Movies Games and Tech

Review of the HP SimpleSave SD320A Portable Hard Drive

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 23, 2009

As you may know, we have reviewed both desktop hard drives and portable hard drives here at Using Windows Home Server, and we have our hands on one of the new HP SimpleSave SD320A portable hard drives and its time for the review.

HP say “the HP SimpleSave external hard drive series for customers needing a simple and automatic back up for photos, video, music and data. “

The new SimpleSave hard drive family consists of two products, SimpleSave Portable, available in 320 and 500 GB capacities, and SimpleSave Desktop, available in 1 and 2 TB capacities. Both devices feature pre-installed backup software. SimpleSave is so simple that anyone can use it. The software automatically finds and backs up the data on the PC, and after the first backup, automatically updates the backup with file changes whenever the computer is idle.

A single SimpleSave drive can be used to backup all the PCs in the home, with data from each PC clearly identified by name on the drive to make finding and restoring a specific PC’s data is a snap.

The SimpleSave hard drives are designed with heat-dissipating cases that stay cool and run quietly without a fan. The SimpleSave Portable is powered by the PC’s USB 2.0 port and does not require an external power supply. In addition, the 2.5-inch portable model is designed with a shock-resistant case to protect the drive from the bumps and jolts of everyday usage.

Other features include:

· Generous storage space: The ultra portable 2.5-inch SimpleSave portable is available in 320GB and 500GB. The 3.5-inch SimpleSave Desktop ships with 1TB or 2TB of storage.

· Hundreds of file formats supported: Supports the most common file types for photo, music and documents including, jpg, mpeg, bmp, gif, tif, mp3, aac, xls, ppt, doc, pdf, tax, qdf and many more.

· Frequent backup update: Backs up new and changed files every time the PC is idle for five minutes.

· Plug-and-play storage: Connect it to a USB port and it’s ready to use.

· Support for large files: NTFS file system offers improved support for metadata and use of advanced data structures, improving performance, reliability and disk space.

· Two-year warranty

The SD320A drive is small, quiet, and has the same glossy black look about it as the HP MediaSmart servers. In fact, if it wasn’t for the HP SimpleSave logo on the front you would think it was just any other portable hard drive.

The only connector on the whole of the drive is the USB connector on the back. It is completely powered by USB so there are no extra power cables to have to carry along with you.

INSIDE (AND OUTSIDE) THE BOX

The box itself is small and only contains the SD320A drive, and USB cable and a quick installation guide.

USING THE SD320A

Connecting up the SD320A was a breeze – well it should be really, it’s only a single USB cable connected to the SD320A and the other end into the computer you want use with it.

If this is the first time you have connected the SD320A to a computer, Windows will automatically install the relevant drivers for you.

At this point, two separate AutoPlay boxes pop up, one for the HP software and one for the drive itself.

While some may find this a little confusing, this is the norm on most USB storage devices these days. Effectively you have a virtual CD (that contains the relevant software) and then the drive itself (which also contains the HP software and the documentation).

Ignoring the HP SimpleSave drive itself for the moment, we shall start up the software by running the HPLauncher software offered to us via the virtual CD drive (the N drive in my case).

The first thing that comes up after the pretty HP SimpleSave logo screen is the licence agreement.

This is a nice feature, after you have accepted the agreement, you are presented with the Welcome Screen, and a countdown clock telling you that the backup will automatically begin.

Because I wanted to be specific about what I wanted backed up, I clicked on My Options. From here you can select the file types and locations that will be backed up.

You can leave the defaults, which is just about everything everywhere, or you can be very specific. In my case I want to back up all my music.

Once I have selected what I want backed up and from where, I just need to click the Start button.

The backup is prepared for me – basically this is the program going and checking my drives for the chosen files.

I can then see a summary of what will be backed up.

I can look a little bit deeper if I want and even exclude items if I wish.

Then again, it’s just a case of clicking the Start button and waiting while it performs the backup. You can see the status along the way.

