The Windows Home Server Team is pleased to announce that Power Pack 3 will be available in all shipping languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish) on November 24^th, 2009. Power Pack 3 will be made available to existing users via Windows Update. Users need to have Windows Home Server with Power Pack 2 already installed on their home server. Power Pack 3 will automatically install as part of Windows Update if Automatic Updates is enabled on the home server.

As we’ve communicated in a past post, Power Pack 3 improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing new features like: backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers. Power Pack 3 will enable the most optimal experience for Windows 7 users on a Windows Home Server network.

“If you've recently upgraded to Windows 7, Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 is an essential download providing enhanced integration between the two platforms and a number of cool new features. Combine library support with enhanced features for Windows Media Center, and we're really starting to see Microsoft bring together the Windows Home Server and Windows 7 client experience so that your media can be stored on your home server and enjoyed seamlessly on TV, PC and Mobile devices with little effort from the user. The bad old days of copy, paste, convert and transcode may well be behind us,” says Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) Terry Walsh of We Got Served.

Microsoft MVP Alex Kuretz of MediaSmartServer.net says “Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 makes storing and accessing your media easier by bringing all the content contained on your Home Server smoothly into your Windows 7 libraries. TV Archive is also a very nice feature that has allowed me to record TV shows and move them to my Home Server to be watched at a later time.”

Here are some details on what’s new:

Windows 7 Libraries integration

When you install the Windows Home Server Connector and log on a computer running Windows 7, you can access the Windows Home Server shared folders from the Windows 7 libraries.

Windows 7 Action Center backup warning suppression

After you install the Windows Home Server Connector to enable the home server backup for your computer running Windows 7, you can suppress the Action Center warning reminding you that Windows Backup has not been set up.

Windows 7 power settings

You can configure your computer running Windows 7 to wake up at a scheduled backup time and then go back to sleep after the backup finishes.

 Console support for Windows 7

Windows 7 is properly displayed as the operating system shown in the Computers & Backup tab.

Windows Search

Windows Search 4 is included to improve query search times, indexing times, and reliability. Extended Remote Discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all your libraries running Windows Search 4. Files encrypted with EFS are now supported.

TV archive

Windows Home Server can automatically archive recorded TV by moving your recordings from a Windows Media Center computer to your home server in the format of your choice. This enables playback in the correct format for your home computers and/or portable devices.

Console view

You can view information about your home server’s storage space, hard drives, backup status, and more from Windows Media Center.

Complete details are available in the Power Pack 3 Release Documentation.

We want to thank our community for all of their testing and feedback over these past months with the Power Pack 3 Beta. You validated that Power Pack 3 was ready for release. We like to think that we are building this product together – as a passionate community.

- The Windows Home Server Team

Hot off the presses, we’re extremely pleased to report that our newest OEM, ASUS, has just announced that they’ll soon be introducing a new Home Server to the market here in the US – and in other markets across the globe. Their TS Mini Home Server, powered by a 1.66 GhZ Intel Atom chipset and running Windows Home Server, will come in two configurations:

• 500GB Hard Drive (with 1 empty HDD bay) @ $349 MSRP
• 1 TB Hard Drive (with 1 empty HDD bay) @ $529 MSRP

The form factor is pretty sleek and comes packed with 6 USB ports and an eSata port for additional external storage options. In addition to all the great features of the underlying Windows Home Server operating system, the TS Mini will also come bundled with a free year long subscription to a 500 GB online storage service, a feature that automatically synchronizes files stored on the TS Mini with external drives, and a real time system monitoring tool.

Not to be outdone, ASUS also points to the device’s ‘green’ credentials: it’s certified ‘Energy 5.0’ compliant and consumes on average only 24.5W.

The TS Mini is now available for pre-order at online retailers Amazon.com and NewEgg.

A hearty welcome to ASUS in joining the Home Server family!

- Mark

Windows Home Server grows as your needs grow, not only through expanded storage, but also with extended capabilities brought to you with Windows Home Server add-ins. There are over 100 add-ins currently available for download which will allow you to customize and use Windows Home Server in new and exciting ways. In a previous Add-In blog post, I told you about Lights-Out, WebGuide, and Whiist. Today, I will tell you about 3 other add-ins: AutoExit, Diskmgt, and the new D-Link D-ViewCam add-in.

