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April 26th, 2007

Microsoft hits a home run with Windows Home Server

Posted by Ed Bott @ 1:28 pm

Categories: Hardware, Image Galleries

Tags: Software, Network, PC, Storage, Backup, Server, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Corp., File, Ed Bott

In Focus » See more posts on: Vista

Almost without exception, the first reaction when people hear that Microsoft is working on Windows Home Server is, "Why would I want that?" After they see it, the first reaction is much simpler: "I want that."

So set aside that first skeptical reaction and take a close look at the image gallery I've assembled showing the most recent beta release of Windows Home Server in action. The April 2007 Community Technical Preview (CTP) was released to the public last week. I've been running it and its previous beta release for more than two months now. In this post, I'll provide a high-level overview of why this new product has such potential for home Windows users who are drowning in digital media and typically unprepared for sudden data loss.

Let's start with a description of what Windows Home Server isn't. It's not a general purpose file/web/application server. It doesn't require high-end hardware (an old P4 with 512MB of RAM plus a Fast Ethernet card will do just fine). You don't need a technical degree to set it up or run it. In hardware terms, it's an appliance (no monitor, keyboard or mouse required, and the smaller the better) designed to plug in to a home network, where it's always on and available for a variety of useful activities. A nontechnical end user should have no problem installing the client software and walking through the simple seven-step setup, after which it requires virtually no ongoing management.

So what does Windows Home Server do?

