Power Up Your Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1

Posted on March 12th, 2008 by Scott Lowe 3 Comments »

Scott Lowe Windows Home Server has taken the market by storm, with tens of thousands of copies and servers sold to people — from computer enthusiasts that want to centralize their documents, movies and music to the everyday home user that just wants an easier, safer computing experience.

Through the use of a plethora of add-ins, you can extend the already fantastic functionality provided by Windows Home Server.

In my course on Windows Home Server, you learn a lot about how add-ins are installed and managed.

However, coming soon to Windows Home Server is an update that Microsoft has dubbed Power Pack 1. Power Pack 1 brings even greater capability to Windows Home Server.

Windows Home Server + Power Pack 1

First and foremost, Power Pack 1 will fix a serious bug present in the original release of Windows Home Server. Under certain very specific conditions, this bug can cause data corruption in some files on your Windows Home Server.

Fortunately, most common programs are not affected so you will probably be fine, but any data corruption bug is generally bad news, thus the Power Pack 1 bug squash.

Beyond a serious bug fix, Power Pack 1 packs a plethora of powerful features into the update package. The list below describes some of the goodies coming your way.

A 64-bit Connector Package

If you’re running the 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you’ve been out of luck when it comes to the Windows Home Server party.
Although there are workarounds that allow the connector to install on 64-bit Vista, some significant features, such as computer backup, remain unusable.

With Power Pack 1, 64-bit connector connectivity along with the full feature set becomes available.

Backup Enhancements

One key feature of Windows Home Server is its ability to backup – and restore – entire client computers on your network. Related to this capability is Windows Home Server’s duplicated folder feature, which stores your files and folders on multiple hard drives to even further protect your data.

What was lacking, however, was a built-in way to make a complete copy of your Home Server to take off-site. In the Windows Home Server course, I explain to you how you can use a service called Keep Vault to backup your Windows Home Server to a safe location on the Internet.

With the initial release of Windows Home Server, you are not able to easily make offsite backup copies of your data unless you use a third party add-in such as the aforementioned Keep Vault.

Power Pack 1 enhances Windows Home Server by making it possible to back up your entire home server to an external hard drive that you can then take off site.

More Granular Remote Access Security

With Power Pack 1, you’ll be able to decide which features — the Computers tab and/or the Shared Folders tab — are accessible by each user.

Through this enhanced security, you don’t have to worry, for example, that junior is spending his time at school connected to your family’s home server and then forgetting to log off!

A Really Low Price Tag … Free!

Best of all, Power Pack 1 comes free of charge to all Home Server customers!

Once released, the update will be automatically downloaded and installed to your Home Server, ensuring that you always have the latest and greatest functionality.

So, there’s no need to wait for Power Pack 1 to be released before you take the Windows Home Server plunge. Dive on in! The water’s warm.

With Power Pack 1, Microsoft has taken an already fantastic product and made it even better by adding features that will make the product even more compelling to a broad audience.

By introducing the connector to Windows Vista 64-bit, Microsoft is finally bringing WHS to their most savvy customers and with the introduction of built-in backup features, even the most conservative user can rest assured that their data is safe.

Power Pack 1 is slated for a Spring 2008 release.

Get the Most Out of Your Home Server with Windows Home Server Training Videos!

Your instructor Scott Lowe will show you how to install and manage your Home Server and how to take advantage of all the great features!

Learn more about Windows Home Server Training and watch a sample video now!

Tags: Home Server, Home Server Features, Microsoft, power-pack-1, whs, Windows Home Server, Windows-Home-Server-Training

3 Responses to “Power Up Your Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1”

David Lawlor Says:

March 13th, 2008 at 9:11 am

For those that want to know more about the Windows Home Server bug that Scott was talking about you can find the information that was recently in this MS KB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946676/en-us

Dave
Jeff Says:

March 14th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

Quote:
First and foremost, Power Pack 1 will fix a serious bug present in the original release of Windows Home Server. Under certain very specific conditions, this bug can cause data corruption in some files on your Windows Home Server.

Scott,

Based on my understanding of the KB and Microsoft’s WHS blog (along with the MS WHS forums) is that Power Pack 1 (PP1) for WHS will NOT include the data corruption bug fix. When PP1 gets released, at this point, it seems that it will not include the bug fix, and instead will be released as a separate install/hotfix. Their projection has been June 2008 for the expected fix release.

Also, Microsoft has openly questioned WHS users on whether they would be interested in a more immediate release of PP1. Based on my reading of the feedback on their forums, it seems to be an overwhelmingly popular idea. MS states the release of PP1 would not delay the bug fix. Hopefully, we will see the release of PP1 even sooner than expected.

-Jeff
Scott Lowe Says:

March 17th, 2008 at 11:44 am

That is different from what I had heard, but you are probably right on the timing of the bug fix. I do hope that Microsoft is able to fix this flaw sooner rather than later.

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