PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server Giveaway – Day 2

Andrew Edney
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0

The generous folks over at Raxco have give us 7 full licences for PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server Family Pack to giveaway to you lucky readers. Yes, its been a little while since we did a giveaway here at Using Windows Home Server, but they are back!

Why 7 copies you may ask? Well, PerfectDisk 10 is the first disk defragmenter certified by Microsoft for Windows 7 – way to go guys!

PD Win 7

The Windows Home Server Family Pack gives you 1 licence for your Windows Home Server and 10 licences for your computers at home – so it is great combination.

We reviewed PerfectDisk 10 back in March, so go remind yourself all about it and why you need it by clicking here.

So you are probably asking yourself how do you win one of these great packs? Well, each day for the next 7 days we will be giving 1 pack.

To win a pack, all you have to do today is to go to our forums and in the giveaways section leave a comment telling us about which WHS you have and we will select a lucky winner at random. Click here to be taken straight to the forum.

All the winners will be announced next Sunday – and stay tuned for tomorrow’s giveaway.

My Windows 7 Book is out

Andrew Edney
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0

A few days ago I got a nice surprise in the post – a box of my new Windows 7 book – Windows 7 Tweaks, Tips and Tricks published by Babani Books, which is now available in the shops.

IMG_1737

Its a glossy full colour book and I’m very happy with it 🙂

Over the coming weeks I will be doing some giveaways to win copies of the book – so stay tuned.

But if you are really desperate to own a copy, or really just desperate, click here to order it. 🙂

PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server Giveaway – Day 1

Andrew Edney
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0

The generous folks over at Raxco have give us 7 full licences for PerfectDisk 10 for Windows Home Server Family Pack to giveaway to you lucky readers. Yes, its been a little while since we did a giveaway here at Using Windows Home Server, but they are back!

Why 7 copies you may ask? Well, PerfectDisk 10 is the first disk defragmenter certified by Microsoft for Windows 7 – way to go guys!

PD Win 7

The Windows Home Server Family Pack gives you 1 licence for your Windows Home Server and 10 licences for your computers at home – so it is great combination.

We reviewed PerfectDisk 10 back in March, so go remind yourself all about it and why you need it by clicking here.

So you are probably asking yourself how do you win one of these great packs? Well, each day for the next 7 days we will be giving 1 pack.

To win a pack, all you have to do today is to go to our forums and in the giveaways section leave a comment as to why you want to win and we will select a lucky winner at random. Click here to be taken straight to the forum.

All the winners will be announced next Sunday – and stay tuned for tomorrow’s giveaway.

More Information on the Xtreamer Cooler

Andrew Edney
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0

A few weeks ago we reported that Tranquil PC were planning on releasing a cooler for the Xtreamer media streamer that made it silent – thus getting rid of the very loud fan noise!

tc4_side_800 tc4_upper_400 tc4lower_800

Well even though we are a couple of weeks away from the release of the cooler, the installation guide has been posted up on the forum.

If you would like to have a look at it, click here.

We should have our cooler in a few weeks at which time we will post a review and video 🙂

Until then, if you want to pre-order yours, click here.

Home Server Show Podcast 59 Out Now

Andrew Edney
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0

Dave over at the Home Server Show podcast has just released show number 59.

home_server_show_small

From Dave:

The Home Server Show 59 for October 9th, 2009.

In show 59 John, Jim, Chris, and Dave go over the week’s news and e-mail.  Dave has a chat with Brent Friedman, Add-In author of  WHS Mobile, TV Manager,
DVD Manager, FTP Manager, and Tab Creator.

Here are links to items we discussed on show 59.

Lacie External Drive

Add-In: Directory Watcher

Roberts Podcatcher

We had an e-mailer with a FireFly issue. Here is that fix. Thanks to John for digging that one out.

Add-In of the Week – WHS Mobile

Interview with Brent Friedman.  Find Brent’s blog and Add-In’s here.

You can listen to it by clicking here.

And thanks Dave for the mention of my book again 🙂

HP Provide Update on MediaSmart Server Software Update

Andrew Edney
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3

For those of you patiently waiting for news from HP on the promise 3.0 software update for existing HP MediaSmart owners, wait no more as this came from HP today:

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.