D-link D-ViewCam

The D-Link D-ViewCam is a software add-in for Windows Home Server that provides instant access to your live camera feeds and all the surveillance video already saved to your server. Compatible with the D-Link Network Cameras models DCS-920, DCS-1100, DCS-1130 and DCS-2121, this add-in allows users to easily manage their recording, streaming, and camera settings – all within the Windows Home Server administrative Console. Manage and access up to 4 live camera feeds from home or even remotely via the web.

*Screen shot of the D-link D-ViewCam in action around the house.

As mentioned in the We Got Served blog, Chief technology officer, AJ Wang from D-link states: “We’re working on developing more D-Link devices that are Microsoft Windows Home Server compatible so our customers can quickly and easily derive more benefits from some of our most popular products… I believe our customers will appreciate how simple it is for network devices to be recognized and installed on the server and will value the remote access that it provides.”

You can learn more about D-Link on their product Web site.

AutoExit

ASoft’s AutoExit for Windows Home Server is a console add-in for Windows Home Server. It can be used to shut down and reboot machines in your home network from within the console. You can also put the machine into hibernation, sleep, log-off the user, or lock the machine. If you prefer not to use the console, you will have the option to do any of the above actions from the toolbar and either to an individual computer, or for all of the PCs on the network.

Wake On Lan is supported which enables you to easily boot up your PC remotely when you are out of the home or office. There is even support for opening a Remote Desktop session to the remote machines and to the server!

So that you are always informed of what actions have been used in AutoExit, Statistics are kept so that a detailed trace can be viewed on when certain actions were executed.

*Screen shot of AutoExit addition in the Windows Home Server console

Some of the new features in AutoExit 2009 for Windows Home Server include:

• · Multilingual UI (supports German, French, Japanese).
• · Setup has been made smaller and packaged as a zip file instead of 1 installer.
• · Send a message to all connected clients.
• · Warn users when the server is going down.
• · Support for Windows 7.
• · Mac-address of the server is retrieved when opening the diagnostic dialog and the Mac field being empty.
• · Multiple fixes and some minor adjustments.

Diskmgt

Windows Home Server Disk Management is another Windows Home Server add-in. This add-in is designed for users who would like to see more detail about their server's storage status than what the standard Windows Home Server Storage interface provides.

It acts as an extension of the server storage interface, making it easier to identify the hard drives via a visual display. Seeing which drive is the system drive and the amount of data being used on each drive has now become easier.

If you are interested in expanding your Windows Home Server’s capabilities, take a look at our top Window Home Server Add-Ins.

-Nicole

A few months ago, we asked members of the community to participate in a survey to gather data about usage and satisfaction with Windows Home Server. We were blown away by the number of people who responded, as well as the level of detailed feedback that we received. Your suggestions are important to us because we use your ideas to help us shape future versions of the product, as well as our strategies around marketing and sales. So thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

We thought you might be curious to know what the survey results were, so here’s a recap of the overall findings. We plan to do this survey every year, but don’t feel like you have to wait to give us your feedback. You can join our ongoing Windows Home Server beta programs at Microsoft Connect as a way of sharing feedback and best practices with other users.

Product satisfaction is very high

We were happy to hear that satisfaction with Windows Home Server, already high in 2008, continued to improve in 2009 with nine out of ten respondents telling us they are satisfied or very satisfied.

Used for work & play

Windows Home Server also seems to be generating a lot of interest with SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) customers. A growing number of home-based businesses are using Windows Home Server in 2009. This seems to indicate that HP was onto something with its recent Data Vault announcement – the first Windows Home Server to specifically target the SOHO space. Pete Cullen, who runs Cullen IT Consultancy in the UK, also recently wrote about the value he is seeing for Windows Home Server in small businesses.

