Archive

Preview of the Asus U80V Laptop

Andrew Edney

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Aug 6, 2009

Asus have recently launched a new series of laptops, known as the Asus U Series. Here we take a look at one of those new laptop models, the Asus U80V laptop, which is due out soon.

When you press the power button on the laptop you get a really cool little lightshow on the keyboard track pad. Well, ok, I liked it, but I suppose eventually I would be bored with it! However when you are using the track pad in Windows the little lights track your movement, which is amusing. The track pad itself is multi touch – so you can use it to zoom in, out, etc. This sounds pretty cool, but to be honest I had a lot of problems with it and found it to be fairly unresponsive at times. Also, considering you would would to use this feature, its probably a little too small!

Also, depending on the light wherever you are using the laptop, the keyboard is backlight. Unfortunately you cant see that very well in the following two pictures, but believe me when I say it is very nice.

One of the selling points on this laptop is a feature called Express Gate V2. This features enables you to boot up the laptop in around 8 seconds or so in order to quickly gain access to applications such as Instant Messenger and Internet Explorer.

The specifications for the U80V are as follows:

Processor(s)

Number of processors	1
Number of cores	2 per processor
Number of threads	2 per processor
Name	Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo
Code Name	Penryn
Specification	Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9550 @ 2.66GHz
Package	Socket P (478)
Family/Model/Stepping	6.7.A
Extended Family/Model	6.17
Core Stepping	E0
Technology	45 nm
Core Speed	1600.4 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed	6.0 x 266.7 MHz
Rated Bus speed	1066.9 MHz
Stock frequency	2666 MHz
Instruction sets	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, EM64T
L1 Data cache (per processor)	2 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache (per processor)	2 x 32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache (per processor)	6144 KBytes, 24-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory

Northbridge	Intel PM45 rev. 07
Southbridge	Intel 82801IM (ICH9-M) rev. 03
Graphic Interface	PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width	x8
PCI-E Max Link Width	x16
Memory Type	DDR2
Memory Size	4096 MBytes
Memory Frequency	400.1 MHz (2:3)
CAS# Latency (tCL)	6.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD)	6 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP)	6 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS)	18 clocks

System

System Manufacturer	ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
System Name	U80V
System S/N	100302350014
Mainboard Vendor	ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Mainboard Model	U80V
BIOS Vendor	American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Version	204
BIOS Date	04/23/2009

Memory SPD

Module 1	DDR2, PC2-6400 (400 MHz), 2048 MBytes, Nanya Technology
Module 2	DDR2, PC2-6400 (400 MHz), 2048 MBytes, Samsung

Software

Windows Version	Microsoft Windows Vista (6.0) Ultimate Edition Service Pack 1 (Build 6001)
DirectX Version	10.0

The dimensions on the laptop are (in mm) : 351 x 243 x 25.4 and it weighs in around 2.15 Kg.

The laptop comes preinstalled with Windows Vista Ultimate – and below is the Windows Experience Index for it.

Thoughts and Conclusion

So at first glance this laptop looks quite sexy – its sleek, fairly light, has that cool light show on boot up, a nice backlit keyboard and has a very clear LED screen (which works well in a number of different lights) and quite a good spec. Oh, and the battery life is really good as well – around 6 hours or so in average use.

But you know what? I was quite disappointed by it. Nothing really jumped out at me when using it that made me want to use this laptop over and above anything else.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not horrible or anything, it’s just not amazing. Perhaps running Windows 7 would make it better? Unfortunately I didn’t have it long enough to try.

Currently there are no prices in the UK for this laptop, so if Asus really want to do well on this model they will have to come in at a really good price point.

Given a really good price, and trying it with Windows 7, it might be worth taking a good hard look at it.

Not reviewing the LX195 Windows Home Server on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo

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Aug 4, 2009

1

I just received my $199 LX195. The HP special last week was too good to pass up. There is not much to talk about. There is no reason to take it apart. I am not even going to review it. So why did I buy it?

I already have a home built WHS and this little LX195 was not purchased for me. I am giving it to my sister and her husband. Why? Well let me explain why you should do the same. If you are reading this article then you probably already own a Windows Home Server. Being the proud owner of a WHS you know all the benefits of having centralized storage, daily backups and remote access. My sister however, really does not care about these features. She just wants to use her existing PCs and keep some old files on a letter drive. Why buy her a WHS then? Is this not a waste or overkill?

Mental note: I have always been bewildered by some people that are serious computer professionals yet have a difficult time maintaining their own personal equipment. My mechanic has a crappy car. Is it the same thing?

Background

I bought the LX195 because my sisters Buffalo took a crap. I bet you have never heard that excuse before. Anyway…the Buffalo NAS drive I bought her two years ago stopped working three weeks ago. It goes into some safe mode, from what she tells me, but I am 547 miles away and cannot remote access to her network to try and fix it. Since I am the sole employee of Daleo Family Tech Support it is my job to get it fixed. I paid about $150 at CC a few years back and to replace it with a modern version would cost about the same today. The price is close enough to the LX195 for me to pay for the upgrade. I ordered the LX195. Sweet.