So just sit back and relax – you will be told when the backup is complete.

If you do want to see the report, clicking the View Report button will fire up Notepad and show you some information.

Now the backup part is only the beginning. You will at some point want to recover something from the backup. You will notice next time the software starts that you have two extra buttons there were not there before – Explore and Restore.

Explore is useful for finding the file you want to restore before going into the restore function – although to be honest, it it just as quick, if not quicker to just fire up the restore process, and then look that way, although the explore option does allow you to access the file if you want to play them back for example.

When you click on Restore you just have to pick the backup you want to use, what you want to restore (you can restore everything or just a single file, or any combination in between).

Then you just need to decide where you want to restore to – the original location or somewhere else. This is very useful as you may not want to overwrite what is already there.

Then you just wait while the restore takes place.

And as with the backup, you can see a report at the end if you wish.

CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Well it is so simple to use that even my Dad could use it. Just plug it in, select what you want to back up, and just wait while it backs up for you. So, it actually does exactly what it says on the tin – Saves Simply!!!

It is really easy to select or rather unselect what you don’t want to backup with a simple few clicks. The software is easy to use and is clean and simple to understand. It tells you how much space you need and how much is remaining, so no worries about getting half way through and it running out of space, then the pain of having to manually clean up files so that you can start the backup again.

If you want to gain access to anything that you have backed up it is easy as well, just open the folder on the drive and hey presto! It really is a dream to use.

You don’t have to use the software either, if you just want to copy and paste something to the drive you can. But obviously you have to go find the bits you want to copy yourself, where as the software will search all your drives to find “music” or “photos” or whatever you want.

The retail prices are as follows (for the US): SimpleSave Portable: 320GB, $119.99; 2.5-inch hard drive, 500GB, $149 and the SimpleSave Desktop: 1TB hard drive , $149.99; 2TB hard drive, $329.99.

Amazon have some good deals already on the drives, the 320GB is $75.95 and the 500GB is $119.99 at the time of writing.

So what are you waiting for? Go get one now! This is highly recommended.

My Windows 7 Book is Finished

Andrew Edney

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Aug 23, 2009

4

Well, for those of you who may be interested, and I’m sure that isn’t many of you, I have now finished my Windows 7 book and it is going back to the publishers tomorrow to start the print run 🙂

The book – Windows 7 – Tweaks, Tips and Tricks, published by Babani should be the shops soon (even though Amazon show it at 15th November!)

The book is a full colour collection of hints and tips and some gotchas to get the most out of Windows 7. It is 120 pages long and will retail for £6.99.

I will be running some giveaways for the book once they have come back from the printers, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, if you really really want to pre-order it from you Amazon, you can by clicking here.

KeepVault version 3.15 Now Available

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Aug 22, 2009

1

As you may know, we are fans of KeepVault from Proxure, which is a great add-in that allows you to backup offsite over the Internet.

We did a review of KeepVault 3.0 a few months ago which you can see here.

Proxure have released a new version of KeepVault, version 3.15, today August, 21. Here are the updates:

· Up to 50% increase in upload speed

· Includes new KeepVault Connector WHS add-in allowing you to sync files from any PC (either local or internet) to your WHS for protection. Another step forward making the WHS the center of your data protection strategy.

Download link:

http://www.keepvault.com/builds/current/KeepVaultWHS.exe

And for more information on KeepVault, and Proxure, click here.

The Home Server Show Podcast 53

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 20, 2009

0

Dave over at the Home Server Show podcast has just released show number 53.

This week’s show includes:

Diehard’s Wish

Home Server Builder Specials

My hard drive failure

Backing up SBS clients to WHS

Dish Network for Media Center cancelled?

New Lenovo D400 WHS

Warranty service for your MediaSmart Server

How to replace your MediaSmart Server Power Supply

You can listen to the MP3 here for click here for other formats.

Enjoy 🙂

MSWHS is Currently Off the Air

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 18, 2009

0

Phil over at MSWHS.com has asked me to put out a quick post for him to apologise that MSWHS.com is currently off the air.

