SuperSite Blog : Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server Power Pack 3: November 24

pthurrott — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:05:24 GMT

Microsoft contacted me yesterday about Windows Home Server (WHS) Power Pack 3 (PP3) but I was traveling so I had to just tweet a short version of the news: WHS PP3 will ship publicly November 24. Here's the full release:

We are announcing that the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 will be available in all shipping languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish) on November 24 2009. Power Pack 3 will be a free update to existing Windows Home Server users via Windows Update.

Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing features like backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers. Microsoft released the Beta of the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 in July 2009 and received positive community support and feedback from Beta testers throughout the testing cycle. We let you know back in September that we were going to continue testing the Beta and would not ship the final release of Power Pack 3 until the community has validated our work. We are pleased to now announce the November 24, 2009 availability.

Windows 7 users should be sure to download Power Pack 3 via Windows Update for the most optimal experience on a Windows Home Server network. For more information on this topic and details on the Windows 7 enhancements, please visit the Windows Home Server blog.

HP Statement on MediaSmart Servers

pthurrott — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:42:46 GMT

This is ten days old, and I'm not sure how I missed it, but it's important: HP will be supplying some of the new software capabilities from its very latest MediaSmart Servers to customers of older versions of the servers. As you may know, I use and recommend HP's Windows Home Server-based MediaSmart Server line, so this is great news to anyone that jumped in with an early revision. Here's the complete statement:

Update on the upcoming software upgrades for MediaSmart Servers

Back in May, we announced a plan to allow current MediaSmart Server customers to upgrade to the most current software version beginning this Fall. Below are additional details on the plans to deliver these upgrades.

HP recently announced the new EX490/495 MediaSmart Servers. These Servers provide our latest software capabilities including an enhanced video converter, greater Mac Support including bare metal recovery, and a simplified user interface. It is this software version (3.0) that will be made available to existing EX470/475/485/487 customers. Note that these software upgrades are optional and will be available as a new installation DVD as opposed to a software download.

We are currently proceeding down the path of a server recovery solution that will not only upgrade your software to the 3.0 version, but also preserve the data in your shared folders. This approach is preferable to a factory reset that would otherwise require customers to manually offload and restore all server files that the customer wants to preserve. However, the server recovery approach requires additional testing cycles to validate the approach and the resulting data integrity. We expect the upgrade DVDs will be available to order through hp.com beginning in December 2009. Note that if testing shows the server recovery solution to be problematic, our plan is to change the upgrade process to a factory reset.

As previously communicated, there will be certain limitations of this software upgrade depending on your product. For example, customers using the Photo Webshare feature in the EX470/475 products will lose this feature if they choose to upgrade (although we expect existing Webshare album photos will be moved into the Photos shared folder). In addition, customers who have not upgraded their DRAM in the EX470/475 products will likely experience sluggish behavior or limited functionality running certain aspects of the latest 3.0 software. Finally, the 3.0 software will not be made available for the LX195 model.

The final cost of the upgrade DVD is pending, but is expected to be in the US$25 range.

We thank everyone for their continued support of the MediaSmart Server family of products.

Thanks to Jameson A. for tipping me off to this statement, which he saw on We Got Served (an excellent resource for WHS users).

Microsoft statement on Windows Home Server PP3

pthurrott — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:52:11 GMT

I guess there's been some confusion around the final release date for Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 (PP3). Microsoft has this to say about the issue today:

On July 17, 2009, Microsoft announced the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, which will improve the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center. Microsoft received tremendous community support and helpful feedback from beta testers. Based on this feedback and to ensure product quality, we will continue with additional testing of the software. We will not ship the final release of Power Pack 3 until the community has validated our work. We expect to deliver before the end of the year. For those Windows 7 users who do not have the Beta installed, there are a few important scenarios they should be aware of. These scenarios can be addressed by downloading and installing the Power Pack 3 Beta for the most optimal experience for Windows 7 users on a Windows Home Server network.

More info is available on the Windows Home Server blog.

Microsoft adding Windows 7 support to Windows Home Server

pthurrott — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:08:27 GMT

Via a free upcoming update called Power Pack 3, which just entered beta today. I have to say, I had not heard this was coming, and that somewhat surprises me. Here's the word, from Microsoft:

Today we are announcing Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta, which improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing the following new features: Backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers.