Equipment Needed:

LX195 MediaSmart Server for $219.49

Six Imported Beers (to be provided by sister)

One Dead Buffalo

Why buy the LX195 for someone who could careless about WHS?

My sister does not know, or care, about WHS. Yet. I do not expect her to care, yet. So why do this? $219.49 is a lot to pay for a gift to a sibling but it makes financial sense if you take the time to do the math. She needs the LX195. She just does not know it yet.

She is so far away I cannot service her PCs quickly so “when” a drive dies or she has system errors someone else will have to fix it. Best Buy is just down the street from her but they want $299.99 for their standard repair service.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8545988&type=product&id=1188560394765

In addition, she currently forgets to regularly backup her systems (one Dell laptop and three Dell desktops) and is just rolling the dice for future issues. When you consider the time it takes to restore a drive or fix some serious errors the HP LX195 is the only way to go. She does not need TB size drives, Windows Media Center or even Add-Ins. The WHS is a Windows supported insurance program. Seriously.

Conclusion

Not much to conclude here. The LX195 showed up as ordered and was at a great price. Viva HP. Viva WHS. Seriously.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Message for WinHomeServer.com – Stop Ripping Off Our Posts

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Aug 4, 2009

6

This is a message for the owner of WinHomeServer.com – STOP RIPPING OFF OUR POSTS!

I have no problem with people linking to our posts, what I do have a problem with is people taking the entire post, screenshots and everything, reposting them claiming that it is their own work.

Everyone who writes for the site, and other sites, spends a lot of their free time doing it to help the community and it is really frustrating when someone comes along and basically STEALS their work.

And it’s not just our posts, its posts from other sites as well!

So Mr Tony Loosle, seeing as you dont provide a way to contact you easily, I am posting this for you, and everyone else to see. Maybe it will appear as a post on your website later!

PLEASE REMOVE ALL OF OUR POSTS IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL TAKE THIS MATTER FURTHER.

Perhaps you failed to notice the COPYRIGHT notice on the site?

Tranquil PC Reduces the Price of the SQA-5H Windows Home Servers

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Aug 3, 2009

0

Tranquil PC today announced that the are dropping the price of their SQA-5H series of Windows Home Servers.

The new prices are now as follows:

SQA-1000 1GB/500GB (4x HDD slots free) was £439 now £419

SQA-2000 2GB/1TB (4x HDD slots free) was £499 now £469

SQA-3000 2GB/2TB (4x HDD slots free) was £678 now £599

These prices are effective immediately.

For those of you interested, I reviewed the SQA-5H only yesterday!

Review of the Tranquil PC SQA-5H Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Aug 2, 2009

19

There are a number of manufacturers out there that sell Windows Home Servers – HP, Acer, etc, but only one of these is British – and that is Tranquil PC. Tranquil have been around for a while and sell all sort’s of cool kit, including PC’s, Windows Home Servers, and more. Did you know for example that Tranquil actually sold one of the first Windows Home Servers?

Well that was then, and this is now. Tranquil’s latest offering is the SQA-5H Home Server. Well actually there are three variants – the 1000 (with 1GB ram and a 500GB HDD), the 2000 (with 2GB ram and 1TB HDD) and finally the 3000 (with 2GB ram and 2TB HDD).

The first thing you will notice about this unit, compared to pretty much all the other Windows Home Server’s on the market is that it is white. That’s right folks, its not black or grey its white! Ok, if you really want it in black you can, but actually there is something kind of retro about the white look.

As well as the colour options, when you place your order you can also order additional hard drives (at quite reasonable prices, unlike some of the other WHS manufacturers).

Inside the Box

When you first receive the box, even that has a picture of the SQA-5H on it, which I think goes to show how much Tranquil want to make a good impression.

Once you get inside the box, you have the SQA-5H itself, an 80W power supply, an Ethernet cable and a Media Pack. This Media Pack contains the initial setup DVD, Connector software and Server Recovery DVD, along with a silver credit card looking object, which is in fact a USB key used for Server Recovery – but more on that in a moment. The initial setup DVD also contains instructions and manuals for setting up the SQA-5H. Now when I say manual, what I mean is actually a 38 page presentation that presents you with simple easy steps to follow, and they are just that.

Every single item in the box has been checked and tested by Tranquil prior to dispatch, so if there is anything wrong or damaged, it is likely to have happened during transit. And if that is the case, they are very quick to put things right (from what I have read in their forums and discussions with Tranquil themselves).

SQA-5H Specifications

Again, a change from the norm when it comes to Windows Home Server is the fact that the SQA-5H has 5 internal drive bays, instead of the usual 4, so that’s just one more internal drive you can use if you have it.

The observant amongst you have probably noticed a small panel on the back of the unit below the USB ports. Well this is the service plate, and if you remove it you have access to some additional connectors, including a VGA connector for troubleshooting problems, if you need them!

The drive bays are very simple to use, and are a bit like the drive bays on the HP MediaSmart servers.