If you try to go to Phil’s site you will see a message from WordPress saying that the blog has been suspended for a violation of their Terms of Service.

Phil has asked me to point out that he doesn’t believe he has done anything wrong and that the site will be up and running, and better than ever, within the next 7 days.
UPDATE : It’s all back online now!

Installing the AutoExit Add-In to Windows Home Server on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo

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Aug 17, 2009

7

Recently I wrote about my five Core Add-Ins for my standard Windows Home Server installations and I am about to add a sixth Add-In to the list. The AutoExit Add-In is one of those rare gems that does not get a lot of attention. This Add-In can save you a lot of time and frustration on your home network.

Background

I am one of the luckiest men on Earth. My wife lets me purchase all of the computer equipment I want. We have two work laptops (VPN networked but not a part of WHS for security reasons), two personal laptops, a photo editing workstation, a laptop in the garage and a HTPC (Home Theater PC) all networked via gigabit to my homebuilt WHS. There are only two of us which means at any given time five of the seven Dell PCs are not being used. Each one has a purpose and I would not change anything, however, keeping them all backed up is a pain in the ass. Is my WHS not doing its job? Let me explain…

We try to save electricity so whenever the PCs are not in use we have them turned off. While the electrical savings add up, so do the WHS warnings about these systems not being backup. The warnings are more of a nuisance since they do get backed up on the weekends when I turn them all on. Some days I am on every computer but some days I am only on one or two. With WHS I can access my movies and media from any PC in the house and even if I do start a PC I will not leave it on all night just to backup. Here is my weekly backup protocol…

I wake up on Saturday morning and head right to the office. I press the power button on my main workstation. I then spin my chair around and press the button on my personal laptop. I then walk out to the kitchen, prep my wife’s coffeemaker and walk out to the garage to press the power button on the garage laptop. I grab a Diet Coke from the garage fridge and walk back inside to the living room where I press the power button on the Hybrid. I walk back the office, set down the Diet Coke and by this time the main workstation is ready for my fingerprint. I repeat the entire walk logging in to each system. Now my house is not big so I am not really complaining about the walk but I would love a better process.

Upon my return to the office I log into the WHS console and back each system up remotely. Once all of the backups are complete I run the WHS BDBB, walk out to the living room and watch Enterprise on my Moxi DVR (not networked) until my phone beeps me when backup warning clears or my wife wakes up, which ever comes first. Unless I am out of town I do this EVERY Saturday. Should I use mControl for the coffeemaker? I could start the brewing from Windows Media Center. Maybe in another article…

Mental Note: You do not have to log in to Windows to start the backup. You can start the backup as soon as the PC becomes available. I log in to each PC to make sure I have latest automatic updates.

Earlier this week Andrew Edney posted a quick update about an Add-In that allows WHS to control your Windows PCs. I decided to put all other topics on hold until I could get this Add-In reviewed. I cannot wait to see what this Add-In can do for my system and for yours!

Equipment Needed:

AutoExit Add-In from http://www.asoft-ware.com/

Two Beers (optional as always)

Add-In Description

Information about the Add-In comes directly from the ASoft website at http://www.asoft.be/

The website says the following about AutoExit:

Shut down your machines over the Windows Home Server network.
It can be used to shut down, reboot machines in your home network from within the console.
Wake On Lan is also supported, this enables you to easily boot up machines remotely.
You can put the machine into hibernation, sleep, log off the user or lock the machine.
The server can also be shut down from the toolbar now.
You can execute these actions per machine or for all machines.
Changes in AutoExit 2009 (minor update):
– Wake On Lan all clients.
– Send a message to all connected clients.
– Warn users when the server is going down.
– Support for Windows 7.
– Possibility to the Wake On Lan port to send to.
– Possibility to enable easy logging on the client side.”