We are targeting users that are running Windows 7 Release Candidate on their home computer and already have Windows Home Server. Beta participants will need to join the Windows Home Server program on Microsoft Connect in order to download the Power Pack 3 Beta. https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer

The Windows Home Server Blog has more info:

New in Power Pack 3 Beta

Windows 7 Backup & Recovery

Windows Home Server performs a full image-based backup of Windows 7-based computers, allowing for a complete computer recovery in the case of a hard drive failure, or restoration of a single file or folder in the event of accidental deletion or loss. After the Windows Home Server Connector software has been installed on a computer running Windows 7, Windows 7 Backup warnings will be suppressed and users will no longer receive a notification to back up their computer. Windows Home Server can back up Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista and Windows 7-based computers.

Windows 7 Libraries

Power Pack 3 Beta will add Music, Photos and Videos shared folders on the home server to Windows 7 Libraries making the content available for applications such as Windows Explorer, Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player and other applications that use Windows 7 Libraries. This allows users to quickly access all their content in one organized place that is always available, searchable and expandable. Users can also search a specific library without having to know where the files are stored.

Windows Search

Windows Search 4 has been included with Power Pack 3 Beta to improve query search times, indexing times and reliability. If users are searching across multiple computers, extended remote discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all document libraries. Files encrypted with Encrypting File System (EFS) are now supported with search.

Netbooks

Power Pack 3 Beta makes Windows Home Server compatible with netbook computers that have small screen sizes and low resolution. A home server makes a great storage and backup solution for ultra-portable computers.

Windows Media Center Enhancements

Last March, Power Pack 2 added functionality that allowed Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders to easily access the content on a home server. Power Pack 3 Beta builds on this functionality. When the Windows Home Server Connector software is installed or updated on a Windows Media Center computer, the next time a user starts Windows Media Center they will be prompted to install the Windows Media Center Connector. Users will notice a new Home Server selection in Windows Media Center menu.

TV Archiving

The TV Archive tile in Windows Media Center will give users the option to move recorded TV content to the home server in a variety of resolutions. The recorded TV shows are archived in the correct resolution for the type of device that will be used for playback. TV Archive is optimized for Windows Media Center computers, Windows Mobile-based phones, and the Zune player, however, any device capable of playing WMV files can take advantage of this feature.

· TV – Original Resolution

· Windows Mobile – 320 x 240, 500 Kbps, .WMV

· Zune – 640 x 480, 1500 Kbps, .WMV

Users can select individual TV shows, a series of shows, or all TV recordings to automatically be moved to the home server. Because Windows Home Server storage space can be easily expanded, users can keep all the TV shows that they want in their collection.

Console Quick View

Console Quick View allows users to see statistics about the home server through Windows Media Center and Windows Media Center Extenders. This is a convenient way to view many aspects of the home server without needing to access the Windows Home Server Console. This feature allows users to view and monitor a number of home server indicators:

· Storage – Pie chart listing the percentage allocation of the home server storage

· Drives – List, size and health of hard drives installed on the home server

· Backup – List of computers being backed up and their current backup status

· Shared Folders – List of Shared Folders by name with health status and duplication status

· Media Counters – Count of music, photos, videos and recorded TV files on the home server

· Health – Health of the entire home network

· Home Server – System information of the home server’s hardware and manufacturer info

Timing of the Power Pack 3 final release has not been determined. With your help to test the Beta, we hope to release the update prior to the Windows 7 General Availability date of October 22. Power Pack 3 will be a free update to existing Windows Home Server users via Windows Update. Thanks for your support!

Wow. Good stuff.

HP offers Amazon S3 and Apple Time Machine functionality to first-gen MediaSmart Server customers

pthurrott — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:25:06 GMT

As noted previously, HP is doing right by its early adopters. Today, the company made available two of the more recent features of its new Windows Home Server-based MediaSmart Servers to customers who purchased the first-gen (EX470/475) servers. Here are the details.

HP EX470/475 Amazon S3 & Apple Time Machine Downloads Now Available

As previously announced, owners of the EX470/475 MediaSmart Servers can now download two new applications for their Servers. The online backup application allows customers to designate specific shared folders on their Server for secure upload to the Amazon S3 service. Doing so provides an additional layer of data protection for the most important photos, documents and other files.

In addition, customers in mixed PC/Mac households can download an application allowing their EX470/475 MediaSmart Servers to backup their Macs running Time Machine.