Just one little click releases the handle, pull that down, slide the bay out, clip the drive in and slide it back into place – very simple, and no fuss whatsoever.

There are also a number of LEDs on the front panel which signify a number of different things – but don’t worry as Tranquil include a label on the underside of the SQA-5H to explain each one. You can even tell how much storage has been used by checking the LEDs, and you can even dim them if you so wish.

Finally there is a blue button on the front panel called Backup. This is used to run a server backup to an already configured backup drive. This server backup is initially configured from the Windows Home Server Console, but instead of continually going back to the console to run the same backup again at a later stage, you can just press the button – which is nice.

For those of you interested in the exact specifications, below are the specs for the 1000.

Unit dimensions	213 (W) x 221 (D) x 195 (H) – incl feet
Unit construction	Enamelled steel (typically >70% recycled materials)
CPU cooling	Internal CPU and chipset aluminium heat sink (fan less)
CPU	64 bit ready Intel Atom 330 (2×1.6GHz) Dual Core
Memory	1x DDR2 533/667MHz (up to 2GB)
HDD	1 – 5x 3.5″ Western Digital (Green Power) – or user fitted 3.5″ SATA2 HDDs
Colour options	Satin Black
Front panel	Power, Mode and Backup switches, multi-coloured status LEDs and 2x USB2.0
Rear panel	12V DC power in / 4x USB2.0 / 10/100/1000 LAN / eSATA (with Port Multiplier). Desk Lock
Weight	Base unit (nett) 6Kg (1x HDD fitted)
Packing box	310 (W) x 320 (D) x 290 (H) (external)
Power supply	Universal (50/60Hz – 110/240V) External AC/DC with country specific power cord
HDD support	1 – 5x 3.5” HDD supported (SATA2)
Working temp	Maximum 44’C ambient
Acoustics	~23dBA (1x HDD)
HDD Cooling	Hot swap 8cm Fan, with optimised speed / acoustic control
Mounting options	Desk
Power consumption	29W (base unit, with 1x HDD)
Software	Windows Home Server PP1 pre-installed Media Pack, with Connector, Restore CDs and Installation DVD System / Data recovery system included iTunes Server Logitech Server

Installation and Configuring

Taking it all out of the box and plugging it together is simple and within a few minutes you can be up and running. Just pop the server initialisation DVD in and follow the instructions.

For those of you who like to see the screenshots, here they are:

Then its the usual Server configuration:

Now unlike most other Windows Home Server’s you have to type in your product key here rather than it already being entered for you. Important thing to note here is the Product Key is actually on a sticker that is on the underside of the SQA-5H so either write it down before you start the installation, turn the unit upside down now, or don’t enter the key now and do it later from the Windows Home Server Console (you have 30 days to do this, so don’t worry!).

Currently the SQA-5H comes with Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 so you will have to perform some updates to bring it up to date with Power Pack 2 and all the usual updates, although because it is already PP2 the updates shouldn’t take that long.

And that is it, you are ready to roll – or rather do your first backup and install those add-ins that you feel you want and need.

Server Reinstallation

So do you remember earlier I mentioned the silver credit card looking USB thing? Well, this, along with the Server Recovery DVD, is what you use if you have to perform a server recovery – so whatever you do, keep it safe!

It is very simple to use, you just push out the little USB clip, plug it into the SQA-5H, switch the SQA-5H on, pop the recovery DVD into one of your networked computers and start the process.

You have two options – a recovery keeping your data (assuming you had more than one hard drive)and a full factory settings restore, which completely wipes your drive (this is the one you would use in the event of a primary drive failure).

The process is pretty slick – it searches for your server, and when it finds it the drive is wiped and repartition for you. When this process starts you can pull the USB key out and just sit back.

The process itself can take anywhere from about 10 minutes to half an hour on a clean drive. Once this is done you just pop in the server initialisation DVD again and start from scratch.

Just don’t make the same mistake I did and rush to do that final step – you need to be patient and wait until the SQA-5H reboots and is ready. My problem was I didn’t notice it at first as it’s rather quiet! Watch out for the lights on the front of the unit to know when it is ready.

UPDATE : Inside the SQA-5H

Here are some images of inside the SQA-5H:

Thoughts and Conclusions

I really like the SQA-5H, it has some very unique qualities about it, from the retro white look, to the backup button on the front panel. It is quiet (partly because of the Green drives that Tranquil ship with it) and it has 5 internal drive bays (which are so simple to use), plus the usual USB ports and an eSATA multiplier port, which once again beats out the current HP MediaSmart EX48x series as it can be used to connect several drives to it instead of just the one drive that HP now support. Plus throw in the USB recovery key and you are on to a winner.

Also, Tranquil offer a 36 month return to base warranty provided you have registered it within 28 days of purchase.

The 64 bit processor that is used also ensures that it will be upgradable in the future when the next version of Windows Home Server is shipped, not to mention that is makes it really fast now.

This is certainly the best Windows Home Server you can currently buy in the UK – and Tranquil will even ship this outside of the UK if you need that.

Tranquil have done a really good job with the SQA-5H, and I am eager to see what they come up with next.