Becoming the media hub

The survey indicates that motivations for buying Windows Home Server have been shifting since last year. In the 2008 study, back-up was the top reason respondents cited for purchasing the product. This year, most of you reported that consolidating and organizing shared media and files was the primary reason for purchase. Back-up is still a close second, though, and people really love the ability to easily expand storage capacity. According to survey responses, the remote access feature was more popular in Japan than in other parts of the world.

We’ve also seen a big increase in those who have devices other than computers connected to Windows Home Server. This year, about three quarters of respondents connect other devices, such as game consoles and media players, compared to only two thirds in 2008.

More than half of respondents reported four or more hard drives connected to their Windows Home Server. The most popular place that people are keeping their Windows Home Server is in a den or office.

So again, thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. We learned a lot about how you are using the product. We will use your feedback to continue to advance the product.

If you would like to share more with us about how you are using your Windows Home Server and are willing to talk publicly about this, we want to hear from you. We are looking to learn more about what people are doing at home or in their small business. Do you have a great success story about how Windows Home Server helped your family or your business? Check out some of the stories we are looking for. Do you fit the bill on any of these? Or do you know someone who does?

· I’m using Windows Home Server as part of a virtual business team

· I used Windows Home Server to start a new business within the last two years

· Windows Home Server helps me manage my home office/small business

· Windows Home Server saved my family or business from a potential data loss disaster that would have been devastating

· Windows Home Server helped me get my teen’s music/photos/video collection under control

· I didn’t have enough storage space for my music/photos/video before Windows Home Server

· I’m an artist/photographer and I use Windows Home Server in my business

· I’m running an automated home through Windows Home Server

- I am a small business using Windows Home Server for backup and recovery as part of my Windows Small Business Server (SBS) deployment

Please contact us with your story.

- Dave Berkowitz, Senior Product Manager, Core Infrastructure Marketing, Microsoft

Since we had such a great response from our previous post on the Top 10 reasons to use Windows Home Server, we thought it would be beneficial to share our thinking on the business side of things. Don’t let the name Windows Home Server fool you into thinking that this product was created for home use only. A lot of the reasons that you would use Windows Home Server in your home are just as applicable to a small or home office. Windows Home Server provides a dependable and affordable way to organize and safeguard your work on up to 10 computers. In order to help you see how Windows Home Server could enable you to work more efficiently and effectively, take a look at the top 10 reasons to use Windows Home Server in your SOHO.

1. Conveniently backup important data with automatic image-based backup of up to 10 computers every day.

2. Quickly restore an entire PC, a specific hard drive, or individual files and folders in the event of data loss.

3. Remotely access PCs while away from the office to access files, check e-mail, review financial information, or look up an address or phone number.

4. Create a centralized and security enhanced location for important work documents that can be accessed by everyone in the company.

5. Easily find and share information by organizing data in a security-enhanced centralized location.

6. Help reduce downtime with automatic monitoring of the health of your computers on the network to keep them active and available.

7. Easily expand storage space and add new capabilities as your business needs grow.

8. Grant permissions for varying levels of access by team members to your business documents.

9. Easily extend your investment with new Windows Home Server add-ins for things such as virus protection, power management, and online storage.

10. Easy to use and set-up Windows Home Server in as little in 2 hours.

Hopefully, you are now ready to buy your very own Windows Home Server and start running your business at its full potential!

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of using Windows Home Server in your SOHO, take a look at our Small Office/Home Office page on the Windows Home Server Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/soho/default.mspx

-Nicole

If you look back at posts from several weeks ago, I wrote about the Top 10 Reasons to use Windows Home Server. Since then, I have been explaining each bullet in more detail including backup and restore , installing your home server , and connecting to friends and family through Windows Home Server’s Remote Access. Today, I will tell you a little more about item number 5 on the list - Windows Home Server’s Drive Extender and how it can provide an unlimited amount of space for your large collection of recorded Family Guy episodes or the thousands or pictures that are sitting unprotected on your PC.

With Windows Home Server, storage space grows as your needs and digital possessions grow. Thanks to Windows Home Server Drive Extender , you are able to add internal or external hard drives of any size so which will create an unlimited amount of storage space for your HD movies, pictures, or huge collection of Family Guy episodes. Users will no longer have worry about disk drive letters (C:, D:, E:, etc. etc.) as they add more hard drives to their home server, since Windows Home Server treats the disk space as a large pool of available space. Windows Home Server also monitors the health of each hard drive that is added. The lights on the outside of the server will turn Red if a drive is failing, Purple if there's a drive but it's not configured and Blue if it's configured and healthy.