The most reliable way to get one or both of these updates for EX470/475 owners is as follows:

1) Go to http://www.hp.com
2) On the hp.com home page go to the bottom right hand corner where it says "Software & Driver Downloads" and click the link
3) In the text box enter in either EX470 or EX475 and then press the "Enter" key on the keyboard
4) Choose “Server 2003” to locate both packages -customers have the option to download one or both applications
5) Installation instructions are available for both applications by clicking the “view directions” link

Please note that both of these applications are already included on the current generation MediaSmart Server products (LX195, EX485, EX487) and do not need to be downloaded.

We thank everyone for their continued support of the MediaSmart Server products.

HP Announces Software Upgrades and European Availability for MediaSmart Servers

pthurrott — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:14:50 GMT

Here's some unexpected news from HP. The issue here, if you're not familiar, is that HP has dramatically improved the capabilities of its second generation ("Encore") Windows Home Servers, but was only providing a subset of that new functionality to first generation machines. This angered those users, but the rationale was practical: The first generation devices have far too little RAM (512 MB, vs. 2 GB for gen-2 devices) and a lackluster processor, so running all of the stuff that comes in the 2.5 software would be problematic.

Regardless, HP is now going to fully support first-gen MediaSmart users with the 2.5 software. Here's their statement.

We have two updates to share with our MediaSmart Server communities.

We have listened to the customer feedback related to our recent software update availability. Based on this feedback, we are working to provide a supported path to allow customers to update all generations of their EX Series and LX Series MediaSmart Server products to the current software version.

Due to the generational differences of our platform architectures, we will not be providing the updated software as traditional downloads. Instead, we will provide complete server image DVD’s through HP support in the same manner as replacement DVD's are provided today. We expect that there will be certain hardware limitations and/or trade-offs for the various platforms that will be detailed once the new server DVD's are available.

Timing is tentatively scheduled in Fall 2009. We understand customers would like these updates sooner, but this timing is necessary to adequately develop and test these new software images. As we get further along in our development, we will provide an updated timetable.

We have also read the inquiries regarding European availability of the MediaSmart Server products. We are pleased to announce that our European customers can expect to see our LX and EX series products for sale in Europe. Targeted availability is Fall 2009.

We thank everyone for their continued support of the MediaSmart Server products and appreciate the continued feedback.

So, kudos to HP for fully supporting early adopters. But understand that you will require at least a RAM upgrade to get the full meal deal, or will need to at least disable much of the new functionality.

HP Updates MediaSmart Server Software

pthurrott — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:33:16 GMT

From HP:

HP today announced the release of a software update for the HP MediaSmart Server (EX485/EX487 models), providing remote video streaming and video conversion of unprotected content.

The new software enables the HP MediaSmart Server to automatically convert videos (including unprotected DVDs) into two resolutions. The original, high-resolution file will stream to most devices on a home network including PCs, Macs and gaming systems.

The mobile resolution version of the video can be downloaded and played on popular mobile devices including the iPod touch, iPhone and PlayStationPortable (PSP).

The video converter will transcode most popular video formats into both high and mobile quality MPEG-4 (H.264) versions.

“Our enhanced software features will help eliminate the frustration people experience when attempting to stream their videos to connected devices in the home or remotely to their mobile devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Attach Group, HP.

In addition, owners of an iPod touch and iPhone can download a new HP MediaSmart Server iStream application at no charge from the iTunes App Store, enabling them to stay connected to their digital media stored on the MediaSmart Server. Users can easily access their pictures, listen to their music collection and watch their favorite videos – all streamed directly to their mobile devices from their HP MediaSmart Server.

Other software enhancements include an improved mobile streaming user experience, a more robust HP Media Collector, an improved Apple Time Machine configuration, and the ability to create public and private albums in the Photo Viewer.

The HP MediaSmart Server, designed for use with both Microsoft Windows-based and Mac computers, automatically organizes files across PCs and streams media across a home network and the Internet.

Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server EX485/EX487 shipped to customers in January. Acting as the heart of the home network, the MediaSmart Server is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital photos, music, videos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.

Pricing and availability

The software update will be available at no charge later this month as an automatic download to the HP MediaSmart Server (EX485/EX487 models).