Pricing wise, the 1000 starts at £439 (excluding VAT), the 2000 starts at £499 (excluding VAT) and the 3000 starts at £679 (excluding VAT).

UPDATE: As of the 3rd August , Tranquil have reduced the prices to £419 for the 1000, £469 for the 200 and £599 for the 3000 (all excluding VAT).

To see more information about the different SQA-5H units, and to place an order, click here.

Europe to get PROPER Windows 7

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2009

2

Microsoft announced yesterday that Europe would get the “proper” version of Windows 7 and not the horribly reduced E version as previously stated!

For those of you who haven’t been following this, the E version of Windows 7, just for Europe, would not have contained Internet Explorer, because apparently the 7 or so users of a browser called Opera wouldn’t be happy. Opera complained to the European Commission about Microsoft. I didn’t see them complaining to them about Apple with their Safari browser though, but that’s another story!

This also means that existing users of Windows Vista in Europe will be able to upgrade to Windows 7, where as with the E version there was no upgrade path and Vista owners would need to do a clean installation.

Anyone who has pre-ordered the Windows 7 E version will get the PROPER version instead 🙂

Review of the WD Caviar Green 2TB SATA Hard Drive

Andrew Edney

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Jul 31, 2009

6

You could easily argue that a hard drive is the most important component of your computer or storage device, and personally I agree with that. After all, it is the hard drive that stores all of your important data and serves it up to you when you ask for it.

Hard drives come in all shapes and sizes, and recently Western Digital released the worlds first 2TB SATA drive, the Caviar Green 2TB drive, WD20EADS.

Well I certainly couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play around with one of these drives. The drive itself consists of 4 separate 500GB platters – seriously, how do they manage to fit them into the same size that only a year or so ago was 1TB!

The “Green” element of the drive refers to the fact that it has a reduced power consumption of up to 40% compared to standard desktop drives but rather than reel off a lot of features, I will just paste them below from the product description.

Product Features

Reduced power consumption — WD has reduced power consumption by up to 40 percent
compared to standard desktop drives with the combination of WD’s IntelliSeek™, NoTouch™,
and IntelliPower™ technologies.

Helps enable eco-friendly PCs — By using environmentally-conscious PCs with our
WD Caviar Green drives on board, large organizations with many desktop computers can
minimize their carbon footprint and save real money on electricity costs.

Cool and quiet — GreenPower™ technology yields lower operating temperatures for
increased reliability and low acoustics for ultra-quiet PCs and external drives.
Perfect for external drives — External drive manufacturers can eliminate the need for a fan in
a high-capacity product with a WD Caviar Green drive, the coolest and quietest in its class.
IntelliPower™ — A fine-tuned balance of spin speed, transfer rate, and caching algorithms
designed to deliver both significant power savings and solid performance. Additionally,
WD Caviar Green drives consume less current during startup allowing lower peak loads on
systems as they are booted.

IntelliSeek™ — Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise, and
vibration.

NoTouch™ ramp load technology — The recording head never touches the disk media
ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive
protection in transit.

StableTrac™ — The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration
and stabilize platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. (2 TB model only)
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) — Server feature for performance in random I/O
transaction environments. It aggregates many small random data transfers and allows the disk
to reorder the commands in a sequential order for faster access.

Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) — Employs PMR technology to achieve even
greater areal density.

Low power spin-up — WD Caviar Green drives consume less current during startup allowing
lower peak loads.

Advanced power technology — Electronic components deliver best-in-class low power
consumption for reduced power requirements and increased reliability.

Performance Specifications
For those of you who might be interested in specifications of the drive, they are as follows:

Transfer Rates
Buffer To Host (Serial ATA) : 3 Gb/s (Max)

Physical Specifications
Formatted Capacity : 2,000,398 MB
Capacity : 2 TB

Interface : SATA 3 Gb/s

User Sectors Per Drive : 3,907,029,168

Physical Dimensions
Height : 1.028 Inches
Length : 5.787 Inches
Width : 4.00 Inches
Weight : 1.61 Pounds

Environmental Specifications

Shock
Operating Shock (Read) : 65G, 2 ms
Non-operating Shock : 300G, 2 ms

Acoustics
Idle Mode : 25 dBA (average)
Seek Mode 0 : 29 dBA (average)
Seek Mode 3 : 26 dBA (average)

Vibration
Operating
Linear : 20-300 Hz, .75G (0 to peak)
Random : 10-300 Hz, 0.008 g² / Hz

Non-operating
Low Frequency : 5-20 Hz, 0.195 inches (double amplitude)
High Frequency : 20-500 Hz, 4.0G (0 to peak)

Electrical Specifications

Current Requirements

Power Dissipation

Read/Write : 6.00 Watts
Idle : 3.7 Watts

Standby : 0.80 Watts

Sleep : 0.80 Watts

Thoughts and Conclusions

My first thing when playing with this drive was to put it into my Windows Home Server and use it as part of the storage pool. The size of the drive is great for increasing my available space, and the fact that it uses a lot less power and produces a lot less heat than most other drives would be perfect. But then I decided that it might be even better to use it as the primary drive on my main desktop machine, so that is exactly where I put it, and where it is right now.