As I mentioned earlier, I first became aware of this Add-In when the AutoExit update was posted by Andrew at:

https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2009/08/12/new-version-of-autoexit-add-in-for-windows-home-server/

Ok, AutoExit looks like a great Add-In, but is it worthy of changing my “Favorite Five” to a “Standard Six”?

Lets set this pig on fire!

Download and Installation

Downloading is easy. This Add-In works like a regular Add-In so save the file to your Software/Add-Ins folder. Just click on the following link:

http://www.asoft.be/

Once you have completed the download open the WHS console and Install the Add-In.

Once the WHS console has restarted you can log in to WHS and verify that the installation is complete.

Configuration and Setup

Most of the configuration of this Add-In is done on each machine you want to control from the WHS console. When you first access the Add-In from the WHS console you get the following message:

Unless you need a reminder, click on the “Don’t show this dialog again” check box and click on OK.

I am going to go to each PC and run the “autoexitclient.exe” file on each system. Below I am doing screen shots of the XP machine in the garage.

During the download and installation a new folder was created called “AutoExit” with the client installer file. Open the Shared Folders on Server and navigate to the \\XXXXX\Software\AutoExit folder. Double click on the file and follow the installation instructions.

Once you have completed the installation click on Finish.

My garage system is running XP Home so I will not be able to use the remote desktop function of the Add-In on this system. The system will still respond to the other functionality of AutoExit. Right mouse click on the tray icon and choose Diagnose to see information about your system.

Once I have installed the software on the garage PC I go back to office and the WHS console and see the status of this machine on the network. I have omitted the IP address and the MAC address from the pictures.

I right mouse on the PC and get a list of actions for this system.

The status of the PC only shows if the PC is online and does not tell whether the PC has had the AutoExit client software installed. You can right click on each machine but it will not control the system until the client package is installed. Interestingly enough the Remote Desktop option does work with systems that support Remote Desktop Connections (RDC).

Mental Note: The Remote Desktop function from within the Add-In does not require the the Add-In software to be installed first so if your system supports Remote Desktop then you can actually remote in to install the software and save yourself a trip to the PC!

I log in to my HTPC from within the AutoExit Add-In.

Through this RDC, I navigate the PC to the server folder and run the AutoExit software.

Once the installation is complete you can control your systems as needed and as defined by the operating systems. As you can see below, my wife never leaves her laptop on overnight so this Add-In will be of great benefit to our network and WHS.

Everything seems to be working well with the connections however I did experience some issues with the XP machines when they would Hibernate instead of sleeping. Asoft states in their documentation that this is a Windows issue and not from the Add-In. I just unchecked the Hibernation button on the XP machines and they now do not Hibernate when directed to go to sleep.

The Wake On Lan function (WOL) is also available but will not be discussed in this article. I am not going to touch your BIOS and you probably should not either. To enable my WOL I am using DCCU 3.0 from Dell since my five laptops are all Latitude series machines.

For more information on the Wake On Lan functionality please see the Guidelines document in the AutoExit folder and then your manufacturers documentation.

There is also as cool message feature but I doubt I would use it.

Conclusion

For anyone with multiple systems in their home network this Add-In is a must. AutoExit is not just about the “Exit” but also about the ease of access to all of your systems. I am going to add AutoExit to my core list of starting Add-Ins for my future installations. Thank you to Asoft for such a rockin’ Add-In.

I would have named this Add-In AutoConnectRemoteOffShutSleepDesktopExitLogLockandSend, (ACROSS DELLS) but that is just me because I am a Dell guy. I guess AutoExit works too.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

How To Set Up a Domain Name for Windows Home Server Remote Access

Andrew Edney

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Aug 16, 2009

59

Another step along the way to having remote access for your Windows Home Server is that you need to select a personalized domain name for your Windows Home Server which makes it easier for you to remember the URL to connect to your Windows Home Server when you are away from home. For example, if it was available, I could use edneyfamily.homeserver.com. The only part of the domain name I need to choose is the edneyfamily part.