I've been working with this software for a while now and should have a review up this week. Obviously, this isn't as big a deal as a major software update, but it's nice to see HP evolving the capabilities of its home server outside of Microsoft's comparatively glacial development schedule. These types of update are one of many reasons why the HP WHS boxes are, in my opinion, the obvious choice.

Windows Home Server Add-ins

pthurrott — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:12 GMT

As part of yesterday's announcement about Windows Home Server (WHS) Power Pack 2 (PP2, codenamed "Snoqualmie" -- see my overview), Microsoft also revealed that WHS is now available on MSDN so that developers can get their hands on the code and start making Add-ins. In concert with this information, Microsoft is now promoting its WHS Add-ins. First, the info from the WHS blog:

A key benefit of Windows Home Server is the versatility and power it offers as a development platform. Even when Windows Home Server software was still in the beta stage, we published a software development kit (SDK) so that 3 party developers could develop interesting add-ins for the product.

There are currently 100+ add-ins developed for Windows Home Server (up from 70+ in January of this year). We have a dedicated Windows Home Server Add-ins page on the Microsoft web site.

That Add-ins page is something that all WHS users should at least check out, though I'd point out that anyone with a first-gen HP machine (and/or a box with just 512 MB of RAM) is going to run into immediate performance issues if they load up the box with too many Add-ins. It's interesting to me that, of the top downloads list, AV and disk defragmentation are well represented. But there are what look like some gems in there, such as a Recorded TV Manager for Media Center users.

Update: Be sure to check out We Got Served's Windows Home Server Add-ins page as well.

Pico Home Server: The Worlds Smallest Windows Home Server

pthurrott — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:56:23 GMT

Donavon West tipped me off to an awesome project of his … and a neat contest. Check this out:

VIA has created system builders kit that is based on the VIA EPIA PX-Series Pico-ITX main board. It's called the ARTiGO A1000. For those of you who may not be familiar, Pico-ITX is a standard motherboard form factor that is a mere 10 x 7.2 cm (smaller than your wallet). The entire computer, case and all, measures just 5.9" x 4.3" x 1.8" (15cm x 11cm x 4.5cm). Let me be clear about this folks, this system is small!

Oh yeah, I mentioned that there might be something FREE…

OK, here's the part that you all have been waiting for. Not only have I built up this sweet Pico Home Server using off the shelf parts, but (and I can't believe I'm doing this) I am giving it away to one of my lucky readers for free!

What do you need to do to win? Virtually nothing. Between now and Sunday, 11 Jan 2009, 11:59pm EST (midnight on the day the CES ends), leave a comment on this blog telling me what you would do with a Windows Home Server that's smaller than your sack lunch and you will be entered in the drawing. Ok, any comment will do, but don't you want to win in style?

Just a quick addition here: You must leave comments at Donavon’s site, not mine, to win the contest. :)

Recap of Microsoft CES announcements

pthurrott — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:22:36 GMT

I assume you've all seen my Windows 7 Public Beta announcement. Here's what Microsoft announced today...

Windows 7 News
Today, Steve Ballmer announced the availability of Windows 7 Beta to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, with the broad public consumer beta coming on Friday, January 9. "The team is very proud of this release and believes it is the result of really listening to people, we hope you reach a similar conclusion."

Information on Downloading and Installing Windows 7 Beta (Windows Blog)
"On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta will be available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is going to be available download-only (we’re not sending out physical media) and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta."

Windows Live News
"Today Microsoft announced the final availability of the latest version of Windows Live, a suite of personal communication services and applications for Windows, and two new Windows Live partnerships - one with Facebook and another with Dell."

Windows Live Essentials is ready to download
As Steve Ballmer just announced during his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Windows Live has three big pieces of news to share with you that underscore our continued commitment to simplifying your digital life.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta Download (tomorrow)
"Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the next version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. Building on the features and capabilities of the current Windows Server 2008 release version, Windows Server 2008 R2 allows you to create solutions organization that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than previous versions of Windows Server."

Windows Home Server news
"OEM partners Shuttle Computer and VIA Technologies will be announcing their entry into the home server market with new Windows Home Server products for consumers in the U.S. These news offerings, available for purchase in the first half of 2009, adds to the growing array of integrated hardware and software Windows Home Server solutions including HP’s new next-generation HP MediaSmart Servers and the growing ecosystem of 70+ software add-ins expanding upon Windows Home Server capabilities for consumers in the digital home."

