Microsoft Windows™ Support ... and More!
Windows Home Server ... the start of a new series for the Web site
This is going to be a fairly brief overview of the Windows Home Server install process. Why brief? Because most folks will be buying it preinstalled on a server device. I personally consider that to be a shame because the hardware requirements for Windows Home Server are pretty modest except that you would want beaucoup RAM and tons of hard drive space ... you can run it on any processor platform, even a 32-bit Pentium 3/4 or AMD Athlon class processor has plenty of horsepower for this application.
You can buy the OEM/System Builder package fairly inexpensively (all prices in US Dollars) ($100-$150) and install it into an older computer that you've beefed up the RAM and hard drive space on (I would recommend no less than 2GB of system memory and 1TB of hard drive space for a home network with two to three computers, step up to 4GB/2TB for larger networks) and have a very inexpensive and quite serviceable home network hub server. Heck, the package is based on Windows 2003 Server SBS edition - that product alone costs several times the cost of Windows Home Server! With memory as cheap as $15 per gigabyte and 500MB hard drives at $100 or less ... it's hard to lose!
Well, let's get started. Assuming you have a system ready to roll, pop in the first CDROM disc and get started:
Please carefully note this warning. Any hard drives attached to the system, including USB drives, will be erased.
Give the server a name.
Again you are warned that these drives will be erased. This is your last chance to bail out.
No, really, this IS the last warning. :-)
From here sit back and watch the typical Microsoft install process - the progress bar in the lower right hand corner and mid left side of the screen, along with the flowing advertisements that tell you what's coming in the future when setup is done.
After the first reboot we are back in fairly familiar space:
Another reboot and we move back into GUI territory:
Then another restart to move into the next phase of setup:
As with Windows Server 2003 R2, there are two CDs and the first one only runs the base server setup. The second CD contains the actual WHS files and runs the setup of the package as it's added onto the server system.
Ah, we are ready to complete the system setup now.
This password is required to be a strong password because it will control who can access your server both from the client side and should you set up remote access this password will control who can get into the console remotely.
I recommend sticking with automatic updates, that way you don't have to remember to update the system.
Again, your choice. Microsoft can get some really interesting utilization data if you let them - and no, they don't track anything that you need to be worried about telling them. This data tracks what parts of the WHS system you do and don't use. No details on what you use it for, nor any details that could identify you.
Again, Microsoft can use crash data to find and correct problems. Your choice, but I recommend Yes.
... and that's it! At this point you click Continue, then you can disconnect the keyboard and mouse and monitor. You won't need them again.
Stay tuned for Part II coming soon - possibly to the blog space since it'll be a bit shorter. We'll look at installing Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 and configuring your first networked PC to connect to the Windows Home Server.
01 May 2008:
Service Pack News - Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3
Windows Vista SP1 is now in wide release and folks should be looking to get this installed ASAP. It contains the accumulated fixes and security updates released since Vista was released as well as several important updates that improve Vista's performance and stability. Vista SP1 is best downloaded and installed via Windows Updates or Microsoft Updates but you can also download it directly from Microsoft - though this option will result in a much larger file. But if you must, here's the links to the 32-bit 5-language standalone pack and the 64-bit 5-language standalone pack. Hope you have broadband available. ☺
In other news, Windows XP Service Pack 3 was withdrawn at the last minute before it was to be widely released due to a last-minute problem discovered between SP3 and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System software. By the time you read this it may be back again, since Microsoft planned on using filters at Windows Updates and Microsoft Updates to prevent its download on systems with RMS. Windows Vista SP1 has a similar compatibility problem and will also not be offered automatically to Vista customers with Microsoft Dynamics RMS installed.
[Ed.Note - Windows XP SP3 is back up again. The best way to get it is via Windows Update/Microsoft Update but if you want you can download the US-English version here.]
On a personal note ...
Again, it seems that I'm apologizing for not adding content to the Web site and the blog on a more regular basis. Well, that does happen from time to time, it's known as "Life comes at you while you're busy making other plans". I will be attempting to keep both the Web site and the blog updated just a bit more frequently from here on out, and keep adding the type of articles and content that you want to see and hear from me.