Because the personalized domain name is used to access your Windows Home Server over the Internet, it has to be unique, so try and think of something that is easy for you to remember and means something to you. Make sure you think of a couple of different possibilities just in case the domain name you want has already been taken by someone else.

All of the following steps are performed from the Windows Home Server Console, Settings, Remote Access tab. And for additional information, this walk-through assumes you are running Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 – if you are running an earlier Power Pack then these steps may appear a little different to what you see. Go download and install PP2 now.

Firstly, ensure that Remote Access is turned on. If it isn’t just click on the Turn on button (in which case you can skip the next step).

From the Domain Name section, click the Setup button.

This will launch the Set Up a Domain Name wizard.

Note: You will need a Windows Live ID to set up a domain name.

Click Next to continue.

You must now sign in to Windows Live to continue.

If you don’t already have a Windows Live ID it is easy to create one. See the Creating a Windows Live ID section later in this article.

Enter your Windows Live ID e-mail address and password to sign in to Windows Live.

Click Next to continue.

The next screen of the wizard is the Privacy Statement and Agreement.

Note: As you are being asked to accept the agreement, it is a good idea to read it and make sure you are happy to agree. If you are not happy to agree then you cannot use the remote access facilities of Windows Home Server.

Read the Windows Home Server Privacy Statement and the Windows Live Custom Domains Addendum.

Click the I accept button (assuming you accept).

Click Next to continue.

On the next screen you must type in the domain name you would like to use.

Type in the domain name you would like to use in the Domain Name box.

The domain name can contain the following:

63 characters maximum
Letters, numbers, or hyphens. The name must begin and end with a letter or a number.

You can only register one domain name per Windows Live ID you have.

Click the Confirm button to check that it is available to use. If it is not available you will see the message telling you so.

Don’t worry if the domain is not available, just choose another one and try again.

If the domain name is available it will be displayed on the screen – just click Finish.

You will see confirmation that the domain name has been set up.

Tip: Make a note of the URL so that you can access your Windows Home Server. It will be http://domainname.homeserver.com followed be either /home for the homepage over port 80 or /remote for the remote access login page over port 443 (which will also start with https:// instead of http://).

Click Done to complete the process.

There is also a button called Configure, which enables you to either release the current domain name or choose a different domain name.

Creating a Windows Live ID

Having a Windows Live ID is a pre-requisite for creating a domain name for use with Windows Home Server, but don’t worry, its simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

To create a Windows Live ID, just follow these steps:

Using Internet Explorer or any other Internet browser, visit https://accountservices.passport.net/ppnetworkhome.srf?lc=2057 which is the Windows Live ID website.

Select the type of Windows Live ID you want to create. For the sake of this example, I will select Sign up for a limited account.

The next steps involve you having to create an e-mail address and password to use a Windows Live ID credentials.

Enter an E-mail address in the box provided – you only need to enter the text before the @.

Note: The e-mail address can contain letters, numbers, periods, hyphens and underscores.

Enter a password in the box provided.

Note: The password must be a minimum of six characters in length – as you type the password you can see from the password strength visual how strong your password actually is.

Type in the characters that are displayed in the picture – this is used as a security mechanism to stop automated programs from creating accounts.

Click the Continue button.

The next screen contains the terms of use and online privacy statement.

Type in your e-mail address that you just created in the box and click the I Accept button to continue.

The last screen confirms that you have created your Windows Live ID.

Click the Continue button to complete the process.

You can now use this newly created Windows Live ID for creating the Windows Home Server domain.

You can also use this Windows Live ID for any other purpose that requires a Windows Live ID.

How to Manually Configure Your Router for Windows Home Server Remote Access

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 15, 2009

32

So you have checked to see if your broadband router can be automatically configured for you by following this article.

If your broadband router doesn’t support UPnP or cannot be configured automatically, don’t worry, you can manually configure the port forwarding on your router, it’s just quicker and easy if it’s all done for you.

Caution: Configuring port forwarding on your router may be different to the steps that are about to be described, so check your router documentation before continuing to ensure that you don’t make any mistakes.