Tonight: Live blogging the Steve Ballmer CES keynote

pthurrott — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:45:23 GMT

I'll be live blogging the Steve Ballmer 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) keynote address this evening with Mary Jo Foley and Tom Warren. Right now, the event page is down but we'll open it up a little bit after 9 pm EST and get things rolling around 9:30 pm when the keynote actually starts. There are a number of ways you can access this live blog:

Live Blog: Steve Ballmer's CES 2009 Keynote (SuperSite for Windows)

Live Blog: Steve Ballmer's CES 2009 Keynote (Friendfeed)

January 7: Join our Ballmer CES live-blog keynote coverage (ZDNN)

Microsoft CES 2009 Keynote (Neowin)

Also, stay tuned to the front page of the SuperSite for some very special news once the keynote begins! :)

HP launches next-generation MediaSmart home servers

pthurrott — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:02:52 GMT

I thought they were going to wait for CES for this, but I’m happy to report that I’ve been using one of these second-gen MediaSmart Servers for a few months now and they’re a huge improvement over an already-excellent product. I’ll have a review up in very early January.

HP Launches New Home Server for PCs and Macs

HP MediaSmart Server centralizes digital media and files for backup, remote access, sharing and uploading to social media sites

Dec. 29, 2008 – HP today launched a home server designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers.
Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.

The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.”

“HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.”

MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 features include:

HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs

Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac

Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes

HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook, Picasa Web Albums and Snapfish

HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family

PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature

Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software

Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive

Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection

Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to ”sleep” and ”wake up,” saving on energy costs

Processor: Intel Celeron, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server

Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB)

"Customers are always looking for the right mix of features and ease-of-use when choosing digital home products," said Danielle Levitas, group vice president, consumer, broadband and digital marketplace at IDC. "HP's focus and investment in software allows it to deliver a home server with compelling features for Mac and PC users while offering a great customer experience that helps simplify the complexity of the connected home. This unique offering will help expand the home server market."

Pricing and availability

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with 750 GB of hard disk storage is $599 while the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with 1.5 TB is $749.(4)

The HP MediaSmart Server can be pre-ordered beginning on Jan. 5, 2009, from Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frys.com and NewEgg.com; it is expected to ship in February.

The first 200 consumers who visit HP Home & Home Office (www.hpshopping.com) or call +1 888 271 2982 between Jan. 5 - 11, 2009, to reserve a MediaSmart Server and use coupon code “AC5674” will receive a $50 savings off their purchase.

Good stuff. If you’ve been waiting on Windows Home Server, your wait is now rewarded.

Windows Home Server November 2008 Update

pthurrott — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:39:33 GMT

Microsoft has issued a November 2008 update for Windows Home Server. Note that despite the length of this post, it’s mostly bug fixes and the like.

This update improves the interaction between home computers that are running Windows Vista and a Windows Home Server-based system when you copy files or folders to a shared folder. Additionally, this update resolves certain issues that may occur when you restore files and folders from Windows Home Server. The update also improves the search functionality when you use remote access.

This update contains the following improvements.

Shared Folders and Server Storage

Issue 1 - Before this update is installed, the ability to copy large files or folders from a home computer that is running Windows Vista to a shared folder on the home server is limited by the free space on the primary hard disk drive of the Windows Home Server-based system. After this update is installed, the file size is limited to the free space on the target hard disk drives that are connected to the home server.

Issue 2 - Sometimes, Windows Home Server generates lots of notification messages about the files that are stored in shared folders. These notifications may cause high CPU utilization on the home server for applications that are accessing these files. This behavior causes slow performance on the home server. After this update is installed, applications such as the Microsoft Zune software, that may be running at the same time, no longer consume excessive processor resources.

Issue 3 - Under certain conditions, Windows Home Server disables duplication on shared folders after a new user account is created. After this update is installed, creation of user accounts no longer affects the status of shared folder duplication.

Home Computer Backup

When you restore files and folders from a Home Computer Backup, the Home Computer Backup process may stop when it is 79 percent complete. This update provides new functionality to help prevent this issue.

Home Server Backup

Some issues may occur when you restore files and folders from a Home Server Backup on an external hard disk drive to the software shared folder on a Windows Home Server-based system. This update adds functionality to prevent the unintended restoration of older versions of the Windows Home Server Connector software from overwriting newer versions of the files.