Next –>

Pages: 1 2 3

Ed BottEd Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 245 Talkback(s)
RE: Microsoft hits a home run with Windows Home Server
Can you run apps and access programs remotely or is this just for files? (Read the rest)
Posted by: gindar Posted on: 09/15/09 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Linux gives you a better server. For free!  pjotr123 | 04/26/07
Not in the same market as a Linux server  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/26/07
It pays off!  pjotr123 | 04/26/07
I repeat...  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/26/07
Already on the market  gtdavies33@... | 04/26/07
Seem familiar  dave.leigh@... | 04/26/07
I do believe the average home user is being greatly underestimated here.  xuniL_z | 04/28/07
Your memory is very fuzzy, I think  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/28/07
Not one bit, Ed.  dave.leigh@... | 04/28/07
I went out of my way to be polite  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/28/07
I took no offense.  dave.leigh@... | 04/28/07
Offense  neverhadachoice | 04/29/07
Neverhadachoice, since you asked...  dave.leigh@... | 04/29/07
My wager is...  TtfnJohn | 04/27/07
You'll like this bloat  Technogeez | 04/27/07
your wager wins john  LarryLaser | 04/27/07
Competition = Good  Duke E. Love | 04/28/07
ITSA ALL ABOUT MONEY!  rbert16000 | 05/03/07
RE: ITSA ALL ABOUT MONEY!  Duke E. Love | 05/13/07
This is what the average non geek wants  tswartz | 05/03/07
Just to be...  cashaww | 04/27/07
Vista  tstrowd@... | 04/28/07
Why Vista?  pwabrahams | 04/28/07
JUST MAKE WINDOWS WORK!  rbert16000 | 05/03/07
Some folks...  mustang_z | 04/27/07
No.. Not a sore spot...  pzsolnay@... | 04/27/07
Huh? Linux Scary?  tstrowd@... | 04/28/07
Yes, Big and Scary... As HE said...  Wolfie2K3 | 05/02/07
Plus  tswartz | 05/03/07
Excellent Response...  jerry@... | 05/03/07
It pays off!  tstrowd@... | 04/27/07
Linux doesn?t not do it better.  Richard B | 04/28/07
Of course it's the same market  voska | 04/26/07
Really now?  Duke E. Love | 04/27/07
Avg. Joe - AKA my farther & his business...nope  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
Can it play a video game? Or run Quickbooks?  tswartz | 05/03/07
BTW.. You cannot do either of those on WHS either....  LazLong | 05/04/07
Sounds like a good product. Nevertheless...  dave.leigh@... | 04/26/07
My remote access question is answered in the article.  dave.leigh@... | 04/26/07
Yes, you can turn off alerts  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/26/07
Replacement  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/26/07
Replace, and pray...  deefburger | 04/27/07
What are you talking about?q  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
You're right.  deefburger | 04/27/07
You should be...  mustang_z | 04/27/07
Windows Home Server and Linux Are In The Same Market  chessmen | 04/27/07
How's the doobie dude...it's all free world man  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
No doobie Required  chessmen | 04/27/07
No, but maybe a bag of glue happy  BFD | 04/27/07
They are attempting two different things  DevGuy_z | 08/31/07
You are right there...  rbert16000 | 05/03/07
Definition of "better"  NonZealot | 04/26/07
Use google  gtdavies33@... | 04/26/07
Great!  NonZealot | 04/26/07
google home nas  gtdavies33@... | 04/26/07
Not the same thing at all  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Really?  gtdavies33@... | 04/27/07
ME  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
My opinion with some links....  PredatorVI | 05/03/07
Geeks only need apply  Dean0 | 04/28/07
There are many levels of geekdom  toadlife | 04/28/07
Better?  itpro_z | 04/26/07
Fresh Ideas?  dave.leigh@... | 04/26/07
Interesting  itpro_z | 04/26/07
Giving MS Credit.  dave.leigh@... | 04/27/07
Don't forget the SDK  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Family Calendering with WHS  muzhik | 04/27/07
Well...  cashaww | 04/28/07
Please refrain from posting opinions as "fact  GuidingLight | 04/27/07
WELL PUT  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
It's a fact that your opinion includes no quantifiable evidence.  deleweye | 04/30/07
Rubbish  tracy anne | 05/03/07
I Think The Whole Point  Blogsworth | 04/27/07
Another pathetic zealot  done@... | 04/27/07
Windows Fanboy!  Steev-x | 04/27/07
If you want headaches....lots of them  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
May by nice but  dolph0291 | 04/27/07