*Screen shot of a Windows Home Server with over 3TB of space

In a recent satisfaction survey completed by Windows Home Server users, we found that 54% of people using the English version of Windows Home Server have 4 or more hard drives connected to their server! Some more fun facts about how people today are getting the most out of their Windows Home Server’s Drive Extender include:

• The largest number of hard drives currently attached to a home server is 30, there are lots and lots of people with more than 10 hard drives attached to their home servers
• The largest amount of available disk space that we have seen (so far) is: 36.603516 terabytes
• The largest amount of used disk space that we have seen (so far) is: 24.093750 terabytes

*Fans in a home-built Windows Home Server that are being used to cool 13 hard drives.

Windows Home Server Drive Extender provides the reliability benefits of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) without the complexity. Windows Home Server supports reliability by duplicating designated shared folders – so important data (e.g. your Photos, Music, etc.) will be stored on separate hard drives helping to provide protection against hard drive failure.  Folder Duplication is configurable on a per shared folder basis, so a given shared folder can have multiple copies, with each one being stored on a separate hard drive.

How is it different from RAID solutions?

• Any hard drive, any time. You are not restricted to simply adding more hard drives of the same type and size. When you want to grow your home server storage, you just buy whatever hard drive you like and add it.
• Internal and external hard drives can be used to grow your storage. No space in your home server case? No problem, plug in one or more USB 2.0 or FireWire hard drives.
• Hard drive removal, as explained above. With time, it will be important to remove the older smaller hard drives and put in new larger hard drives so you can store more stuff.

To see how easy it is to add and remove a hard drive first hand, take a look at the screen cast below:

-Nicole

Many of the products that you use everyday are faceless and may be hard to identify with. We thought it would be interesting to put a face behind Windows Home Server and give you a chance meet some of the people that work on Windows Home Server day in and day out. I will be introducing you to different areas of the team, but we will start with our Community Program Manager, Jonas Svensson.

Jonas is someone that you may have already met. As our Community Program Manager, he participates in multiple events event throughout the year that you have possibly attended including SMB Nation and PDC. In this interview, you will find out how he contributes to the team and how Windows Home Server is a part of his daily life. Enjoy!

In case you missed it, our very own Steven Leonard (Senior Product Manager) and Jonas Svensson (Community Program Manager) were featured on the “Java with John” Computer Outlook radio show on Sunday, October 25. In case you missed it, you can listen to the replay here. Enjoy!                                                                        

Steven and Jonas kicked off the show by reminding the audience of the great features in Windows Home Server and then talking about how active our Windows Home Server community has been … taking advantage of the latest tools and resources as well as sharing feedback and best practices with Microsoft and the broader community. The guys also highlighted how the Power Pack 3 beta can improve the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center.

Host John Iasiuolo is a long-time user of Windows Home Server and had some cool insights about how he’s using the product at home and work, calling out some of his favorite features along the way. Of course we always love to hear from happy users! We look forward to sharing more Windows Home Server tips and tricks on future shows.

- Dave Berkowitz, Senior Product Manager, Core Infrastructure Marketing, Microsoft

For our friends Down Under, the wait is now over thanks to the arrival of HP’s MediaSmart Servers (powered by Windows Home Server software).

Australians are the happy new recipients of home servers that have created so much buzz and excitement here in North America! So it’s no surprise that HP’s recent announcement about the availability of the MediaSmart LX197 and MediaSmart EX490 servers in Australia garnered rave reviews. Gizmodo Australia says: “ . . . ultimately I think this is going to be a mandatory box (or a box like it, at least) for every home within the next couple of years.”

PC Authority says: “HP have a really good product on their hands here, and with space for up to 7TB of internal storage, it's an interesting alternative to storing movies, music and pictures in the cloud.”