Remote Access
When you use the search functionality on the Remote Access Shared Folders tab to perform a search that includes accented characters, such as ã or ó, you may receive the following Web page error:
Windows Home Server Remote Access has encountered an error.

This update lets you use accented characters with the Remote Access search.

Update information

How to obtain this update - If the Automatic Updates feature is enabled on your home server, the update will be downloaded automatically to your Windows Home Server-based system through Windows Update. Or, in the Windows Home Server Console, you can click Update Now on the General page of your home server Settings page.

Prerequisites - To apply this update, you must have the latest version of Windows Home Server Connector installed on the home computer.

Preinstallation requirement - Before you install this update, make sure that you are not running home computer backup.

Restart requirement - After you apply this update, you do not have to restart the computer.

Update replacement information - This update does not replace any other previously released updates.

Thanks to Sebastian V. for the tip.

Tonight: Windows 7 presentation

pthurrott — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:59:18 GMT

I’ll be discussing Windows 7 (and a few other topics; see below) at the Boston Area Windows Server User Group this evening, so if you’re in the area, come on down. Here are the details about the location and event:

Boston Area Windows Server User Group
Wednesday October 1, 2008 6:00 PM
Microsoft Waltham- 201 Jones Road - 6th Floor MPR-A
Directions:
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/info/usaoffices/newengland/waltham.mspx

Paul Thurrott - Paul is the guy behind SuperSite for Windows (www.winsupersite.com) and is WindowsITPro's News Editor. Come hear Paul discuss Windows 7.

6:00-7:00 - Pizza, Networking, Meeting Formalities, "Tech-Tips Live"
7:00-7:50 - Paul Thurrott on Windows 7, Part 1
7:50-8:00 - Short Break
8:00-9:00 - Paul Thurrott on Windows 7, Part 2
9:00-9:10 - Standard Raffle (including 5 signed copies of Paul's latest book "Windows Vista Secrets")
9:15ish - Premium Member Raffle! Premium members have a chance to win an iPod Nano.

I had hoped to be able to show a recent build of Windows 7 by the time of the presentation, but that won't be happening, so I’ll focus the discussion on what’s permissible, and I’ll be posting the actual presentation to the SuperSite tomorrow. But I’ll also be discussing Microsoft’s strategy around its Essential Server Solutions products—Windows Home Server, Windows Small Business Server 2008, and Windows Essential Business Server 2008—and how these products compare and can be used in different environments. I also hope to have time to discuss a virtualization project I’m working on involving Hyper-V and some of the aforementioned ESS products.

In any event, I hope you can make it. If not, the presentation will be posted tomorrow.

HP MediaSmart customers can add RAM without voiding warranty

pthurrott — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:49:10 GMT

Huge announcement from HP today, at least for those who have first-generation Windows Home Server-based MediaSmart Servers, which ship with 512 MB of RAM. HP is allowing customers to upgrade the RAM, an involved process that involves delving into a pretty tight and intricately-packed space, without voiding the warranty. This is a big deal because if the past year has proven anything, once you start installing add-ons in WHS, RAM becomes a serious issue. Here are the details:

HP customers can now upgrade the memory on HP MediaSmart Servers without voiding the HP warranty.

Based on customer feedback, HP will now offer a path for consumers to upgrade the memory on the HP MediaSmart Server without voiding the hardware warranty. HP customer feedback and research shows that some customers are installing multiple add-ins and/or additional software to the MediaSmart Server, which can lead to a need for additional memory.

Details

Upgrading the memory, in and of itself, will not void the warranty on the MediaSmart Server. Damage to any part of the MediaSmart Server during the upgrade may violate the warranty, however, leaving the cost for repairs the responsibility of the customer. Customers should perform a backup to an external device before adding additional memory.

HP is only providing information on a customer memory upgrade path at this time, and customers will not be able to send their MediaSmart Server to HP to perform the upgrade. Customers may be able to find technical assistance for the memory upgrade, however HP is not recommending or training authorized resellers to conduct the memory upgrade on a MediaSmart Server. HP has not qualified any particular DIMMs, but compatible memory includes 1GB or 2GB - DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs. Customers should not upgrade beyond 2 GB of memory. Other than disk drives, HP does not support any other hardware upgrade paths, such as processor upgrades, on the MediaSmart Server.