So, not long to wait now!

Cloudberry Backup for Windows Home Server – Beta Testers Wanted Now

Andrew Edney
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2

Got this from the guys over at Cloudberry:

Cloudberry

CloudBerry Online Backup for Windows Home Server provides a powerful Backup and Restore program designed to leverage Amazon S3 storage to make your disaster recovery plan simple, reliable, and affordable.
CloudBerry Online Backup for WHS is currently available in BETA. You are welcome to sign-up for beta here

Windows Home Server is a great way to protect your data. However you are still vulnerable to physical disk failures and inadvertent deletions. As a result your data might be lost forever. CloudBerry Backup for Windows Home Server provides you with another level of protection by copying your data to secure online storage powered by Amazon S3

Features:
  • Easy installation and configuration
  • Seemlesly integrates with WHS control panel
  • Default backup plan is designed to quickly start WHS data backup
  • Scheduling capabilities
  • Data encryption
  • Data retention schedule
  • Secure online storage
  • Data versioning
  • Differential backup
  • The ability to restore to a particular date
  • Backup verification
Coming soon
  • Virtual Disk – expose Amazon S3 storage as a local disk on your computer
  • Storage costs estimates
  • Web interface access your backup storage everywhere
  • FTP support
  • Alerting notifications
  • Azure Blob Storage support
  • Sun Cloud Storage Service support
Benefits:
  • Backup and Restore Wizards make this service user friendly
  • Strong data encryption protects your data from unauthorized access
  • Data compression reduces the size of your backups
  • Scheduling capabilities automate the backup process
  • Backups are available for recovery 24/7
  • Intuitive interface provides easy file and folder selection capabilities
  • No proprietary storage format. You can access your files using other Amazon S3 tools.

Installing Power Pack 3 on Windows Home Server on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo
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8

Tonight I will upgrade to Power Pack Three. This article will serve as another notice to all of us that did NOT upgrade when PP3 Beta was first released that it is again available for download and installation.

image

Background

When it comes to the OS betas of any system I am very conservative. I know that beta testing is an important part of the release process of software, and I am willing to help for apps and Add-Ins, but to me the OS beta is not something I was willing to risk. Even at my work were are still running XP, just released IE7 and only last month did I upgrade to Office 2007.

When I got the latest blog article from the WHS Team talking about PP3 (which I thought was no longer available) and it had the download link, I decided it was time to upgrade. My upgrade decision was actually selfish since I just want the TV archive function of PP3!

The direct link to the blog article is at:

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowshomeserver/archive/2009/09/28/windows-home-server-power-pack-3-update.aspx

Since I am not running any Win7 machines I am doing this upgrade to take advantage of the new Windows Media Center (WMC) connector upgrade and WMC WHS interface.

Andrew wrote a great article about the other benefits of PP3 at:

https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2009/07/17/microsoft-announce-windows-home-server-power-pack-3-beta/

and another quick article with hints and tricks at:

https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2009/07/19/things-to-know-about-the-windows-home-server-power-pack-3-beta

Enough of the links, lets set this pig on fire!

Equipment Needed

PP3 File Download

Go to the web site listed above, or in the blog link, and start the download. This beta installation does not automatically upgrade so you will need to download an installer package.

YOU HAVE TO LOG IN TO GET TO THE DOWNLOAD!

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Agree to the terms and download the PP3 upgrade files.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

The list shows the different files you can download, but you should download them all.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

If your MFTM is enabled you will need to confirm the download request.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Other browsers might have different download actions like:

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Save the the files directly to the software folder on your WHS.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Once the file download is complete you should open the Word document named “Windows_Home_Server_Power Pack 3_Beta_Release_Documentation” and follow the directions as shown below.

    • These instructions are from the Word document:
      Installation:
      1. Download the Power Pack 3 Beta from https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/Downloads using a home computer on the same network as your home server.
      2. Copy the downloaded Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta folder to your home server at the following location \\<yourservername>\software.
      3. Access the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop. (How to connect to the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop)
      4. Navigate to the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta folder at Start > My Computer > D: > Shares > Software > Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta.
      5. Double click install.cmd file to install Power Pack 3 Beta. Do not run any other executable files in the folder. After installation Windows Home Server will reboot.
      6. Install the updated Windows Home Server Connector software on your home computer. (Windows Home Server Connector installation)
      7. Turn on Windows Error Reporting.
  • Log in to Windows Home Server Administrator Console
  • Click Server Settings
  • Click General
  • Click the boxes to enable Windows Error Reporting

Installation

I will now walk through the installation instructions. I first Remote Desktop into the WHS.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

What a boring desktop.