Connect to your router (you may need to check your documentation to find out how to do this).

Note: The following example is using the BT Home Hub router so it is likely to be different for your router.

Click on the Firewall icon to access the Firewall settings on the router.
Click on Firewall Settings so that you can make changes to the firewall.

As it is very unlikely that there will already be a application defined that allows the three specific network ports through the firewall then you will need to add a new user-defined application.

Click on Add a new user-defined application to display the Edit Application dialog box,.

Enter a name in the Application Name box. For example, Windows Home Server.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 80 in the From: box, and 80 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 443 in the From: box, and 443 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.
In the Port (or Range) section, enter 4125 in the From: box, and 4125 in the To: box (ensuring that TCP is the selected Protocol).
Click on the Add Definition button to add that port range.

You should now have those three ports (80, 443 and 4125) displayed in the Definition List.

Note: ignore the 4126 in the image below, it was a typo – it should be 4125! 🙂

Click Back to return to the Firewall Settings screen.

You should now be able to see the new application listed.

Select the computer you want to host applications through the firewall from the drop-down list. In my case, the Windows Home Server is listed as SKYVAULT.
Click on the new application (Windows Home Server Remote) and then click Add.

This should now show that Windows Home Server is a hosted application for SKYVAULT.

Click Done to complete the manual process.
Close down the connection to your router.

Now hopefully that means your router is now configured to allow the use of the Remote Access features of Windows Home Server.

The next thing to do is to configure your Windows Home Server.

How To Check Your Broadband Router Compatibility for Windows Home Server Remote Access

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 15, 2009

4

Before you start configuring your Windows Home Server for remote access, you might consider taking a few minutes to check that your broadband router is compatible for automatic configuration by Windows Home Server. Don’t worry if it turns out that it isn’t, you can just configure it manually, it’s just quicker and easier to have it done for you.

Fortunately, Microsoft provide a very useful tool for checking the broadband router called the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool. It’s quick and easy to use, doesn’t require you to download and install anything, and best of all its free!

The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool is not a tool that is specifically for use with Windows Home Server. You can use the tool to check any Internet router to check what it can do and check that it supports certain technologies.

To use the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool, follow these steps:

Note: In order to perform the tests, you must be using a computer that can connect to the Internet and that the computer is either running Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP.

From your Internet browser, go to the following URL: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd.

This will display the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool start screen.

Read through all the instructions that are displayed on the screen to ensure you know about the tests.
Check the I have read and ACCEPT the terms of the license agreement box.
Click the Continue button.
Click the Start Test button to begin the various tests.

The testing will then begin. You can monitor the progress of the testing of each element.

The following tests will be performed on your broadband router:

Basic Internet Connectivity test
Network Address Translator Type
Traffic Congestion test
TCP High Performance test
UPnP Support test
Multiple Simultaneous Connection States test

Detailed information on each test and what constitutes a success can be found in the tool itself – you can review each one while each test is being performed.

When all the testing has completed, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and click View Detailed Report to view a more detailed report.

You can click on each Test line to expand or hide the details and results of each test.

You should now know whether your broadband router could be configured automatically for you.

In my case, as my broadband router does not support UPnP then I will have to configure it manually, but more on how to do that in another article.

Using Windows Home Server to Back Up Windows Small Business Client Computers

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 15, 2009

1

Microsoft have just published an article on their TechNet site on how to use Windows Home Server to backup your clients on a Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 network.

You can read it here.

New Version of AutoExit Add-In for Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 12, 2009

2

Nick Asseloos has been in touch to let us know that he has released a new version of AutoExit, that great add-in for Windows Home Server.

