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Welcome Updates for Windows Home Server and Windows Search Users

Posted 06/09/08 at 11:08:00 PM  by Mark Soper

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Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, Data-Corrupting Bugs 0

One of the best potential features in Windows Home Server is its ability to dynamically allocate and deallocate multiple drives to the server, meaning that you can plug in and remove drives as desired to improve storage capacity. Unfortunately, serious data-corruption problems (see KB946676) on WHS systems with more than one hard disk made this a show-stopping bug for many users. Today, ZDNet's Ed Bott reports that the release candidate for WHS Power Pack 1 is now available, and the data-corruption bugs appear to have been squashed - thoroughly.

What's Else Is New

PowerPack 1 also includes many new features:

  •  
    • File paths with more than 240 characters are now supported
    • Improved storage balancing performance
    • Improved file copy performance
    • Proactive health checks for all files during migration
    • Better checking for orphan shadow copies
    • More accurate measurement of available storage space
    • Support for x64 Windows Vista clients
    • Checks to assure that matching versions of Windows Home Server and Connector (client) software are in use, with automatic updates to correctt mismatched client and server versions
    • New Windows Home Server Data Backup to backup specified shared files to an external hard disk
    • Improved Remote Access usability, performance, and reliability improvements
    • Improved backup reliability
    • Restore CD now features boot options for systems with 512MB of RAM or more and under 512MB of RAM
    • Improved music media sharing
    • Server-specific power management setting enabled by default

Trying WHS PowerPack 1

Because PowerPack 1 is a public beta, you need to visit the Microsoft Connect page for WHS and log in using a Microsoft Hotmail, Passport or Windows Live ID (you can get one free) before you can download WHS PowerPack 1. If you don't have a copy of WHS, you can also download an evaluation version from the same website.

Be sure to download the documentation (available in PDF or MS Word .DOC formats), which also describes tests Microsoft is asking users to run to assure that Power Pack 1 is ready for prime time.

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COMMENTS:3
TAGS: windows, Software, news
COMMENTS
avatarWHS...

Submitted by sc123 on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 11:28am

WHS is a total bomb. Everyone else knows it, but you wouldn't think it by reading the MaxPC review. Will Smith worships it in his 9/10 Kickass review, which fails to mention the massive bugs with the software, and doesn't even begin to address the speed issues that practically bring transfers to a halt. In fact, he doesn't say a single negative thing about WHS in his review - which is unprecedented for MaxPC.

The fact that it's taken Microsoft over 6 months to release a "Power Pack" that isn't even out of beta yet further proves their inability to get the technology working.

WHS - great in concept, crap in reality. MaxPC should go back and modify that review. It's reviews like that one that make me second guess anyone at MaxPC except Gordon.

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avatarWHS is a joke. First off,

Submitted by damicatz on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 7:25pm

WHS is a joke.

First off, I'm against the concept of a "home server" marketed towards people with no networking experience. The storm botnet is large enough as it is without idiots exposing servers to the internet with no idea how to secure them.

I don't care if Microsoft added a neural interface that reads your mind and automatically configures and secures it. Automation is no substitution for a proper hardening by someone experienced in computer security. If you don't know anything about networking or don't have at least a basic grasp of computer security (beyond don't open suspicious e-mail attachments) then you shouldn't be running a server exposed to the internet. Especially Windows Servers.

Then, there is the whole data corruption issue. That crap wouldn't fly with the real Windows Server. If there was a data corruption issue with standard Windows Server, Microsoft would have had it fixed the same day. And heads would have rolled for letting that bug slip through to the final product in the first place. Microsoft's business customers would never tolerate such incompetence and if Microsoft had let a data corruption bug remain in Windows Server for 6 months, they wouldn't have any customers any more.

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avatarWS4

Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 9:26pm

Hey WS4 for Vista 32 is working great. Whatever happened to WinFS? Wasn't it going to be released to the public when it was ready? I can't believe there isn't anything stable and ready yet.
Great blog as always..

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