Family Diary Locates Support Forum on UsingWindowsHomeServer.Com

When Andrew re-launched the UsingWindowsHomeServer.Com forums, he touched base with several developers and offered free hosting for their support forums.  Malcolm Ball, developer for Family Diary, has located his support forums on UsingWindowsHomeServer.Com.

FamilyDiary

Malcolm, welcome to the UsingWindowsHomeServer.Com family!  You can see his support area here.  And if you are a developer and need a place to put your support forum, drop Andrew a line at andrew@usingwhs.com.

If you have not done so yet, please check out the new forums board here.  Sign up and start posting!

And if you are a Family Diary customer looking for support, here it is!

Family Diary Support Forum Family Diary Website

ioSafe Launch 3TB SoloPRO

Our friends at ioSafe have been in touch to let us know that they have just released a 3TB SoloPRO.

back_FLATsideshot_FLATSoloPRO_low-angle-right_FLATSOLO-pro-box

I have a SoloPRO and will be posting a review shortly.

ioSafe produce some pretty cool, and hard wearing products. Just take a look at a video of my blasting one of their Rugged Portable drives back at CES in January.

Here is what ioSafe told us:

A 3TB version of the award-winning ioSafe® SoloPRO is now available, providing an unparalleled combination of speed, physical security and storage capacity.

AUBURN, Calif., May 4, 2011 —  ioSafe today announced the availability of a 3TB version of the fireproof and waterproof SoloPRO external hard drive. The 3TB SoloPRO enables users to store up to 1,500 hours of DVD-quality video, 45,000 hours of digital music or more than 500,000 digital photos.1

 

SoloPRO features include:

  • A choice of eSATA and USB 3.0 connections providing fast transfer speeds up to 3 to 4 times faster than USB 2.0.
  • Rugged disaster proof design. Both the USB 3.0 and eSATA versions of the SoloPRO protect against data loss at temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes per ASTM E119 or being submerged to a depth of 10 feet for up to 3 days.
  • 12 months Data Recovery Service Standard. Up to $2,500 towards the cost of third-party forensic data recovery, one time, for any reason including accidental deletion, hard drive failure, fires, floods, etc. Upgradeable to 3 or 5 years for  $49 or $99 respectively.
  • Available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and now 3TB.

“Both homes and businesses need to store every-increasing volumes of data,” said ioSafe CEO Robb Moore. “The 3TB SoloPRO provides users with an easy and cost-effective way to quickly and securely back that data up.”

The USB 3.0 SoloPRO supports both Windows and Mac desktop operating systems while the eSATA versions adds support for Linux and Windows and Mac server operating systems.

Pricing and availability

Priced at $499.99 the 3TB SoloPRO is available now via the ioSafe website, resellers and international distributors.

About ioSafe

Like an aircraft black box for data, ioSafe provides rugged, fireproof, waterproof hardware and disaster recovery services as a cost-effective way for corporations and consumers alike to protect their irreplaceable data.  ioSafe is a privately held company with headquarters in Auburn, Calif. For more information, please visit www.iosafe.com .

UWHS Community Forums Update

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Last week we re-launched our community forums, well today we have updated them to make them fit seamlessly into the site.

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New Changes

Ok, so what have we changed then?

Firstly the look and feel of the forums have been integrated into the main site, as you can see below:

new forums

Also, if you are using a mobile device to access the forums these have changed as well:

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What Do YOU Need To Do?

What we would like you to do is register if you haven’t done so already and create a profile. Then just jump straight in. You can ask anything you like and talk about anything you want. If you already have a profile make sure it is up to date and complete, including with an image as it makes it that much easier to use.

Is there anything you think is missing? Let us know and we will do our best to add it!

Remember, we will be giving away random prizes for the best contributors, and more!

Access the Using Windows Home Server Community Forums now

BYOB Episode 43 Out Now

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The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo have just released episode 43.

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Here is what is included in this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Low cost parts scavenging, High cost copper GPUs, and a special guest on this week’s BYOB.[/box]

As usual you can listen to the show from here.

How To Install Windows Home Server 2011 on to a Tranquil PC SQA-5H

If you already have a Tranquil PC SQA-5H Windows Home Server you might be considering how you would run Windows Home Server 2011 on it. In this guide we will show you just how to do that.

UWHS - SQA-5H WHS 2011 Installation Guide

Remember there is no possible way to upgrade a Windows Home Server V1 installation to Windows Home Server 2011 because 2011 is 64-bit and you just cant upgrade!