Reminds me of my BORING prom tux. Ah memories…of course I promise I will bring her back by 11:00pm.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

I right mouse click on the Start Menu and Explore.

Just like looking for that secluded parking spot.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

I find my way to D:  > Shares > Software > Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta

Finding my way to Lovers Point?

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Once the folder is open I am ready to start the installation. I would make sure you do not have anything else going on such as mControl macros, file transfers, manual backups or WMC feeds.

Double click on the install.cmd file.

Found it. Let the magic start…

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

I hate seeing the command window.

It is so dark.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Windows Search is part of PP3.

“I’ve been searching so long to find an answer”…Chicago mix tape

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

This is not my style. Too many open windows.

I will be gentle. Can you move to your left? Did you just knock over the schnapps?

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Duck, I see headlights. Well while you are…we are almost to phase three…

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Enough of the preparation…lets do it!

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

License Agreement: Of course I agree.

It is getting late and at this point I will pretty much agree to what ever you want me to. Let me flip the cassette to the other side. Yes I love you and this is a special night to be remembered forever. The seat does not go back further and my foot is stuck under the brake pedal.

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

Finished already

I guess this really is a prerelease. If only all things in life had a “Finish” button…

WHS Power Pack Three Upgrade

A total of 7minutes and it is done. That is how long it is supposed to take I think. Let me roll down the window. Can you put your seatbelt on so we can head back?

WHS Connector Update

Once the PP3 reboot completed my WHS Connector updated itself on each machine. My Firewall screen popped up, asked for access and I was connected after a few minutes. Very nice.

Conclusion

The installation went very well. I look forward to the WMC changes and for those of your with Win7 there is upgraded functionality.

See you next Friday night,

Tim Daleo

Microsoft Security Essentials Software

Andrew Edney
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9

For the last few months I have been running the beta of Microsoft’s Security Essentials software. I have had no problems with it whatsoever and this past week Microsoft released the final version to the world.

What is Security Essentials you ask? Well, its a piece of software from Microsoft that protects you from viruses, malware and spyware.

And best of all – its FREE!

So no more paying an annual subscription for updates or running multiple pieces of software to do the job. Once installed, any updates are delivered via the Windows Update service ensuring you are always fully protected.

03-10-2009 08-14-45

I think it’s a great product and a great addition to your home computer – give it a try and see what you think.

If you want to download Security Essentials, or find out more, click here.

WordPress Installer for Windows Home Server Add-In Available

Andrew Edney
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4

Fellow Windows Home Server MVP Nigel Wilks, aka Cougar, has been working hard recently on producing add-ins to help the community to install and run WordPress on their Windows Home Servers in the form of two add-ins – WHS PHP Installer and MySql Installer for WHS. After you installed those you could the install WordPress but it was a manual process and lots of steps. Now Cougar has released a new add-in that will install WordPress for you – the WordPress Installer for Windows Home Server 🙂

WordPress image

WordPress is a free piece of software that enables you to easily run a blog – in fact most blogs are run on it – this one included.

So, if you want to play around with WordPress, and you want to run it on your Windows Home Server, then these are the three add-ins for you.

For more information, and the download, click here.

Home Server Show Podcast 58 Out Now

Andrew Edney
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0

Dave over at the Home Server Show podcast has just released show number 58.

home_server_show_small

From Dave:

This week’s show is full of news and e-mail.  I also host a roundtable with Alex Kuretz, Andrew Edney, and Drashna.  We talk about the new x510 and the new HP MediaSmart Server line.

Cougar is close to releasing his WordPress for Windows Home Server Add-In

How do you upgrade to a new Windows Home Server?  Start here.

The AK Method The Damian Method

We talk about this a bit on the podcast so be sure to listen.