It has been running now for a few weeks and I haven’t had a single problem with it. In fact, it really is so quiet that you barely know its there! The speed of the drive is great as well – ok, it is not the fastest hard drive on the planet, but it also doesn’t claim to be. Now don’t get me wrong, it isn’t slow either! In fact, I would be hard pressed to find anything bad to say about the drive (except maybe the price, and even then it wouldn’t be a complaint as much as a quiet grumble).

I can highly recommend this drive to anyone who wants to increase their storage capacity, or even someone who just wants to use a more “eco” friendly drive.

Sorry Western Digital, you are not getting this little beauty back. Any chance of a few more – for research purposes of course 🙂

The WD Caviar Green 2TB SATA Drive retails in the UK for around £180 (including from Amazon) and around $299.99 in US. Whilst it certainly isn’t cheap, it really isn’t that expensive really considering what you are getting for the price. And like a lot of technology, this is the only “one” on the market right now so expect the price to drop eventually.

A Little Review of USB Installs

Grant Sebastian

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Jul 28, 2009

1

So everyone has heard that with the upcoming Windows 7 you can install via a USB stick. Well it is not just that one operating system; Win XP, Vista and Windows Home Server can also be done this way. Sure others can also be installed using this method but I have not tested it.

So how hard is it? Not hard at all. There are many links on the internet if did a search but a handy little tool has come to light. It is called “A Bootable USB”.

It is best that you use a USB that is 4 GB or greater but on some of the OS installs you can use smaller ones. Be aware that some USB sticks that I have tried have just not worked.

This utility is so easy to use; The Utility, a USB stick and the DVD or ISO image of the OS. The utility can create a bootable in a few minutes. You simply specify your source (DVD or ISO) and click “Start” (“Start DVD” or “Start ISO”). Upon completion, you’ll have a bootable USB drive which you use to install your new OS.

Download A Bootable USB.

How I bought Windows Home Server on a Friday night.

Timothy Daleo

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Jul 28, 2009

1

Each Friday night I write an article about some aspect of Windows Home Server. I write about Add-Ins, hardware, software, tips and even reasons to use Windows Home Server. Friday when I got home I decided I was just going to enjoy Windows Home Server and give it the night off. Well you know what I mean.

Equipment Needed

Windows Home Server

Two Beers (optional as always)

Memories and some screen shots of old email

Background

Three years ago I had a relatives (uh mom) laptop hard drive crash. The drive was unrecoverable and the backup drive I had lent them still to this day has not been found. After three days of reinstalling software, locating files from other computers and replacing the drive I decided then that I would never let this happen again.

I immediately looked around for solutions and found the Netgear SC101 SAN. Yes SAN. The SC101 was a great little toaster looking thing that allowed you to use your own 3.5″ IDEs over a network. I added two IDE 500GB drives and proudly owned my first TB. Well slightly less. Anyway. The network access allowed me to use Windows Backup Wizard to back the PCs up to one location and solved the issue of total data loss. In addition the Backup Wizard required the recipient PC to already have Windows loaded so if I did have a drive loss I was still spending hours to restore. The network speed was slow and backups were also slow.The SC101 connector software (ZSAN) was crap, it did not have any cooling (later models did) and eventually I had to look elsewhere.

The next year I finally gave up on the Netgear SC101 (I had three total) and the connector issues and moved to Buffalo LinkStation NAS drive. This drive solved my connectivity issues and it was over twice as fast. It was still slow during backups but it worked. It had a noisy little fan but ran cool and the software was ok.

Mental note: I bought my sister one too and it died two weeks ago after two years of service. It is being replaced with an LX195 next weekend. I got the HP for $199 last week. Did anyone else see that amazing deal? It is listed below.

Never happy with the Buffalo the next year I upgraded to the Western Digital My Book World Edition. It was pretty, white, had a strange blue ring, 500 GB and I could access the drive from the Internet. It seemed like a great solution, but while it had speeds that were triple the Buffalo, the software was annoying and required you to register to access the drive. It ran really hot and was a disappointment overall since it required the Mionet software and blocked the sharing of certain files types. Flippers.

NAS Speeds

I have referenced this site in other articles. It is a great site for speed comparisons and network information including all HP WHS systems!

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_nas/Itemid,190

Are you going to talk about Windows Home Server in this article or just bash NAS?

At the start of last year (2008), frustrated and pissed off at NAS, I got a licensed copy of Windows Server 2003 and decided to make my own server. I had an old Optiplex GX60 and loaded the 2003 Server OS. With 2003 I could access files and log in remotely. I created folders and could connect all of my machines. In addition my speed seemed to be improved and the interface was through Windows so there were not compatibility issues. It looked promising but it sure was complicated. And was it safe? I still do not know if I had it set up right. Now I was starting to see terms like domain, trees and clustering. WTF? I am not a SysAd. I even bought a book but it seemed like I was going to have to get a degree in Server 2003 just to make sure it was safe and running properly.

