By on December 03rd, 2007

Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?

Stay-At-Home servers Logo

How do you market a Windows Home Server to the consumer? Microsoft have started a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign called “Stay-At-Home Servers” taking over from where the “Center for Digital Amnesia Awareness” left off.

America's Talking Debate

Using a video debate show called “America’s Talking” being hosted by Mark Steele, this is the first of four videos posted. More will be added over the next few weeks that will help families understand why they should have a home server in their household.

Server Book

Also included on the site is a children’s book entitled “Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?” This mock book is absolutely excellent and hopefully in a fun way the site will help explain how Windows Home Server can help you and your families.

The Stay-At-Home Servers Website.

News • Windows Home Server
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By on December 02nd, 2007

The Week in Review – Sunday's Summery

What’s been going on this week in the world of Windows Home Server? Here’s your chance to catch-up if you missed something on the site!

  • Add-In: Tab Reorderer Updated
    • As previously discussed, Tab Reorderer is an add-in for Windows Home Server that enables you to change the order of the tabs which are displayed on the main window in the console.  With the initial release version I deleted a tab and had to ask developer Brendan Grant how to get it back. In this…
  • Jungle Disk Public Beta Available
    • A free public beta version of Jungle Disk for Windows Home Server is now available for download after being requested from many Home Server adopters since being announced as one of the winners of the Code2Fame contest.  The online backup solution for WHS can be downloaded from here.for support and…
  • Do you want to move or copy files from this zone
    • When working via remote desktop on the Server machine you may encounter the following error message when trying to move or copy a file. “Do you want to move or copy files from this zone”. This message is part of the Internet Explorer Enhance Security Configuration component. It occurs because…
  • Vista x64 to be announced at CES
    • Terry Walsh has confirmed that a release date for the x64 Vista Connector software will be made at the international CES show on January 8th (2008). This was also the information that was given via Microsoft and HP representatives during the Q&A session at the latest HP MediaSmart Server…
  • Video Review of Tranquil’s Windows Home Server

      The Media center Show #133 have details of a Video Review of Tranquil’s Windows Home Server. The 14 minute video is available for viewing or download from the following location.

  • HP MediaSmart Server Webcast – Replay Link
    • If you missed the 50 minute webcast on the HP MediaSmart Server then it is available for viewing/downloading. The free demonstaration with guest Paul Thurrott from SuperSite for Windows can be seen here.For your convenience the questions and answers from the session are provided below for you. Good…
  • Windows Home Server – Updated and all is well!
    • Well hopefully by now we have all installed the November update for Windows Home Server. The update package known as KB941914 has now resolved the following 7 issues:Trusted certificate availability We will no longer receive certificate warnings in the Web browser when accessing our Web site by…
  • Sync Add-In – Coming Soon
    • Many of you are using the free SyncToy from Microsoft. A utility for copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories between a Windows XP or Vista machine and WHS.Eric Maurer plans to integrate this great tool into an add-in for Windows Home Server that will: Open Microsoft SyncToy…
  • Add-In: Tab Scroller
    • If you have lots of add-in’s installed then you are probably already fed up with clicking through a whole list of Home Server tabs to get to the one you need. You could use the previously mentioned Tab Reorder to make sure the tab you require was in the right position or now you can […]
  • November Update – Your Network Health Icon Will Turn Red.
    • After installing the new November update for Windows Home Server you will notice that your network health icon will turn red. With this update, you can now get a trusted SSL certificate for your <your_name>.HomeServer.com domain name.  If you have already set up remote access via the console,…
  • HP MediaSmart Server Light Show
    • Alex from the MediaSmart Server forums has uncovered an “Easter Egg” feature hidden by the HP R&D team. Entitled the HP MediaSmart Server LED Light Show, it adds some interesting effects to the HP’s HDD LED lights:* Default System Lights (Recommended) * Holiday Lights * Ascending Chaser…
  • HP MediaSmart Webcast Today and Thursday
    • A reminder that today and Thursday are the days to view the 2 remaining Webcasts from HP and Microsoft on the MediaSmart Server. The free online demonstration today includes Paul Thurrott from SuperSite for Windows and Ed Bott from ZDNet on Thursday webcast.Today’s Event OverviewDo you have…
  • HP MediaSmart Server UK Launch
    • I had a good opportunity yesterday to see first hand the MediaSmart Server from HP which is due to go on sale here in the UK from December 1st (2007). The unit was being shown to the media at the British Film Institute (BFI Southbank) in London by Microsoft and HP who kindly invited me […]
  • Busy Monday
    • Well today has been a busy one for me, spending it with the guys from Microsoft and HP at a press conference in London dedicated to the HP MediaSmart Server – More details tomorrow. Also scheduled for Tuesday is the November update for Windows Home Server, all exiting stuff. Until then:
    • Summery • Windows Home Server
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    By on December 01st, 2007

    Add-In: Tab Reorderer Updated

    As previously discussed, Tab Reorderer is an add-in for Windows Home Server that enables you to change the order of the tabs which are displayed on the main window in the console.  With the initial release version I deleted a tab and had to ask developer Brendan Grant how to get it back. In this newest release he has addressed this issue and now the interface displays a list of the hidden tabs as well.

    Tab Reorderer

    What does what?

    • Move up: Moves tab up in tab order
    • Ignore: Add’s tab to Ignored list, recommended for Microsoft/OEM tabs
    • Move Down: Moves tab down in tab order
    • Delete: Deletes the tab from the Visible list (but not from the application if present) and from the underlying configuration file. This button is intended for removing add-ins from the list that have been uninstalled but still show up in this list due to earlier reordering.
    • Restore: Moves tab from Ignored list to Visible list

    Download.

    add-ins • Windows Home Server
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    By on December 01st, 2007

    Jungle Disk Public Beta Available

    A free public beta version of Jungle Disk for Windows Home Server is now available for download after being requested from many Home Server adopters since being announced as one of the winners of the Code2Fame contest.