Pre-requisites

Before you start the process, you will need to have done the following:

  • either copied / moved off all your data from your existing WHS installation to a temporary location, OR you have put in a new System hard drive and have pulled out all the data drives
  • obtained a copy of Windows Home Server 2011 (at the time of writing this article you can only get it from MSDN or TechNet – the System Builder channel will have it at a later time, but remember it is not a retail product)
  • the latest SIL 3124 drives (more on that later)
  • Tranquil SQA-5H front panel drivers for WHS 2011 – these control the lights (more on that later too)
  • you have made a note of the user account details you will need to set up again and a note of any add-ins you had so that you can check if there are any WHS 2011 versions available as the V1 versions will not work with 2011
  • a few hours of time
  • and in honour of Tim – a few beers (or in my case soft drinks!)

This process works perfectly well if you use either a normal hard drive as your system drive or a Tranquil PC SAFE drive. I have tried it on both, with the SAFE drive being my main system drive.

If you don’t want to do this yourself, or you are unsure, Tranquil are offering an upgrade service, which includes the cost of a WHS 2011 licence and moving all your data for you.

Tranquil PC’s Windows Home Server 2011 Upgrade Service

Step 1 – Preparing the SQA-5H

Once you have performed all the pre-requisites, its time to start the actual installation.

For this step, the easiest way of installing Windows Home Server 2011 is to connect a mouse, keyboard and monitor and perform it that way, although most Windows Home Server’s from OEMs don’t have a monitor port.

As you probably know if you look at the back of the SQA-5H there is no visible monitor port. Fortunately Tranquil provided a monitor port, but it is hidden under a small Service plate.

So, do the following to be able to access the monitor port:

Unplug everything from your SQA-5H.

Turn it around so that the back is facing you.

UWHS - SQA-5H WHS 2011 Installation Guide

Unscrew the four screws on the Service plate to access the monitor port.

UWHS - SQA-5H WHS 2011 Installation Guide

Step 2 – Installing Windows Home Server 2011

Install Windows Home Server 2011, either from DVD using a USB connected DVD reader, or from a USB stick.

How to install Windows Home Server from a USB stick Windows Home Server 2011 Installation Overview video

HDHomeRun PRIME is now available for preorder for $249.99

SiliconDust has just announced that the new HDHomeRun PRIME is available for preorder with a ship date of June 29, 2011. This is a major milestone for SiliconDust and we are excited to see the PRIME available on NewEgg. Read on to find out more about the PRIME!

SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME CableCARD

HDHomeRun PRIME is available for pre-order from NewEgg today, with HDHomeRun PRIME 6CC to be available for pre-order in the coming week. Orders will be fulfilled by Newegg in the order in which they are received for each model. Both models are expected to begin shipping in volume in July, with the 6-tuner model expected to ship a little ahead of the 3-tuner model.

SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME CableCARD

 

Pre-Order your SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME CableCARD from NewEgg at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815345006

 

HDHomeRun PRIME is a cable TV tuner for computers – Ethernet attached. Once connected to your home router you can access the HDHomeRun Tuners from any computer, anywhere in your home. Watch / Record TV from you Family Room / Kitchen / Garage / Backyard, anywhere you have a computer.

 

To find out more about the HDHomeRun PRIME visit their website at:

http://www.silicondust.com/products/hdhomerun/prime/

Snoop-De-Dupe Developer Interview

I recently caught up with Jim from electrongoo, the company that developed Snoop De Dupe, and have some information on that add-in.  Read on for details!

snoop-de-dupe

Here is how electrongoo describes Snoop-De-Dupe:

Keep your server’s storage space optimized! Snoop-de-dupe will automatically scan your server storage and display duplicate files in an easy-to-view layout directly within the server’s user Console. Once snoop-de-dupe locates duplicate files then you can respond to them as you choose. You can delete the duplicate files, ignore/keep the duplicate files, or replace the duplicate files with a hard-link (available in WHS/SBS 2011 only). You will be in command of your server storage space like never before!

Product features:

  • Supports Windows Home Server
  • Automatic, real-time continuous file de-duplication scanning
  • 160-bit SHA-1 de-duplication hash for optimum results
  • Windows Home Server Console integration
  • Pause and Resume operation at any time for maximum efficiency of your server
  • Select any folders of your choosing on your server for de-duplication scanning
  • Simple, easy-to-view heads-up status display to monitor progress
  • Easy to navigate list of duplications for: deleting, linking, or ignoring duplicate files
  • Quick-launch feature allows for viewing contents of duplicate files
  • 15 day free trial available

And now the interview.