But...  mustang_z | 04/27/07
your an idiot  df@... | 04/27/07
So what?  lmenningen | 04/30/07
Linux gives you a better server..but does it do backups?  ghoul13@... | 04/30/07
Yes, yes and yes....  LazLong | 05/01/07
linux for storage.  ghoul13@... | 05/05/07
Many possible Solutions.  LazLong | 05/06/07
I would also Add BackupPC  LazLong | 05/08/07
Right. And anyone is capable of installing, configuring and using it....  BitTwiddler | 08/31/07
Bairly a double in my estimation  lazyisbest | 04/26/07
Maybe ZDNet should hire you  Sxooter_z | 04/27/07
Huh?  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Review doesn't seem to show it then.  Sxooter_z | 04/27/07
Please re-read paragraph 2  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Read that paragraph already  Sxooter_z | 04/27/07
Oh, I'm confused...  mustang_z | 04/27/07
Nothing to do with this product  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Well, well...  mustang_z | 04/27/07
Really?  dolph0291 | 04/27/07
Price is going to be the problem.  DirtySpy | 04/27/07
Maybe someday...  pzsolnay@... | 04/27/07
You havent met users  statseeker@... | 04/30/07
Several Unanswered Questions  BitTwiddler | 04/27/07
Availability  swattz101 | 04/27/07
If that's the case...  BitTwiddler | 04/27/07
I love a market debate with technical people!  tflink | 04/27/07
You wont get one  Fred Fredrickson | 04/27/07
Not necessarily 1TB of backup on the server  muzhik | 04/27/07
Don't forget multiple instances...  pzsolnay@... | 04/27/07
Backup storage  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Parental Controls, eh  TtfnJohn | 04/27/07
I don't disagree.  tflink | 04/27/07
Very good...I'm tech but with a additonal BBA - your right  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
Here Here!  informationworker | 04/27/07
Funny this is supposedly a tech site & blog.....  LazLong | 04/29/07
Very thoughtful response!  tflink | 04/29/07
How is this solution better than Network Magic?  I485Heel | 04/27/07
Can you say backup?  david@... | 04/27/07
I agree  softsmyth | 04/27/07
Network Magic Good but is not Cross-Platform  blc1839 | 05/01/07
Well that's just interesting...  D. T. Schmitz | 04/27/07
Not the only option  EasyDoesIt | 04/27/07
And it supports media sharing  EasyDoesIt | 04/27/07
NO HD Support  brittonv | 05/16/07
Already have a better server- Apple Airport Extreme...  Steev-x | 04/27/07
Please see my other response  done@... | 04/27/07
I'm not an Apple Zealot!  Steev-x | 04/27/07
Er.. Right.  pzsolnay@... | 04/28/07
HAHAHA - VERY GOOD!  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
People here don't get it  Len Rooney | 04/27/07
Totally agree except-  Steev-x | 04/27/07
Standalone Software or Appliance  Elric | 04/27/07
What a joke. Only MS could think of this  roger@... | 04/27/07
Did you read the article?  OwningXylophone | 04/27/07
check the article for your point #2, cause he was right on it... only it.  shryko | 04/27/07
What?  no_axe_to__grind | 04/27/07
hehe. #2 is right, the rest? WRONG  shryko | 04/27/07
Backup's easier with this.  BuckedUp | 04/27/07
Excellent points (nt)  el1jones | 04/27/07
I don't see any real advantages over a external HD  nle9@... | 04/27/07
You need to read  DevGuy_z | 08/31/07
My stuff "aint junk"  orourkev@... | 04/27/07
Not a very green solution  techstuff@... | 04/27/07
Good Point  msharma117@... | 04/27/07
Message has been deleted.  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
Full power not required  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
illegal?  sj_z | 04/27/07
Then do manual backups  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
There's a clock in the computer  Technogeez | 04/27/07
True  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/28/07
I am excited!  msharma117@... | 04/27/07
Microsoft Fears Linux  chessmen | 04/27/07
Yea, like I'm scared of a gnat  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
For Users The Only Thing To Fear is Fear Itself  chessmen | 04/27/07
80 Gigs of MP3 files?  tshinder@... | 04/27/07
I have 225Gigs...guess that's bad  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
You must be a teenager  peterk@... | 04/27/07
Yep  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Amen!  mrm@... | 04/27/07
45Mb X 2800 CDs + Vinyl = Storage server.  Scubajrr | 04/30/07
Try 200+ gigs of WavePack files  jruhnke@... | 04/30/07
re: 80 Gigs of MP3 files?  rregier@... | 05/03/07
