As you know by now, there is no upgrade path from Windows Home Server V1 to WHS 2011. However, Tranquil PC are offering a unique service to existing SQA-5H owners that might interest you.
Tranquil PC are pleased to offer the following upgrades from SQA-5H Home Server to Windows Home Server 2011.
Due to the nature of Windows Home Server and Windows Home Server 2011, there is no ‘user upgrade’ available, as perhaps you may have used to upgrade XP to Vista in the past. Neither has Microsoft issued a ‘upgrade’ of the operating system licence.
The outcome of the above means that our upgrade offers are based on factory upgrades.
There are two upgrade options:
1. Option 1
SQA-5H with Windows Home Server to SQA-5H with Windows Home Server 2011
(Operating System upgrade + new Add In, with data transfer service, and fully factory re-test)
Option 2
SQA-5H with Windows Home Server to Leo HS4 with Windows Home Server 2011
(Operating System upgrade + new Add In, with data transfer service, and fully factory re-test
PLUS – full hardware upgrade incl new main board + i3-2100T CPU + 2GB DDR3 RAM )
Both options re-use your existing hard disks.
Item 1 includes :
- Customer returns SQA-5H to Tranquil factory
- Tranquil copy all customer data to a secure storage server
- The unit is then upgraded to Windows Home Server 2011, including a new licence
- DataCore Disk Management Add In, is installed and any additional HDDs in your server are added to the storage pool.
- The unit is then initialised to your requirements (Admin password and machine name)
- Your data is then moved back to your server folders
- The unit is then fully factory tested, prior to shipping it back you you.
Cost for the above process is £189.00, irrespective of the amount of data that is protected and then moved back. On occasions Tranquil may contact you, if there are any further cost options / requirements, ie the possible adding of new HDDs etc. Return shipping costs and VAT are not included. Turnaround times vary, but normal service level for the above process is 5-7 days.
Item 2 includes :
- Customer returns SQA-5H to Tranquil factory
- Tranquil copy all customer data to a secure storage server
- The unit is disassembled and rebuilt using:
· New System main board (Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor support)
· New Intel i3-2100T CPU
· New 2GB DDR3 RAM
· New fan less CPU cooling system + re-labelling
- Please note that the Leo HS4 is only a four HDD system, and we can’t accept units with five HDDs in use.
- The unit is then upgraded to Windows Home Server 2011, including a new licence
- DataCore Disk Management Add In, is installed and any additional HDDs in your server are added to the storage pool.
- The unit is then initialised to your requirements (Admin password and machine name)
- Your data is then moved back to your server folders
- The unit is then fully factory tested, prior to shipping it back you.
- Any new components are supplied with a new 24 month warranty.
Cost for the above process is £479.00, irrespective of the amount of data that is protected and then moved back. On occasions Tranquil may contact you, if there are any further cost options / requirements, ie the possible adding of new HDDs / storage controller card etc. Return shipping costs and VAT are not included. Turnaround times vary, but normal service level for the above process is 7-10 days.
If you would like to discuss either option 1 or option 2 above please drop an email to martin@tranquilpc.co.uk
Tranquil deserve so much kudos for this move – they are so customer focused, and have such a truly innovative approach to the market. They are pretty much alone in really making something of WHS, especially now HP are out of the market. £189 for the SQA-5H update is also an incredibly reasonable price, given the time and effort that’s involved with the process described.
I recall meeting the head of Tranquil at a meeting at Microsoft in London, right at the beginning of WHS1. He was a thoroughly nice chap, and clearly extremely enthusiastic about his business and the opportunities. He was carrying an early prototype at the time. It’s so great to see that enthusiasm has turned into such a top business. Long may it continue.
Dan, I couldn’t agree more!
As far as I know, Tranquil are the only company to offer this option for exisiting WHS V1 owners. And well HP are not going to be doing anything so that really doesn’t leave that many other companies, and I cant see Acer doing it!
I think the cost is very reasonable, especially when you take into consideration the WHS 2011 licence and the licence for the DataCore add-in, and as you say, then you have the data migration as well (which is a real pain to do)!
I might be taking them up on this offer. Only thing is you do lose a drive bay. I wonder if there any noise comparisons between the old SQA-5h and the new HS4?