This version includes:

Shut down your machines over the Windows Home Server network.
It can be used to shut down, reboot machines in your home network from within the console. Wake On Lan is also supported, this enables you to easily boot up machines remotely.
You can put the machine into hibernation, sleep, log off the user or lock the machine.
The server can also be shut down from the toolbar now.
You can execute these actions per machine or for all machines.
Changes in AutoExit 2009 (minor update):
– Wake On Lan all clients.
– Send a message to all connected clients.
– Warn users when the server is going down.
– Support for Windows 7.
– Possibility to the Wake On Lan port to send to.
– Possibility to enable easy logging on the client side.
– Mac-address of the server is retrieved when opening the diagnostic dialog and the Mac field being empty.
– When downloading an update, it is automatically saved to the ‘Server\Software’ or ‘Server\Logiciel’ folder, if none of these exist the browse directory dialog is shown.
– Fix: On some machines the actions did not work and an error 998 was displayed, this has been fixed.
– Fix: Fixed issue that settings in Vista/Windows 7 weren’t read correctly and made the AutoWOL Server function not work.
– Fix: Now when a client comes out of sleep, a WOL packet is sent to the server if enabled.
– Fix: Small improvement to the update dialog to show the product name.
– Fix: When using hibernate/sleep, the machine sometimes couldn’t be enabled again.
– Fix: Detects if Remote Desktop is enabled on a Home Edition.
– And some other minor adjustments.

For more information, including how to download AutoExit, click here.

Review of VMCMOTE

Geo Webb

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Aug 10, 2009

0

This is my first review for UsingWindowsHomeServer.com and I thought I would start by reviewing a Remote Control Media Center App called VMCMOTE. Yes, I did say App so that means that this review is more for the owners of the Iphone or Itouch who own Vista Media Center running 32 bit, it will not work with the 64 bit version. VMCMOTE has two functions, the first is being able to access your media center music library and play any album, song or playlist instead of using a Media Center remote, let’s be clear, this does not stream music to your Iphone/Itouch but remotely controls your media center. After synching VMCMOTE to your music library you can easily scroll through your library searching by Album, Artist, Genre or custom search. Once you choose your music to play the album art and info and timeline will be displayed as well as some basic functions like play and pause. You also have the capability to add more songs to a queue or create and play a playlist and view your queue. Keep in mind that this is all done over your wireless network so line of site is not an issue. The second function in VMCMOTE is a remote touchpad that replaces the clunky media center remote and has all the normal functions as well as a keyboard. A couple things I would like to see is have the Iphone/Itouch be able to act like a gyration remote using the built in accelerometer, a volume control on the now playing screen, also the remote function does not work with the Netflix app.

VMCMOTE comes in two flavors, the lite version (demo version) is free and is limited to synching only 100 tracks from your library and the remote does not include some functions. The full version is $7.99/5,99€, while this might seem a little pricey for a web app just think of what it would cost you for a touch screen remote that has this type of functionality? I went ahead and bought the full version, one so that I could do a full review and two because I like the idea of not having to buy a special remote to get this functionality, plus who needs another remote to add to their collection? Installation is very easy, besides downloading the app from Itunes you also have to download a media center addin from the authors website and follow the basic instructions and make sure you have .net framework 3.5 installed.

If you are interested in VMCMOTE I suggest you try the lite version first, for more info and a ton of more screenshots plus the media center addin and instructions please visit Thomas Mangel’s site at http://vmcmote.blogspot.com/.

Update: I upgraded my test Vista Media Center box to Windows 7 Media Center (RTM, 32 bit) today and VMCMOTE works perfect with it.

Geo Webb

ITunes Links:

App Store link: vmcMote Lite
App Store link: vmcMote

Review of the Asus Eee PC 1005HA Netbook

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 9, 2009

3

As we have stated previously, Netbooks are currently all the rage. They are small, light, cheap, and are great for taking everywhere with you if you only want to do certain tasks – such as surfing the Internet, sending email, etc.

Asus are probably the biggest supplier of Netbooks on the market – it seems every time you turn around, they have another new one out there – which I suppose from a consumer perspective isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

This particular Netbook, the Eee PC 1005HA, part of the new Seashell range, is one of the latest ones, sporting a 10 inch screen, an Intel 1.6GHZ ATOM N270 processor, 160GB Hard drive, Windows XP Home edition and weighing it at around 1.3KG, so it is quite light.