PP3 Delay

Roundtable with:

Alex Kuretz – mediasmartserver.net
Andrew Edney – connecteddigitalworld.com
Drashna – wegotserved.com

A side note on edits.  Sorry Andrew E., I left in some rubbish.  I hope you will still listen!  Minute 62 if your curious.

You can listen to it by clicking here.

As usual it was a lot of work fun recording the show with Dave and the guys – go have a listen 🙂

Congratulations to all New and Old MVPs

Andrew Edney
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0

MVP_Horizontal_FullColor

Today was the day that Microsoft announced their new MVPs and rewarded their old ones.

I just wanted to say my congratulations to all of them – they all work hard to get and keep their MVP status.

Congratulations to Ian Dixon for once again being a Media Center MVP, and congratulations to my fellow Windows Home Server MVPs Sam Wood, Donovan West, Ken Warren, Terry Walsh and Alex Kuretz (and anyone else I might have missed – it’s been a long day!).

Good job guys!

Xtreamer Cooler UK Pricing Information

Andrew Edney
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2

Further to our post over the weekend on the announcement of a cooler for the Xtreamer that makes it silent, the pricing has been released for the UK.

tc4_side_800 tc4_upper_400 tc4lower_800

The cooler is at a very attractive price of £10.43 + VAT !!!

Shipping from last week in October (in kit form, for easy consumer installation)

Warranty will still be honoured (subject to certain conditions)

This is the final touch to an already neat device !!

Orders are being accepted now.

Expect to see a review here in a few weeks time 🙂

To order, click here.

HP StorageWorks X510 Data Vault Series Windows Home Servers

Andrew Edney
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6

HP have today announced the launch of 3 new Windows Home Servers aimed at the Small Business market called the HP StorageWorks X100 Data Vault series. HP’s StorageWorks X510 Data Vault offers an excellent solution for home servers. If you’re based in the Sunshine State and utilizing this technology for a new business, consider structuring it as an LLC for added benefits. This comprehensive guide on how to start an llc in florida can help streamline the process, letting you focus on the tech aspect of your venture. And yes, the eagle eyed amongst you will notice it looks exactly like the HP MediaSmart EX4xx series of Windows Home Servers.

Hi-X510-Hero

List pricing for the UK is as follows:

(1 TB) £419.79
(2 TB) £516.34
(3 TB) £599.95

For the US market the prices are starting from $699 for the 1 TB and peaking at $999 for the 3 TB model.

European pricing will follow soon.

The specs are as follows (click the image to make it larger):

Specs for X500

Here is the press release from HP:

Small business owners invest a tremendous amount of time, money and resources to make their ventures successful. Addressing immediate business concerns often means postponing or overlooking technology investments that could impact the bottom line. One of those areas often overlooked are data storage and protection needs. This can lead to missed revenue opportunities through poorly managed data or the inability to rebound from major data loss.

The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series is a new family of storage devices that help small businesses remain competitive by protecting important business data, easily sharing files regardless of location, and automating backups.

“Small businesses need storage technology that lowers risk by quickly bringing data back online if a disaster occurs. It can also increase productivity by sharing and remotely accessing files outside the office,” said Lee Johns, director of marketing, Unified Storage Division, HP. “The HP StorageWorks Data Vault is easy to install, offers data protection and file sharing at an affordable price for small businesses with limited technology resources and budgets.”

A complete storage solution

The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series enables small businesses with up to 10 PC clients and Mac’s to easily store information in a central place. Business owners also save money through a low purchase price, which is up to 22 percent less than comparable solutions.

The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series covers all aspects of storage needs that are important to a small business, including:

· Data storage – customers can meet demanding storage needs with up to three terabytes of storage space and virtually unlimited expansion capabilities that add capacity without powering down the device.

· Data protection – customers can ensure data protection in the event of failure by automatically backing up their clients daily. Customers have added protection by choosing which files are most important, and with the click of a mouse, duplicate that folder to a second hard disk drive.

· Data sharing – customers can share files on their local network through an easy-to-use control panel. Users can also collaborate on projects through Microsoft Windows Home Server, which allows secure remote access to business files.

Larger customers who need high availability or want to simplify data management and grow storage capacity can leverage the HP StorageWorks X1000 and X3000 Network Storage Systems, which consolidate file and block data into a unified storage solution.

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