Poorly written review  Kuby | 04/27/07
Review vs. Comparison - do you know what you are even reading?  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
What?!?  RocketEater | 04/27/07
omg...  rcassas | 05/02/07
WHS Sounds like a winner to me.  john.aboud@... | 04/27/07
You need a life  rbert16000 | 05/03/07
Energie saving?  HVITALE@... | 04/27/07
Energy saving  janesman2007 | 04/27/07
Think again  Level | 04/30/07
Doesn't Play Well With Others  danson@... | 04/27/07
...Yet  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
You mean like Apple - ummm me thinks the iPod and iTunes  fr0thy2. | 04/27/07
But that's OK  John Zern | 04/27/07
M$ koolaid good!  DarthRidiculous | 09/01/07
WRONG!  GSavage777 | 04/27/07
Huh?  Len Rooney | 04/27/07
Like Apple?  danson@... | 05/03/07
real network wide backup...  brokndodge@... | 04/29/07
Home server? WD Netcenter here!  bobn9lvu@... | 04/27/07
Space usage  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Buy Energy Stocks if you believe this  dhecksel@... | 04/27/07
Maybe not every home  stan@... | 04/27/07
Rant as you may, this is going to be a big item  No_Ax_to_Grind | 04/27/07
Microsoft Needs Only a Few to Believe  jcuyno@... | 06/04/07
Looks Interesting  ceh4702 | 04/27/07
Parental controls..  Lfraz | 04/27/07
What?  no_axe_to__grind | 04/27/07
Sorry, this is supposed to be a reply to a message  no_axe_to__grind | 04/27/07
Network backup??  bobn9lvu@... | 04/27/07
Not buying yet, BUT...  BuckedUp | 04/27/07
Bingo  DocBird | 04/27/07
Only WinXP & newer?  dstrom | 04/27/07
You can still have them on the network  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Of course MS wants your money...  BuckedUp | 04/27/07
Not Convinced  jwsimmons@... | 04/27/07
Why this product will work and all the TechNuts are wrong!  rlboyce@... | 04/27/07
It is SAD people need this  chrisryd2000@... | 04/27/07
Scam alert!!!  techboy_z | 04/27/07
Hookup  janesman2007 | 04/27/07
Wired for server, wireless for clients  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/27/07
Wired for server, wireless for clients  janesman2007 | 04/27/07
Lacks built in wireless? It's a turd.  Steev-x | 04/27/07
More M$ proprietary garbage  DarthRidiculous | 04/27/07
RAID5??  Buckeyeguy | 04/27/07
NAS type are easy  DarthRidiculous | 04/27/07
If linux is better then why not ...  JustMe2007 | 04/27/07
Sorry but...  joe6pack_z | 04/27/07
This is one of the most intriguing MS products in a long time.  mee100 | 04/27/07
Sharepoint? Thin Client  informationworker | 04/27/07
The concept is nice  tombalablomba | 04/28/07
It's 2007!  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/28/07
TCO??  bobn9lvu@... | 04/28/07
Nonsense  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/28/07
Nonsense??  bobn9lvu@... | 04/28/07
I was thinking technically  tombalablomba | 04/29/07
You misunderstand  Ed BottZDNet Moderator | 04/29/07
ED... Ever heard of ClarkConnect?  LazLong | 04/28/07
Maybe in a minor league park.....  linux for me | 04/28/07
For the majority of Windows users...  miyojim | 04/28/07
Can it do what Linux can? Is it free?  Someguy2 | 04/29/07
Definitely NOT the solution !  rlvdijk | 04/30/07
"every home network"  Level | 04/30/07
This is as easy as it gets...  ruped24 | 04/30/07
This is as easy as it gets...  ruped24 | 04/30/07
Hybrid Windows Server & Linux  hcb@... | 04/30/07
I Had Hoped to Use WHS Box as Workstation  tonyrony | 04/30/07
Estimated Cost - Server Software Only  joep1701 | 04/30/07
Microsoft....I don't think so.  sgill@... | 05/01/07
This should have been standard on Vista  jon_stark | 05/03/07
the lazy will always get their MS handcuffs  mikifinaz1@... | 05/03/07
FreeNAS is my answer  TucsonGuy | 05/03/07
WRONG!  rbert16000 | 05/03/07
For MS Fanboys only?  djchandler | 05/03/07
controls  cybrsage13@... | 05/04/07
Simplicity  cybrsage13@... | 05/04/07
Reply to story vice message  cybrsage13@... | 05/04/07
You DON'T Need MS Home Server  Enorton42@... | 05/04/07
RE: Linux Servers.  BernieLyons | 05/05/07
Re: Linux Servers..  bobn9lvu@... | 05/05/07
No Media Center!!!!  brittonv | 05/16/07
GIMME, GIMM-MEE!  jkratzer3 | 05/16/07
What about OffSite Backup?  erlewis@... | 05/16/07
Client software  fatalcure | 05/24/07
Been doing this with Linux for years  wkulecz | 08/31/07
RE: Microsoft hits a home run with Windows Home Server  jjmacey@... | 12/27/07
RE: Microsoft hits a home run with Windows Home Server  gindar | 09/15/09

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