For those of you interested in a little more specifics:

Processor(s)

Number of processors	1
Number of cores	1 per processor
Number of threads	2 per processor
Name	Intel Atom N270
Code Name	Diamondville
Specification	Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU N270 @ 1.60GHz
Package	Socket 437 FCBGA8
Family/Model/Stepping	6.C.2
Extended Family/Model	6.1C
Core Stepping	C0
Technology	45 nm
Core Speed	798.1 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed	6.0 x 133.0 MHz
Rated Bus speed	532.0 MHz
Stock frequency	1600 MHz
Instruction sets	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3
L1 Data cache (per processor)	24 KBytes, 6-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache (per processor)	32 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache (per processor)	512 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory

Northbridge	Intel i945GSE rev. 03
Southbridge	Intel 82801GHM (ICH7-M/U) rev. B0
Memory Type	DDR2
Memory Size	1024 MBytes
Memory Frequency	266.0 MHz (1:2)
CAS# Latency (tCL)	4.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD)	4 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP)	4 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS)	12 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC)	16 clocks

System

System Manufacturer	ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Name	1005HA
System S/N	96OAAS212909
Mainboard Vendor	ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mainboard Model	1005HA
BIOS Vendor	American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Version	0505
BIOS Date	06/12/2009

Memory SPD

Module 1

DDR2, PC2-6400 (400 MHz), 1024 MBytes, Hyundai Electronics

Software

Windows Version	Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version	9.0c

Thoughts and Conclusion

This particular Netbook is very nice – with a whopping 350+ minutes of battery life, which is in part due to the 6-cell battery so you can really got a lot of use out if without the need to carry the power supply around (which actually is pretty small itself). Asus themselves claim you can get around 10 hours of battery life, but this will have a lot to do with what you are actually using it for,plus there are 3 different battery models for the 1005HA, so make sure you pick the one you want.

I liked using the 1005HA, in fact, I didn’t want to give it back, so you should really consider taking a look at this one if you are in the market for a Netbook. Like a lot of things, choosing this particular model will probably be more to do with personal taste than anything else, so if you can get a good deal on one, take a look today.

The retail price for the 1005HA (with the biggest battery) here in the UK is £379 (from Amazon) but look around as there are probably some deals to be had.

New Version of KeepVault Now Available

Andrew Edney

-

Aug 9, 2009

0

Back in May, we reviewed KeepVault 3.0 for Windows Home Server. We received this information from KeepVault yesterday that might be of interest:

We have an upgrade to KeepVault for Windows Home server. It is version 3.10. With this release we are proud to announce a sister product, KeepVault for Windows, which allows you to protect all of your PC’s to the same KeepVault storage account used by KeepVault WHS. A single storage account for all your devices at one low price. In the coming months we will be releasing KeepVault for USB (protect your files directly from your USB storage device; no software to install) and KeepVault for Mac OSX. More detail can be found on our newly designed website http://www.keepvault.com. We’re also working on a new and exciting WHS sync/archive product.

Changes from the previous KeepVault version 3.05:

· Compatibility updates to share storage with other KeepVault family products (KeepVault for windows, WHS, Mac, USB Key)

· Network retry optimization

· General bug fixes

Installing the latest version of KV for Windows Home Server:

· Uninstall your existing KeepVault via the WHS Console

· Download the latest version http://www.keepvault.com/builds/current/KeepVaultWHS.exe

· Run KeepVaultWHS.exe on any PC connected to the WHS Console (or run directly on the WHS via RDP) to extract the MSI installer file into the WHS add-in’s folder

· Launch the WHS Console and install the new KeepVault add-in from the Settings page

You can download KeepVault for Windows client here http://www.keepvault.com/builds/current/KVWinSetup.exe to install on all of your Windows-based PCs. Use the same login information you use for KeepVault WHS.

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