MS Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server came to the rescue (again) to Gregg Wonderly after a failed installation of Vista SP2.

Even after contacting Microsoft Support it was Windows Home Server which put his system back together again/

You can read about it here.

Website seePyou run through their adventures when installing the trial version of Windows Home Server.

They started with a video card where the VGA port didn’t work but luckily the DVI port did, and finished with a complete running system after installing the network drivers.

You can read about it here.

UK Based Tranquil PC have announced that all new Home Server’s will have the following FREE software pre-installed:

• Home Server Power Pack 3 – PP3 is great for Media Center, Netbook and Windows 7 users.
• AVA Media CD ripping engine – AVA Media CD ripping engine (previously sold for £49,00) give you a simple way to rip your AUDIO CDs to Home Server, just plug in any USB drive.  An option is available to upgrade to the CD/DVD ripping option !  The life long subscription to GD3 ensures great meta data !
• Logitech SqueezeCentre (WHS) – Logitech’s SqueezeCentre makes your Home Server a perfect server to deliver audio files to any Slim Devices Media Player
• iTunes Server (WHS) – iTunes Server allows you to centralize you media in one place, to be played back on any network connected iTunes player

Tranquil PC have also stated that other free add ins will be launched during 2010.

Amazon have the HP LX195 for an amazing $199 saving you over $272, that’s an amazing 58% off.

So if you are short of cash and after a Windows Home Server, head over to Amazon.

Computerworld from IDG have tested the HP MediaSmart EX495 Server, and said:

(That it’s) the fastest network-attached storage box we’ve ever tested.

The EX495 not only beat the EX487 but also the Synology DS209+ II network-attached storage box

The EX495 was particularly fast during virus scans and at finding files thanks to the indexing feature of its Windows Home Server operating system.

You can read about it here.

PC Pro reviews the HP StorageWorks X510 Data Vault.

..the X510 comes up short in the features department, and it also has a lot of extraneous multimedia toys. However, if you want totally automated workstation backup plus easy to use disaster recovery functions then this is worth considering.

You can read the full review here.

PCMag.com reviews the HP MediaSmart EX495 and takes a look at its design and how it is setup setup, as well as its features and performance.

(The) MediaSmart is still leading the pack among home servers by supporting many features that are not available in other network storage devices. It’s far from perfect, but definitely still leads the WHS product market.

PCMag.com gives it the Editors Choice award which you can read about here.

Episode 66 of The Home Server Show Podcast is all about Power Pack 3, and chatting about it is Microsoft’s Community Program Manager Jonas Svensson, with what’s new, how to install it and more.

Grab episode 66 from here.