Once again frustrated, I was thinking of selling the software and licenses. I looked on Newegg to see what the Server 2003 software was going for new and as I queried Windows Server Software and I stumbled upon Windows Home Server. What was this software? I had never heard of it. $99 with free shipping? I bought it right then and there. Oh, and then I went to Microsoft to see what I bought. At that time the MS WHS web site was different. You could either buy the HP version (expensive and through a link) or you could build your own. Since I am a Dell guy I logged on to Dell and found a closeout on a PowerEdge SC440 with no OS. I was on my way to Servertown!

I got the Dell in a few days, and after running to BB to get a IDE DVD (in my rush to order the Dell I just got the CD-ROM and did not think about WHS DVD installation) and booted from the DVD. Within the first few hours I am up and running and in LOVE. This interface is so great and easy to work in. The backup alone is worth the cost of the whole system. I have spent the last six months flipping around with Server 2003 so this was amazing. I also realized I need more storage so I went to Frys and got a 500GB drive to sit next to the 80GB.

For those of you doing the math we have:

$246.81 for the Dell

$108.24 for the OEM WHS

$86.59 for the 500GB drive

$39.18 for the DVD drive from BB

GRAND TOTAL of $480.82

Two days later I see a deal for the HP and get one for my parents for $80 less. Remember this deal? Did I mention I was in love?

Oh, and I got $92.50 back from Microsoft!

Home-built versus HP

I must say that my home built is still going strong but I would definitely recommend a HP to anyone looking for simplicity and ease of use. I had some driver issues with the Dell since it did not come with an OS. In addition, the cost savings for HPs make it just as competitive as making your own. If you like hardware, build your own but otherwise look for a supported WHS.

Preaching to the Choir

We all love WHS. You would not have read this far if you did not. Anyone can get these types of WHS deals. I am just a normal guy with no special contacts. I just keep an eye on Fat Wallet and Tech Bargains and buy the deals when they hit. I am sure you all have similar deals that you received. If any of you have not bought a WHS yet look around first and get the best deal you can. If you shop smart you can get a WHS for not much more than a NAS drive.

For example:

HP had a sale going on last week (still active as of July 25th, 2009) and instead of buying another Buffalo NAS for my sister (hers flippin died) at Newegg for $200, how could I resist a WHS for the same price? Are they just giving this stuff away or what?

Techbargains has the detailed information and the deal is legitimate. I got it on Saturday and will hook it up at her house in two weeks!

I bet you can even get better deals than I did! Tell your friends and family. I think about all of the money I spent on the NAS systems over the years and I could have bought multiple WHS systems.

It only takes one disk crash to change your life. You have to back up. Could Microsoft make it any easier for us? I cannot wait to see what future updates bring us.

Conclusion

This turned into an article about how WHS can be an alternative to NAS and about good deals for WHS systems. It was not my intention to write the article like this but I think I wrote from the heart. If anything I hope it was entertaining or informative. While I wrote this article, my WHS was watering my lawn, turning on lights, playing a movie on my plasma and keeping my data organized. Tonight when I go to sleep it will back up my files and ensure that each PC on my network is safe and secure.

NAS has its place in history but WHS is the future. I love Windows Home Server. Viva WHS. Seriously.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Review of HDHomeRun Networked Digital TV Tuner

Andrew Edney

-

Jul 25, 2009

11

TV Tuner cards are not exactly new – you can buy cards for you desktop computer and you can even buy USB devices as well. What is new though is an Ethernet based tuner, and one that comes with not just one, but two built in tuners and supports streaming up to 1080i. This little marvel is called the HDHomeRun from SiliconDust.

What you do is connect the HDHomeRun to your home network via the supplied Ethernet cable and then connect an aerial source into one or both of the tuners (if you want use more than one tuner, and why wouldn’t you, you may need to buy an aerial splitter). Once it is all configured you can use any computer on your home network to view, and even record live TV.

HDHomeRun Networked Digital TV Tuner Specifications

One Box, Two Digital Tuners, Anywhere on Your Network

Watch TV from any computer on your network.
Record full 1080i broadcast resolution.
Pause, rewind, fast-forward live TV.
Schedule and record all your favourite TV shows.
Expand with multiple HDHomeRun devices.

TV sources

For use in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand:

DVB-T over-the-air digital TV.
Unencrypted digital cable.

For United States and Canada click here

Works with popular DVR software:

Pause, rewind, fast-forward live TV.
Record all your favorite TV shows by name.
Integrated TV guide (provided by the DVR software).

Seamless operation with multiple computers:

Run Vista or Windows 7 Media Center on multiple computers sharing the pool of HDHomeRun tuners.
Tuners are automatically allocated between computers as needed.
Multiple HDHomeRun units can be used together to expand the number of tuners.
Tuner pooling works with Windows Media Center, GBPVR, MediaPortal, and TotalMedia.