And more kudos go to HP with the announcement by Notebooks.com that the HP MediaSmart EX 495 has won its Editor’s Choice Award. Notebooks.com says features that put it over the top were ease of configuration, ease of maintenance and Mac compatibility. They say “The EX495 is the best one I’ve had the pleasure of using and I highly recommend it.”

Congratulations to HP!

- Dave Berkowitz, Senior Product Manager, Core Infrastructure Marketing, Microsoft

P.S. It was Alphaville in an archived post for the introduction of Windows Home Server in Japan, so it is only fair to mention Men At Work for Australia.

In case you missed it, Maximum PC recently released one of the most comprehensive how-to article on building your own Windows Home Server that we have ever seen. The article is generating a lot of buzz, and you can check it out online here or head down to your local bookstore and peruse the 10-page, full-color spreads. The article walks through all the key features of Windows Home Server – including automatic backups, file sharing, remote access, media streaming throughout the home, and hard drive expandability. And according to Maximum PC: “More than just a stripped-down version of Windows Server 2003, WHS has numerous features that make it ideal for small home networks.” This is a fact we have been proudly touting for some time. You can check out more information on Windows Home Server for SOHO on our Web page, which features information for small businesses, including case studies and video interviews with some of our customers.

The second part of Maximum PC’s review walks you step-by-step – including handy photos to illustrate the process – on how to build your own server. If you don’t want to do it yourself, check out the reviews at the end of the HP MediaSmart LX195 and the Acer EasyStore H340 – great products from our partners. You can also read about some of the cool add-ins developed by our Windows Home Server community that extend the functionality of your Windows Home Server, including Advanced Admin Consol, Disk Management, Web Folders 4 Windows Home Server, Photosync, and My Movies, just to name a few. There have been so add-ins built for Windows Home Server by our passionate community of technical enthusiasts that we’ve almost lost count! I believe we’re at more than 100 add-ins and counting. Find out more about add-ins here – they will help simplify your family's digital lifestyle and enhance the functionality of your Windows Home Server.

You don’t have to build your own Windows Home Server to enjoy Maximum PC’s article. It’s chock full of all the great features, benefits, and tips for getting the most out of your Windows Home Server. You don’t want to miss this one! 

- Dave Berkowitz, Senior Product Manager, Core Infrastructure Marketing, Microsoft

It can be frustrating to get a shiny new technology gadget and then realize that it will be another couple of days until you can actually start using it due to confusion and long installation times. Happily, this is not the case with Windows Home Server – it is quite the opposite. Windows Home Server has an uncomplicated, self-explanatory installation process that will have you up and running with minimum time and effort.

According to a Cnet review, an advantage of Windows Home Server is the, “straightforward hardware and software setup.” The Windows Home Server team and our hardware partners have continued to make improvements to the installation and setup of the home server. Many consumers, including blogger Steve Smith, make it clear that there is no need for you to be computer savvy to set up and install Windows Home Server as it only takes 3 simple steps:

1. Plug it in
2. Turn it on
3. Install the software on your computer

The software will take you through a quick set-up wizard, and then the installation is complete! You can even follow along with a series of screen shots of the Windows Home Server installation process, or read a "How To" to make sure that you are on the right track.

*Screen shot of the Windows Home Server Connector during installation

You can see for yourself how impressed Windows Home Server owner, Steve Smith, was with his HP MediaSmart. His first reaction to his new Home Server after un-boxing it was, “Wow, this thing is small!”

*HP MediaSmart’s size compared to a Blackberry Pearl phone

In Steve's blog, he then goes on to describe how fast the installation was and ends by showing a final screen shot of the Windows Home Server console, only 40 minutes after opening the box! If you prefer videos, Ian Dixon walks through an HP MediaSmart Server installation here.

For those who are not intimidated by computer installations and would consider building their own home server, Norman Chan has produced a terrific article in October’s Maximum PC on this topic. This step-by-step guide will you take you through the process of building your own home server. Click here to check out the online version.

If you still on the fence about building your own home server or installing a preconfigured system, you can now feel confident that others have already successfully gone down the path.

