Microsoft Windows Home Server Unleashed

Paul McFedries is a Windows expert and full-time technical writer. Paul has been authoring computer books since 1991 and has more than 70 books to his credit, which combined have sold more than three million copies worldwide. His recent titles include the Sams Publishing book Windows 7 Unleashed and the Que Publishing books Networking with Microsoft Windows Vista and Tweak It and Freak It: A Killer Guide to Making Windows Run Your Way. Paul is also the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases that have entered the English language. Please drop by Paul’s website at www.mcfedries.com or follow Paul on Twitter at twitter.com/paulmcf.

Introduction

Part I Unleashing Windows Home Server Configuration

Chapter 1 Setting Up Your Windows Home Server Network

Configuring Windows Home Server for Networking

    Changing the Windows Home Server Workgroup Name

    Displaying the Network Icon in the Notification Area

    Configuring Windows Home Server with a Static IP Address

    Setting Up Windows Home Server as a DHCP Server

Viewing the Windows Home Server Network

Troubleshooting Network Problems

    Checking Connection Status

    Checking Network Utilization

    Repairing a Network Connection

    Working with Network Diagnostics

    Troubleshooting Cables

    Troubleshooting the Network Interface Card

Handling Multiple Network Subnets

Making a Remote Desktop Connection to the Server

    Making Sure That Windows Home Server Is Ready to Host

    Making the Connection to the Server

    Disconnecting from the Server

From Here

Chapter 2 Setting Up and Working with User Accounts

Understanding Security Groups

Adding a New User

    Setting the Password Length and Complexity

    Customizing the Password Length Requirement

    Building a Strong Password

    Changing the Password on the Client

    Adding the User Account

Synchronizing the Client and Windows Home Server Passwords

Automating Client Logons

Modifying User Accounts

    Viewing Account Properties

    Changing the Account Password

    Disabling a User Account

    Enabling a User Account

    Removing a User Account

    Changing the Account Name

    Adding a User to a Group

    Allowing a User to Log On to the Windows Home Server Desktop

From Here

Chapter 3 Adding Devices to the Windows Home Server Network

Installing Windows Home Server Connector on the Client Computers

    Supported Operating Systems

    Preparing to Install Windows Home Server Connector

    Running the Windows Home Server Connector Setup Program on Windows 7 and Windows Vista