Compatible With:

Windows Media Center:

MCE 2005 (32/64-bit)
Vista WMC (32/64-bit)
WMC TV Pack (32/64-bit)
Windows 7 (32/64-bit)

MediaPortal – DVR for Windows
GB-PVR – DVR for Windows
VLC – Multi-platform media viewer

DVB-T (QAM64/16/QPSK)
DVB-C (QAM256/128/64 Annex A/C)
8/7/6 MHz channel bandwidth (multi-country operation).
IR Receiver (signal PC with a standard remote control)
100baseTX high speed network
1 year warranty

Requirements:

2.8 GHz Pentium 4 (or similar) for HD playback
512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
1-2 GB per 1/2 hour of DTV recording

What’s inside the box?

The box comes very neatly packaged and includes the HDHomeRun unit itself, a power supply, a software CD, an Ethernet cable and two aerial cables.

The HDHomeRun itself is tiny – in fact it is smaller than a video tape (for those of you who are not old enough to remember video tapes, they were big things that were around before DVDs).

There are only four connections on the back of the unit – a power connector, an Ethernet port and the two tuner connectors.

There is no on or off switch, if the device has power then there a green light showing at the front.

Plugging the device in took less than a minute – so nice and easy there.

Installing the HDHomeRun Software

There is an installation CD that comes in the box but I would suggest you skip it and just go download the latest version of the software from the HDHomeRun website. This will not only give you the latest version of the software, but also the latest version of the firmware for the unit.

Installation was very simple and only took a few minutes.

The first time the software launched it found the device and because I was using an updated version of the software, it automatically upgraded the firmware on the device. This was a nice touch and means that you won’t forget to do it or have additional steps and downloads.

Once the unit had rebooted I was asked to choose my Country and enter my Zip/Postal Code, which I did.

The next step is to select the source for each tuner and which application you want to use. In my case I only connected one aerial point and chose Digital Antenna and Windows Media Center for my playback.

The next thing I had to do was run a scan to find all the available channels.

This doesn’t actually take that long and you can watch the progress.

When this is complete you can see the list of available channels – from here you can also disable any channels you don’t want.

If you want to check the channel, you can click the view button which opens Windows Media Player and allows you watch it. You can even just use this to watch TV if you don’t have Media Center installed.

There is another program installed with the HDHomeRun software which enables you to configure the device, check the signal strength and update the firmware if required.

Using Windows Media Center

So I decided that I wanted to use Windows Media Center to watch and record live TV using the HDHomeRun.

Set up was again very simple, I just followed the wizard in Media Center to add and configure a TV tuner.

Conclusion

I have to say that I really like the HDHomeRun, its very small, easy to set up and the quality is fantastic. Because the device needs to be connected to your network you can pretty much connect it anywhere, as long as there is an aerial point.

And now with Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 adding the ability to automatically move your recorded content onto your Home Server for you, having an easy to use tuner, or tuners is a winning combination.

The HDHomeRun costs around £160 in the UK and can be ordered from various sources online.

And a big thank you to Nectar for supplying a review unit of the HDHomeRun.

The Home Server Show Podcast – Show 50

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

-

Jul 23, 2009

0

Dave over at the HomeServerShow.com has released the latest edition of his podcast, The Home Server Show, number 50.

This weeks show they mostly cover Windows Home Server Power Pack 3, plus all the usual news and good stuff.

And yes, that is me talking about Power Pack 3 on the show – I’ve really got around this week 🙂

You can get more information here, and download it from iTunes or your other favourite place.

The Media Center Show #216 – MCEZone and Windows Home Server Power Pack 3

Andrew Edney

-

Jul 23, 2009

1

Ian Dixon over at the Digital Lifestyle.com has just released the latest Media Center Show, which includes information on Window Home Server PP3, including a quick chat with me on what PP3 brings to the party for Windows Home Server.

Have a listen by clicking here.

Adding a new PC using ‘control userpasswords2’ to Windows Home Server on a Friday Night

Windows Home Server

Timothy Daleo

-

Jul 20, 2009

3

I just got my mother a new Dell laptop from Best Buy and I am going to connect it to her Windows Home Server. This usually is not a task worth mentioning but the Geek Squad at Best Buy opens the PCs they sell before you get them. You would think it was nice of them to “check” the new PC for you, but the Geek Squad, bless their little capitalist hearts, load it with cheapie virus protection software and other useless trial applications. In this article I will explain how to work around what those Geeks screwed up.

Background

My parents have two Dell laptops and a HP MSS EX470 and it is time for an upgrade to one of their old laptops. I usually order directly from Dell but our local Best Buy had the same model and as-built specs for the same price. Same price, right? Why not get it today?

While they were picking up the laptop I connected via Remote and added a new User account so she could run both laptops concurrently until she was comfortable retiring the old one. The new laptop has Vista Premium and I want mom to transition from XP Home so she can use Windows Media Center. Viva WHS!

My parents picked up the laptop and had the opened box waiting for me when I arrived and planned on spending just FIVE minutes to connect it to their server. Opened box?

Mental note: Best Buy may have a FIVE minute pick up guarantee but to undo their software crap takes a hour!