To learn more about Windows Home Server, please visit our Web page at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

-Nicole

Windows Home Server was designed to “grow with you”. That may be obvious when it comes to adding additional hard drives but also includes the option to install extra software features to help customize your Home Server. The development community has created “add-ins” for Windows Home Server that extends its capabilities in fun, exciting, and useful ways. There are currently over 100 add-ins available for download.

Three widely popular add-ins that are being used today include: Lights-Out, WebGuide, and Whiist.

Lights-Out

This power management add-in is used to put your Windows Home Server in a hibernated mode when you are not using it. This is a great way to cut down on energy bills and make your home or office a little “greener”.

*Windows Home Server console screen shot of Lights-Out add-in

This add-in allows your Home Server to go into hibernation mode when users are not using it, based on your calendar of events, or a combination of both. You will also have the option to set a defined time in which the Home Server will fully turn back on. Windows Home Server will never remain asleep if you have a backup scheduled. Therefore, all of your important data will remain safe and still be automatically backed up.

WebGuide

WebGuide allows you to remotely view live and recorded TV programs while you are away from home. It will also enable you to remotely schedule and manage your recorded television programs, music, pictures and videos on your Windows XP Media Center edition or Windows Vista Premium, or Windows Vista Ultimate PC.

*Screen shot of Windows Home Server’s add-in, WebGuide

*Screen shot of streaming videos through Windows Home Server’s add-in, WebGuide

WebGuide provides you with mobile access to your music and videos from your Windows Mobile devices. This means you can have access to all of your pictures and movies while you are on the road.

Whiist

Whiist is a Windows Home Server add-in that allows you to create and manage web content on your Windows Home Server. Once downloaded, Whiist can be used through your Windows Home Server console. This tab makes it so that you can easily create and manage new websites, photo albums, and homepage links.

*Screen shot of Windows Home Server console with the Whiist add-in

Some of the key features that are found in Whiist include:

• Quickly create new websites on your home server.
• Create new photo albums to share with family and friends in a few simple steps.
• Share photos with family and friends through online photo sharing.
• Create public content, or restrict access to users of your Windows Home Server.
• Easily customize your public and private Windows Home Server Homepage links.
• Fully integrates with the Windows Home Server management console.
• Customize your Windows Home Server homepage

You have now seen three out of many Windows Home Server add-ins. If you are interested in learning about all of the other available add-ins to download, you can visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/add-ins.mspx.

-Nicole

Based on customer feedback, we found that it was a goal to be able to access important information no matter where you are. This includes local networks, or in places as far away as Antarctica.

With Windows Home Server, you have the ability to share all of your digital content (pictures, videos, etc) with everyone, no matter the distance. When you are out of the home or office and on the road, Windows Home Server has Remote Access capabilities that make it possible for you to view, find files, and even use applications. By using an automatically assigned web address, you can log into your home network or home computers easily and securely. From this site, you will have the ability to upload all of your digital content (pictures, videos, etc), and have access to all of your Shared Folders on your Home Server back home.

*Screen shot of uploaded pictures while using Remote Access

We receive a lot of customer feedback and stories about their experiences with Windows Home Server. One that stood out with regard to Remote Access was a user that was stationed in Antarctica. This man's story talks about how his Windows Home Server’s Remote Access capabilities allowed him to stay in contact with his Wife and Children back home while he was deployed to Antarctica.

Brain Irvin used this feature while deployed in Antarctica. In order to make the separation easier on his kids and wife, he started making short video clips of his time out on the ice. The only way he could share them was making them into compressed files so that they were small enough to send through email. Once his videos became larger, he realized that his wife back home could buy Windows Home Server and use Remote Access so he could upload and share his videos much easier. Irvin started uploading to the “Videos” folder on the Home Server and from there, his wife back home was able to watch them and share with their children. Irvin says that “They had a children’s book about penguins in the store, so I bought it and recorded me reading it.  I just uploaded it.  Tomorrow night I will get to read my kids a bedtime story despite being on the other side of the planet.” He states that this was the best thing he has used his Home Server for.