Tell us about your firm.

We’ve actually been around for over a year. We have five add-ons currently shipping for the WHS/SBS community: TimeTravelerWHS, Integrity Checker (WHS + SBS), and Snoop-de-dupe (WHS + SBS). Our company name is electrongoo (www.electrongoo.com) although we have not advertised the company behind the products; generally we let the product take focus on itself. Our average engineer has over 12 years of industry experience.

What is Snoop De Dupe for those who have never tried it before? Key features, capabilities, etc.

Snoop-de-dupe is an add-in for Windows Home Server (WHS/SBS 2011 support to be released soon). The add-in alerts you to duplicate files. You can simply log into the Console at any time and view the current list of duplicate files. You have the option to ignore, delete, or create a hard-link (WHS/SBS 2011 only). Snoop-de-dupe allows you to re-cycle used space on your hard drive by reclaiming space from duplicate photos, music, documents (or any file for that matter). Invariably, duplicate files can be a problem most people are not even aware of. In a home/family environment where multiple people are copying data to a server, you typically find a lot of duplicate files within the different user folders.

Who is the target audience for Snoop De Dupe?

The home user, small business, and IT consultant.

Why does a WHS user need to use it?

Duplicate files can waste valuable hard disk space. Knowing where duplicate files exist is the first step in re-claiming the wasted space. Also, consider backup/protection solutions. Unless your backup solution has a de-duping feature then every backup operation wastes more storage space and process time than it needs to. If you’re using an online-backup service then you’re probably paying for that extra space too.

What are the key draws that you think will excite potential users about this application?

Automatic real-time monitoring of file duplicates (I recommend installing and configuring the add-in then open the Console to the snoop-de-dupe add-in tab and create some duplicate files on the server. Maybe I’m just a nerd … but it’s pretty cool when the duplicate list displays the updates immediately in real-time).

Ease of install and use.

Just saying the name, “snoop-de-dupe” … rolls off the tongue! Open-mouthed smile

What was the inspiration for Snoop De Dupe? Can you tell me why you set out to deliver the application?

The hard drive on my home server was getting close to capacity. When I was cleaning up my home server storage and noticed a huge amount of space (GB’s!) wasted due to duplicate music and photos. I thought, “Hey, there must be a better way to stay on time of this!” This add-in works great for my needs. I simply log into the Console at my discretion and view the duplicate files which have been copied to my server since the last time I viewed them. Easy!

How is your application differentiated from the competition?

Snoop-de-dupe locates duplicate files in real-time; there is one other add-in which will search for duplicate files but you must log-in, configure a job, and let it run

WHS/SBS 2011 will allow you to replace a duplicate file with a hard-link thus keeping the file available in its current location but freeing the wasted hard drive space

Better price

We’ve got a much cooler product name Open-mouthed smile

What are your plans for future development? Are there any features that you plan to add in future releases?

We’re finalizing support for WHS/SBS 2011 now (should be available very soon).

Scheduling (some users would rather not watch duplicate files in real-time). Although the current version of the product allows you to pause/resume scanning at any time; this is a manual process that we’d like to automate with a scheduling feature.

Integration with the health meter. Real-time updates to notify of duplicate files.

More Information on Tranquil PCs Upgrade to Windows Home Server 2011 Service

We mentioned a few weeks ago that Tranquil PC were going to offer an upgrade service to Windows Home Server 2011 if you had one of their SQA-5H Windows Home Server V1 boxes. Well here is some more information.

Tranquil software upgrade

Here are the details the provided:

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 an ‘upgrade’ of the operating system licence. Therefore the outcome of this means that our software upgrade offer is based on a factory upgrade.

SQA-5H Series 2 with Windows Home Server to SQA-5H with Windows Home Server 2011 (Operating System upgrade + new Disk Management Add In, with data transfer service, and fully factory re-test)

What do you get ?

  • Customer returns SQA-5H Series 2 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’s ‘DriveHarmony’ 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 to you.

Please note – any add in which you have installed on your current WHS will be lost during this upgrade. If you want to still use AVA Media CD/DVD then please click on the drop down option below.

The cost for the above process is £189.00, irrespective of the amount of data that is protected and then moved back. Return shipping costs and VAT are not included but will be added on checkout.

Turnaround times may vary, but the normal service level for the above process is 5-7 days.

