows you to show your pictures in a timeline and enables you to to zoom in and out using the mouse wheel. Full installation steps and additional information is available at the following forum post.
    • Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo Home Server FAQ
      • We Got Served has stated that Fujitsu Siemens have posted a Scaleo Home Server FAQ For which user is the SCALEO Home Server?How does the data protection work?What is SCALEO Power Management?What makes the SCALEO Home Server special?How many clients can be accessed with a SCALEO Home Server?Do I need…
    • “Invalid file handle” Error Message – Help is at Hand
      • Have you ever experienced the “Invalid file handle” error message when moving, copying or trying to delete files that reside on your Windows Home Server?We have a couple of ways for you to correct this problem. The 1st is a blog entry on the site “My Name is better than yours” that takes you…
    • Windows Home Server saves Whiist!

      Even experienced PC users like Whiist developer Andrew Grant can accidentally erase their Vista install. Luckily the Windows Home Server restore CD comes to the rescue! http://www.andrewgrant.org/2008/03/19/windows-home-server-saves-whiist.html

    • Backup Data and More
      • Tranquil PC have put up two some flash demos on Windows Home Server.The first is dedicated to the home user and takes you through backing up, streaming, centralizing storage, remote access, adding hard drives, network health and user accounts.The business use demo takes us through some amazing facts…
    • Add-In: LightsOut
      • The power management add-in LightOut  is now available for download. The add-in allows you to place your home server in standby or hibernation mode at specific times as set via a calendar. To avoid the risk of data loss, the server will cleverly never go to sleep during an active data backup or…
    • WHS Can tell you when it’s about to shut off due to a power outage

      Have you ever wished that your Windows Home Server would tell you when it’s about to shut off due to a power outage? Well it can be done. Blogger Sean Daniel shows us by using a UPS, configuring the alerts in the power management control panel and by using 1 of 2 VBS scripts. All the […]

    Summery
    Full Story
    By on March 23rd, 2008

    HP MediaSmart Server Page Updated

    The MediaSmart Server page at HP has been updated to include links to reviews on the EX470 and EX475.

    HP

    News • Windows Home Server
    Full Story