Some other great responses that I have seen about Windows Home Server’s Remote Access capabilities include:

• “I use Windows Home Server as a "hub" for pictures to/from my in-laws in China and my daughter serving in the Navy in Japan. It has worked flawlessly since day 1. They all like sharing pictures pretty much in real time”
• “I travel a lot and this week while I was on the road, one of my eBay auctions ended.  I was able to log into my home desktop machine, confirm payment through office email, print a USPS shipping label to my office printer and have my wife ship the box.  Showed a couple of my colleagues and they were mighty impressed.”
• “I also have used the add-in ‘Whiist’ to set up a shared photo album for all of the relatives to view.  Everyone loves the ability to view or upload their own photos, especially since we are spread all over the US.”

To see Remote Access in action, you can watch to following screen cast on this topic:

*Remote Access screen cast (for best viewing, watch in HD)

To learn more about Windows Home Server and Remote Access, you can visit Windows Home Server’s web page at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

Today, we’re featuring a ‘guest blog post’ from a representative at Hewlett-Packard, one of our key Windows Home Server OEMs, who is making an important announcement today.  Bill Johnson, Marketing Manager in the HP Storage Works Division, shares with us…

HP is really excited to be able to offer a comprehensive data protection and file sharing system to our small business customers, the HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault series.

*HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault

Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server operating system, the HP Data Vault provides an easy to install and easy to manage solution for our small and emerging business customers who do not have - nor need - a sophisticated IT infrastructure.  The HP Data Vault allows our small business customers to automatically backup their client PC's, protect their data by making copies and remotely access data away from the office.  We feel the combination of the Microsoft Home Server operating system and the HP Data Vault will help our customers better protect their most important business asset - their data!  The HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault - Store It, Secure It, Share It.

- Posted on behalf of Bill Johnson, Hewlett-Packard

We’ve talked extensively about the improvements that Power Pack 3 for Windows Home Server will deliver for users.  We were proud to show off the beta code of Power Pack 3 at the recent CEDIA 2009 custom installer technology show, where we got lots of positive reception to the feature set.  It’s clear that the anticipation of using Windows Home Server with the upcoming Windows 7 client PC operating system is reaching feverish pitch!  OK, maybe that was a slight exaggeration…But the bottom line is that we’ve gotten tremendous feedback (and test coverage) from you, our enthusiasts, around Power Pack 3 – and we couldn’t be more excited.

This being said, our top priority is to ensure the absolute highest level of product quality, and to this end, we will continue with additional testing of the software. As with past software releases, our team will not ship the official final release of Power Pack 3 until the community has validated our work. We expect to deliver before the end of the year.

For those Windows 7 users who do not have the Beta installed, there are a few important scenarios they should be aware of. These scenarios can be addressed by downloading and installing the Power Pack 3 Beta for the most optimal experience for Windows 7 users on a Windows Home Server network:

• Restoring a full image of a Win7 client PC (or ‘bare metal restore’):  there are a few rare cases where a Win7 client PC may not be able to restore his or her full image backup from a Windows Home Server.  This has to do with how Windows 7 uses hard links for some system files.  Power Pack 3 beta fixes this issue.
• Windows 7 client PCs will not automatically wake up to do a backup:  Windows 7 users can work around this by doing manual backups, or also by turning on the wakeup timer in the Windows client Control Panel.  Power Pack 3 beta also fixes this issue.
• Mounting a backup hangs at 79% with Autoplay enabled:  Although we’ve seen only a few cases of this, Windows 7 users may see a stall during a file/folder restore operation, which is caused by Autoplay being triggered during the operation.  As a workaround, users can disable Autoplay in the Windows client Control Panel.  Power Pack 3 beta also fixes this issue.
• Cannot install the Windows Home Server Client PC Connector software on Windows 7 Starter Edition PCs:  while there currently isn’t a workaround for this, Power Pack 3 beta addresses this issue and allows users to install the Connector software correctly.

So the net result is that there are a number of reasons that Windows 7 users should check out the Power Pack 3 release – from great new features to fixes of the above technical issues.   For the optimal experience of running Windows 7 PCs on a Windows Home Server network, we point you to our Microsoft Connect site to download the current beta release of Power Pack 3:    https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer.  Enjoy!

- Posted on behalf of Dave Berkowitz