    Running the Windows Home Server Connector Setup Program on Windows XP

Rediscovering the Windows Home Server

Using a Mac on Your Windows Home Server Network

    Connecting to the Windows Home Server Network

    Mounting a Windows Home Server Shared Folder

    Backing Up Mac Data to a Windows Home Server Shared Folder

    Using a Mac to Make a Remote Desktop Connection to Windows Home Server

    Letting Windows Computers See Your Mac Shares

Using a Linux Client on Your Windows Home Server Network

    Viewing the Windows Home Server Network in Ubuntu

    Letting Windows Computers See Your Ubuntu Shares

Connecting Other Devices to the Windows Home Server Network

    Connecting a Windows Mobile Device

    Adding an Xbox 360 to the Network

    Connecting a Kodak Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame

From Here

Chapter 4 Configuring Windows Home Server

Changing the Name of the Home Server

Running the Windows Home Server Console

Changing the Date and Time on Windows Home Server

    Setting the Current Date and Time

    Synchronizing the Date and Time with a Time Server

Selecting the Windows Home Server Region

    Changing the Region in the Windows Home Server Console

    Customizing the Region Formats

Configuring Windows Update

    Configuring Windows Update via the Windows Home Server Console

    Configuring Windows Update via the Automatic Updates Control Panel

    Updating Windows Home Server

Changing the Windows Home Server Password

Restarting or Shutting Down Windows Home Server

Configuring an Uninterruptible Power Supply

Configuring the Windows Home Server Startup

    Editing BOOT.INI Directly

    Using the System Configuration Editor to Modify BOOT.INI

    Configuring Startup with the Advanced Options Menu

    Launching Applications and Scripts at Startup

From Here

Chapter 5 Setting Up and Using Home Server Storage

Understanding Windows Home Server Storage

    Simplicity: Saying Goodbye to Drive Letters

    Flexibility: Expanding (or Contracting) the Data Pool

    Safety: Using Duplication to Ensure No Data Is Lost

    Understanding Drive Extender

    Server Storage on a One-Drive System

    Server Storage on a Two-Drive System

    Server Storage on a Multi-Drive System

    Setting the Primary Hard Drive

Adding Storage to the Home Server

    Adding a Drive to the Storage Pool

    Adding a Drive for Windows Home Server Backups

Viewing Storage Status

Repairing Storage

Removing Storage from the Home Server

    Removing a Storage Hard Drive

    Removing a Server Backup Hard Drive

From Here

Part II Unleashing Windows Home Server Networking

Chapter 6 Sharing Folders and Files on the Home Server

Examining the Predefined Windows Home Server Shares

    Setting User Permissions on Shared Folders

    Modifying Permissions for a Windows Home Server Shared Folder

    Sharing Server Folders Outside Drive Extender

Creating a New Shared Folder

Toggling Duplication for a Shared Folder

Accessing the Windows Home Server Shared Folders

    Understanding the Universal Naming Convention

    Mapping a Shared Folder to a Local Drive Letter

    Disconnecting a Mapped Network Folder

    Creating a Network Location in Windows 7 and Windows Vista

    Creating a Network Place in Windows XP

Copying Files to a Shared Folder

Publishing a Windows Vista Calendar to the Server

    Publishing Your Calendar

    Subscribing to a Calendar

    Working with Shared Calendars

Viewing Share Storage History

Searching the Shared Folders

    As-You-Type Searches with Desktop Search

    Advanced Searches

    Using Advanced Query Syntax to Search Properties

Deleting a Shared Folder

From Here

Chapter 7 Making Connections to Network Computers

Configuring a Computer as a Remote Desktop Host

    Configuring a Windows 7 or Vista Host

    Configuring an XP Host

    Restricting the Computers That Can Connect to the Host

Connecting via Remote Desktop Connection

    Getting the Client Computer Ready

    Making the Connection to the Remote Desktop

    Disconnecting from the Remote Desktop

Connecting via Windows Home Server Web Site Remote Access

    Configuring Users for Remote Access

    Activating Remote Access on the Server

    Displaying the Remote Access Home Page

    Making the Connection.

    Disconnecting from the Host

Connecting via the Internet

    Determining the Windows Home Server IP Address

    Setting Up Port Forwarding on the Router

    Configuring the Router By Hand

    Determining the Router’s External IP Address

    Using a Dynamic DNS Service

    Obtaining a Domain Name from Microsoft

    Displaying the Remote Access Home Page

    Connecting to a Network Computer

    Connecting to the Windows Home Server Console

    Connecting to the Windows Home Server Desktop

    Working with Windows Home Server Shares in the Web Browser

    Enabling Drag-and-Drop Uploading

Customizing the Remote Access Web Pages

    Setting Remote Access as the Default Home Page

    Customizing the Website Headline

    Customizing the Website Images

From Here

Chapter 8 Streaming and Sharing Digital Media

Streaming Digital Media to Network Computers and Devices

    Getting Your Devices Ready

    Activating Media Sharing in Windows Home Server

    Connecting Devices

    Playing Streamed Media in Windows Media Player.