Learn more about the service from the Tranquil PC website

I know that a few people have made comment about the cost of this service from Tranquil, however when you take into account that it includes a WHS 2011 licence, a DriveHarmony licence and all your data is migrated, I think its good value. Of course, you could do it all yourself if you are confident and have both the software and free space to move the data.

I’m currently working on upgrading my SQA-5H myself, and will be posting something very soon, so watch this space.

aTV Flash (black) Beta5 Now Available for AppleTV 2

Yesterday Firecore released beta 5 of their aTV Flash (black) software for the AppleTV 2.

atv_flash_black

Here is what they said:

Today we are pleased to announce the release aTV Flash (black) Beta5 for the 2nd generation AppleTV.

Beta5 features improvements to virtually every aspect of aTV Flash (black) but our main focus has been on building and improving the Media Player feature. Media Player has received a big boost in Beta5, but is still under heavy development with many more exciting features and improvements still to come.

Keep reading to find out what’s new in Beta5.

AppleTV 4.2.2 update

Yesterday (5/11) Apple released a 4.2.2 update for the 2nd gen AppleTV and Seas0nPass has been updated to provide an untetheted jailbreak for this new version. As usual, the latest version of Seas0nPass can be found at seas0npass.com.

Note: Updating to 4.2.2 is not required to install Beta5.

What’s new in Beta5?

General

  • Added AppleTV 4.2.2 compatibility
  • Improved installer routine
  • Improved handling of failed installations
  • Improved error handling
  • Minor UI adjustments

Media Player

  • Added SMB streaming
  • Added photo slideshows
  • Added basic video playlists
  • Added ‘Favorites’ section
  • Added individual photo browsing and viewing
  • Added support for ‘xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/folder’ shares
  • Added support for guest/anonymous NAS logins
  • Added volumes list sorting
  • Added option to disable metadata fetching
  • Added option to hide file extensions
  • Improved handling of HD video files
  • Improved memory management
  • Improved DVD file detection
  • Improved remote share folder browsing (root folder issue)
  • Improved Remote.app support
  • Resolved artifact issues (green line near bottom of screen)
  • Resolved rare crashes related to AFP streaming
  • Resolved issues in share navigation resulting in incorrect ‘menu’ button handling
  • Resolved issues resulting in incorrect video playback after rewinding on ‘fastest’ speed
  • Resolved issues related to removing saved shares
  • Resolved duplicate AFP share entries
  • Resolved conflicts with XBMC
  • Minor UI fixes
  • Other miscellaneous fixes

Couch Surfer Pro

  • Added HTML5 audio support (for sites like http://tv.tunein.com/)
  • Added EyeTV streaming
  • Improved web pages scrolling and layout handling
  • Improved iOS-optimized JavaScript support
  • Improved highlighting of large web elements
  • Auto-complete history is now cleared when clearing history
  • New SSL indicator
  • Other minor bug fixes

Weather

  • Added 5-day forecasts
  • Added location search option
  • Added automatic location detection (if no saved locations exist)
  • Added day/night weather forecasts
  • Added ‘Feels Like’ temperature info
  • Minor UI fixes

Last.fm

  • Added lightweight audio streaming player
  • Improved memory management

What we’re still working on

  • New lightweight audio/video player
  • Additional codecs
  • DVD chapter controls
  • AC3/DTS (5.1 surround) sound
  • Subtitle support
  • Multiple audio track support
  • Improved UI and file browsing
  • Better memory management

(If you missed it last time, a brief demo of Media Player in action can be seen here).

Great! Where can I get it?

Beta5 is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash (black) on your AppleTV all the new features can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu.

Enjoy! 🙂

The Home Server Show 135

Dave and the guys have just released the Home Server Show episode 135.

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Here’s what Dave says about this weeks show:

Rip it, Stream it, Store it! We go over some ripping options and everything surrounding DVD storage and streaming. News as usual and a big announcement about a new opportunity.

As usual you can download the show from here.

The Digital Lifestyle Show No 304 – Something to do on a Tuesday

This weeks Digital Lifestyle Show has just been released – its show 304.

DLS Show

Here’s what Ian says about this week show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]We are back after a week off while while I took may iPad on a trip to Germany. We have a fun show for you talking My Movies, Windows Home Server, £15 computers, DoubleTwist, Airplay and Windows Media Center, The Green Button, waking up a PC from sleep, the Microsoft Home and much much more.[/box]

As usual you can listen to the show from here

DataCore At Tech Ed

Carlos Carreras from DataCore has been in contact to let us know that they will be at Tech Ed between 16 May and 19 May.  They want to hear from you in person next week.  Read on for details!