    Jungle Disk Public Beta  

    The online backup solution for WHS can be downloaded from here.

    for support and feature requests see the following section in their forums.

    add-ins • Backup • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 30th, 2007

    Do you want to move or copy files from this zone

    When working via remote desktop on the Server machine you may encounter the following error message when trying to move or copy a file. “Do you want to move or copy files from this zone”. This message is part of the Internet Explorer Enhance Security Configuration component. It occurs because you are copying from a network share and even though the share is on the same machine, it’s still a share, and subject to this message. If you really don’t want to use/see it, you can remove it. But, consider that it is there to protect your server to potential attacks that can occur through Web content and application scripts.

    Removing:

    1. In Control Panel, open Add or Remove Programs.
    2. In the left-hand pane, press Add/Remove Windows Components.
    3. Clear the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration box in the Components list.
    4. Press Next.
    5. Press Finish.

    To get more information about the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration feature in Windows Server 2003 (the underlying operating system on WHS) type res://shdoclc.dll/IESechelp.htm in the Internet Explorer address bar and press the Enter keyboard key on the Server machine.

    UPDATE: Or, you can also do the following

    Open Control Panel -> Internet Options.
    Open Security-tab; mark the zone “Local intranet”, press the “Sites” button,
    UN-tick “Automatically detect intranet network”,THEN
    tick “Include all local (intranet) sites not listed in other zones” and
    tick “Include all network paths (UNCs)”.

    Tutorial • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 30th, 2007

    Vista x64 to be announced at CES

    Terry Walsh has confirmed that a release date for the x64 Vista Connector software will be made at the international CES show on January 8th (2008). This was also the information that was given via Microsoft and HP representatives during the Q&A session at the latest HP MediaSmart Server Webcast. HP also stated that they would announce availability of the MediaSmart Server to other regions of the world including Canada and Spain at CES too.

     

    News • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 30th, 2007

    Video Review of Tranquil's Windows Home Server

     The Digital Lifestyle.com #9 - Tranquil's Windows Home Server

    The Media center Show #133 have details of a Video Review of Tranquil’s Windows Home Server. The 14 minute video is available for viewing or download from the following location.

    News • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 28th, 2007

    HP MediaSmart Server Webcast – Replay Link

    If you missed the 50 minute webcast on the HP MediaSmart Server then it is available for viewing/downloading. The free demonstaration with guest Paul Thurrott from SuperSite for Windows can be seen here.

    For your convenience the questions and answers from the session are provided below for you. Good reading Wink

    News • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 28th, 2007

    Windows Home Server – Updated and all is well!

    Well hopefully by now we have all installed the November update for Windows Home Server. The update package known as KB941914 has now resolved the following 7 issues:

    Trusted certificate availability

    • We will no longer receive certificate warnings in the Web browser when accessing our Web site by using an external URL. This has improved the remote access experience for Windows Home Server users by providing them with a “trusted SSL certificate” for their home servers. That means customers will be able to access their home server from outside the home without any security warnings being generated by the web browser.  GoDaddy, a leading provider of Web domain addresses, is the provider of the free trusted certs which have a 5 year expiration date with a street value of $100 – all for free!

    Shared folders and server storage

    • Data files that contain NTFS alternate data streams may be corrupted on a Windows Home Server computer has been addressed, so NO more corruption issues.
    • Windows Home Server Drive Extender did not update read-only attributes from the master shadow to the alternate shadow. Therefore, Microsoft Money backup files were not successfully stored in Windows Home Server shared folders.
    • Some users received an inconsistent notification when a hard disk that was installed in or connected to a Windows Home Server computer failed.

    Home computer backup technologies

    • Files on the client computer were not successfully backed up if the latest successful backup was marked as “deletion.”
    • A Delete All command button has been added to the Backup tab on the Windows Home Server Console Settings page which enables you to permanently delete all home computer backups that are stored on the home server. The Delete All command can be useful if a hard disk fails on the home server or if the backup database needs to be reset because of consistency errors or because of other unforeseen circumstances.

    Remote Access configuration

    • The configuration of Windows Home Server Remote Access displayed a misleading message if the router’s UPnP settings were disabled.

    Wow, that’s a lot of updates that have finally resolved some major issues, so If you do not have your Windows Home Server configured to install updates automatically then update now and reboot the server. Once updated the resources tab within the console settings will display one of the following 2 screens depending on whether you had the original RTM or the RTM Media Refresh version of the WHS software installed.

    Revision 1

    Original RTM after November update.

    Revision 2

    RTM Media Refresh after November update.

    Notice in both instances the WHS Backup & Restore and WHS Storage Manager have both been updated to the latest version 6.0.1500.8

    News • Windows Home Server
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    By on November 28th, 2007

    Sync Add-In – Coming Soon

    Many of you are using the free SyncToy from Microsoft. A utility for copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories between a Windows XP or Vista machine and WHS.

    Eric Maurer plans to integrate this great tool into an add-in for Windows Home Server that will:

    • Open Microsoft SyncToy directly from the console
    • View and Run Folder Pairs from the console
    • Open Scheduled Tasks from the console
    • Run and manage Scheduled Tasks from the console

    Sync-full 

    Stay tuned for more information.

    add-ins • Windows Home Server
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