What I did not know at the time of purchase was that Best Buy was going to open the box and load a bunch of crap on it. In addition, they were going to give it a name "OWNER-PC" that Mom, and her WHS, did not recognize.

The already opened, now taped up, box is waiting on their kitchen counter which has a label over the tape that say something like "Thank you for shopping at Best Buy. A Geek Squad technician has made changes to your new computer because Corporate can probably trick the average consumer into accepting crappy software that even Dell (believe it or not) would not ship with this computer."

I am not sure if that was exactly what it said, but I think it was close. Lets set this pig on fire!

Equipment Needed

PC with WHS password or user name errors (Available at your local Best Buy)

One Beer (Optional as always)

Windows Home Server Connector CD

Connector Installation

I start the laptop and it boots right to the desktop. This is not good since not seeing a Vista set up screen is the first sign that I am going to have to change settings. Your first thought is to navigate to System Properties and change the name of the PC or even to change the default User Account prior to running the CD. For the purpose of this article I am going to follow that process. I make the changes to her PC and change the names to Mom.

System Properties

I connect to their wireless network and insert the WHS Connector CD. After the installation my cell phone starts texting me with all of the alerts on their WHS. I am getting alerts for no backup and out of date virus protection. I will fix that. Stop texting!

I can open the WHS Console but as you can see below the Name of the new PC is "OWNER-PC". I want the name to be MOM. It is my preference to keep the PC names and User Accounts in sync. You may have other preferences or not be as strange as I am. Viva WHS for letting us be individuals!

Right after I close the Console I get a balloon that a new Connector Upgrade is Available. I am prepared for this since the WHS Connector CD is the original once from a few years ago.

Before I start the upgrade process I need to fix the name. Since I already created a User Account for "MOM" I need to make the changes to this PC. But I already changed them in User Accounts and System Properties.

Get to a CMD line or type ‘control userpasswords2’ in the Run box.

This is the actual User Accounts box where you can change account names AND passwords that do not match. Have you been getting those annoying password match errors? This is where you fix it! Forget the standard interface. This one is the way to go if you need advanced controls.

Click on Properties.

Even though I had changed the name to Mom before I need to change it here to really get the names synchronized. Change the User name to the correct name.

See how the User Name is now "MOM"? This PC is now in sync with WHS!

While I am making these changes the virus protection has updated and WHS is Yellow now. In addition I have spared you the details of removing the other applications, toolbars and icons. If you would like more information on those applications see you local BB.

I click on Yellow and my only remaining Risk issue is updating the Connector. I click on the link to start the process.

Once you click on the link a browser window will open. Click on "Download Now" to start the upgrade.

The standard File Download box appears. Click on Run.

When the exe. file opens click on Run.

I am on wireless so the download takes about a minute. You mileage will vary.

Once it downloads it sees the old connector and asks to replace it. Click on Yes.

Once the new connector is installed it will guide you through the connection process. Click on Next.

Watch the pretty green bar. Consider opening a second beer.

The connector will ask you for your WHS password. This is NOT the PC password unless you made it the same.

This part of the setup is to verify the backup settings. You can always change this later. Click on Yes.

Wait for the pretty green check boxes and click on Next.

You are now done with the connector upgrade. Click on Finish.

WHS is now Green and I am good to go. Seriously. My wife wants to go home so we are done here.

I will start the first backup before I leave (so I never have to repeat this again) and mom is all set!

Conclusion

Overall the installation was easy since I was expecting to make User Account changes. The main scope of this article was to show you the ‘control userpasswords2’ dialog box so you can easily make changes to User Accounts. This access route is good for when you add a used computer to your network or have password match errors.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Things to know about the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta

Andrew Edney

-

Jul 19, 2009

4

So the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta has been publicly available now for a few days, and we have been seeing queries on the PP3 forum and also to us here at the site and so I thought I would throw up a quick post with some things to know and be aware of with PP3 to hopefully save people some time and pain!

Read the documentation that comes with the beta! I know that most of us don’t bother to read documentation, but in this case you really should as the process for installation is different that usual and there are some important notes (which I will cover here as well!)
You install the PP3 beta by running the Install.cmd file and not the pp3 exe.
The console will still claim to be Power Pack 2 – this is expected.
All of the version numbers should say 2061 EXCEPT Drive Extender which should still say 2030.
There are problems installing the Windows Media Center Connector on machines running Windows 7 that are later than the 7100 RC build.
On Windows Vista, both the tv archive and the console view appear on the Windows Media Center “main menu” under Home Server where as on Windows 7 RC only tv archive appears there, console view is under Extras.
If you experience what you think is a bug, please log the bug on Microsoft Connect. The whole point of the public beta is to get as much feedback as possible and to correct everything as quickly as possible – that only works if you do your part 🙂
Windows 7 backups – the blog post Microsoft put out seems to have confused some people. There isn’t a new Windows 7 backup feature in PP3, what is there is integration with the Windows 7 Action Center to stop Windows 7 from telling you that there is not backup facility available (when you know there is).

If you find anything else you think worth mentioning, leave a comment.

And enjoy testing Power Pack 3.