DataCoreDriveHarmony

Here’s what Carlos had to say this morning about the DriveHarmony beta and their plans for Tech Ed:

…we’re planning on participating at Microsoft TechEd in Atlanta next week (May 16-19) as a Silver Sponsor. One of the topics that we’ll be covering will be our upcoming release of the DataCore DriveHarmony product. We’re encouraging folks in attendance to stop by our booth (1629) to sign up for the beta. Please spread the word!

If you are planning on being at Tech Ed in Atlanta next week, make sure that you stop by booth 1629 and sign up for the beta.

DriveHarmony Beta Coverage DataCore Technology

Boxee Release Boxee Box Firmware 1.1

Today Boxee released the latest firmware update to it’s Boxee Box, bringing it up to version 1.1.

DSC00541

And don’t forget the Boxee UK Launch Party in June.

Here is what Boxee have said today:

So it might only be a few decimal points difference from the current 1.0.4 release, but this version of the Boxee Box by D-Link has quite a few new things under the hood. We’ll be rolling this version out over the next few days to all Boxee Boxes, but if you can’t wait you can find instructions on manually updating your Boxee Box on our forums.

Here’s what we’ve got for you in our fifth update to the Boxee Box:

1) Browser Upgrades

Favorites (Bookmarks) & History – Now you can easily get back to pages you’ve just viewed or ones you visit most often.



New On Screen Display (no auto-full screen*) – We’ve cleaned up the web playback OSD to let you see more of what’s going on in the background and to include access to a few more options down below.

HTML 5 To The Max – We’ve improved our support for HTML 5 so you’ll now be able to access more content, like HBOGO.

2) Movie Trailers – What better way to keep up with the latest movie releases than by watching movie trailers on your TV until your hearts content.

3) On Screen Display Loses Some Weight – We’ve revamped the OSD and included an awesome new seek bar for precise rewinding/fast forwarding, slimmed down the button count, and made it easier to see what’s going on behind the scenes. We’ve also removed the volume control for a more consistent experience.*

4) Customized Artwork / Info for Media Files – Why let Boxee pick movie art and descriptions when you can have your own? Import video into Boxee and add your own artwork and metadata to accompany it with NFO files. Works like a charm on home movies.

5) Local File Playback – We now have support HFS formatted drives, seek functionality inside music playback, and you can filter local files by source.

6) Share Where You Want – now you can specify whether you want to share that ColdSteel video to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr with a helpful character counter built-in.

7) MLB.TV Upgrades – This new version has enabled a lot of updates to the MLB.TV app so now you’ll be able to watch live and archived games, jump to specific innings or game events, see pop-up details on every pitch, and have a much easier time rewinding and fast-forwarding in games.

More Languages – The Boxee Box is on sale in 34 countries. While “Boxee” translates well into all of them, the rest of the words on screen are a bit off. Now users can enjoy Boxee in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Hebrew, Danish, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Portugese (Brazil), Czech, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish.

9) New Content – we threw in some extra content just for good measure.

A team of acclaimed producers create fresh programs on private jets and exotic first-class travel as well as intellectual discussion on money and philanthropy, all in HD.

Committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers to make them available to the wide audience these titles deserve. SnagFilms serves up full-length documentary films for free.

Conclusion

We hope you like all the changes (full release notes here), and we always love to hear your feedback on Facebook, Twitter, and on our forums.

You may have noticed the * next to the volume and auto full-screen features above. We’ve spent a lot of time discussing internally and have decided to create a more consistent experience by removing features that work inconsistently. While it might not instantly be apparent, over the next few versions we will streamline the interface so that everything works the same, no matter whether you’re in an HTML 5 app, a normal web page, playing a movie file, or watching video from inside an application.

New UWHS Community Forums Launched

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Following on from our post a few days ago, we can now announce that the all new UWHS Community forums are now live!

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The new forums offer a lot more over the old ones – searching is better, you can subscribe to topics, there are a lot more forums, etc.

As we mentioned, we will also be doing special giveaways for the top contributors, so why not join in the UWHS Community?

new forums

Over the next few days we will be tweaking the forums, making them even better and adding even more new functionality.

Tell us what you think about them, after all, they are your forums.

Click here to start using the UWHS Community Forums