    Playing Streamed Media in Windows Media Center

    Connecting Windows Media Center to Your Home Server

Sharing Photos

    Customizing the Photos Share with a Template

    Using Server Photos as a Screensaver Slideshow

    Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Media Player

    Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Live Photo Gallery

    Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Photo Gallery

    Running a Slide Show from the Photos Share

    Changing the Default Picture Import Location to Windows Home Server

Sharing Music

    Customizing the Music Share with a Template

    Adding the Music Folder to Windows Media Player

    Changing the Default Rip Location to Windows Home Server

Sharing Videos

    Customizing the Videos Share with a Template

    Adding the Videos Folder to Windows Media Player

    Archiving Recorded TV on Windows Home Server

From Here

Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Network Computers

Understanding Windows Home Server’s Backup Technology

    Single Instance Storage

    No Backup Types

    Smarter Backups

    Automatic Backup Management

Converting Client Partitions to NTFS

    Format the Partition as NTFS

    Run the CONVERT Utility

Configuring Windows Home Server Backups

    Configuring the Backup Time

    Configuring Automatic Backup Management

Configuring a Computer for Backup

    Excluding a Disk Drive from a Backup

    Excluding Folders from a Backup

    Adding a New Hard Drive to a Backup

    Turning Off Backups for a Computer

Running a Manual Backup

    Cancelling a Running Backup

    Backing Up Other Systems to Windows Home Server

Working with Backups

    Viewing a Computer’s List of Backups

    Viewing Backup Details

    Preventing Windows Home Server from Deleting a Backup

    Cleaning Up Old Backups

    Browsing Backed-Up Files

Restoring Network Backups

    Restoring Backed-Up Files

    Restoring a Computer to a Previous Configuration

From Here

Chapter 10 Monitoring Your Network

Monitoring the Windows Home Server Status Icon

    Monitoring the Icon Color

    Monitoring Network Health Notifications

Monitoring the Windows Home Server Shares

    Launching the Computer Management Snap-In

    Viewing the Current Connections

    Viewing Connections to Shared Folders

    Viewing Open Files

    Closing a User’s Session or File

Monitoring Remote Desktop Sessions

    Starting the Terminal Services Manager

    Viewing Remote Desktop Sessions

    Sending a Message to a Remote Desktop Client

    Disconnecting a Remote Desktop Session

    Controlling the Administrator’s Desktop via Remote Control

    Monitoring Users via Task Manager

From Here

Chapter 11 Implementing Windows Home Server Security

Enabling Security Auditing on Windows Home Server

    Activating the Auditing Policies

    Understanding the Auditing Policies

    Tracking Auditing Events

More Ways to Secure Windows Home Server

    Renaming the Administrator Account

    Hiding the User Name in the Log On Dialog Box

    Making Sure Windows Firewall Is Turned On

    Disabling the Hidden Administrative Shares

Securing Network Computers

    Monitoring Home Computer Security

    Thwarting Spyware with Windows Defender

    Protecting Yourself Against Email Viruses

    Implementing Parental Controls

    Creating Accounts for the Kids

    Avoiding Phishing Scams

    Sharing a Computer Securely

Implementing Wireless Network Security

From Here

Chapter 12 Setting Up a Windows Home Server Website

Understanding the Windows Home Server Default Website

    Viewing the Default Website Folders

    Viewing the Default Website with Internet Information Services Manager

Adding Folders and Files to the Default Website

    Adding a File to a Default Website Folder

    Adding a Folder to the Default Website

Creating a New Website

    Creating a New Website Using a Different IP Address

    Creating a New Website Using a Different Port

    Creating a New Website Using a Host Header

Configuring a Website

    Modifying the Website Identity

    Giving a Website Multiple Identities

    Changing the Website Location and Permissions

    Setting the Default Content Page

    Disabling Anonymous Access

    Adding Site Links to the Home and Remote Access Pages

From Here

Chapter 13 Running a SharePoint Site on Windows Home Server

Installing and Configuring Windows SharePoint Services

    Downloading and Installing SharePoint Services 3.0

    Running the Initial SharePoint Services 3.0 Configuration

    Creating a New SharePoint Web Application

    Creating a Top-Level SharePoint Site

    Deleting the Default SharePoint Web Application

    Restarting the Windows Home Server Default Website

    Adding a Firewall Exception for the SharePoint Web Application Port

    Forwarding the SharePoint Port in Your Router

    Adding Users to the Top-Level SharePoint Site

    Logging On to the Top-Level SharePoint Site

Adding Sites to SharePoint

    Adding a Top-Level Site

    Adding a Subsite

Working with Site Settings

    Customizing a Site

    Working with Users

    Working with Groups

    Working with Permissions

    Deleting a Site

Creating Content for a SharePoint Site

    Storing Images in a Picture Library

    Tracking Appointments with a Calendar

    Maintaining a List of Contacts

    Keeping a List of Web Page Links

    Managing Permissions for Content

    Deleting Content from a Site

From Here

Part III Unleashing Windows Home Server Performance and Maintenance

Chapter 14 Tuning Windows Home Server Performance

Monitoring Performance

    Monitoring Performance with Task Manager

    Monitoring Performance with System Monitor

Optimizing the Hard Disk

    Examining Hard Drive Performance Specifications

    Performing Hard Drive Maintenance

    Disabling Compression and Encryption

    Turning Off Windows Search

    Enabling Write Caching.

Optimizing Virtual Memory

    Customizing the Paging File Size

    Watching the Paging File Size

    Changing the Paging File’s Size

    Defragmenting the Paging File

Optimizing Applications

    Adding More Memory

    Optimizing Application Launching

    Getting the Latest Device Drivers

    Setting the Program Priority in Task Manager

More Optimization Tricks

    Adjusting Power Options

    Eliminate the Use of Visual Effects

    Optimizing Windows Home Server for Services and the System Cache

    Optimizing Network Data Throughput for File Sharing

    Upgrading Your Device Drivers

From Here

Chapter 15 Maintaining Windows Home Server

Checking System Uptime

    Displaying Uptime with the SYSTEMINFO Command

    Displaying Uptime with Performance Monitor

    Displaying Uptime with a Script

Checking Your Hard Disk for Errors

    Understanding Clusters

    Understanding Lost Clusters

    Understanding Invalid Clusters

    Understanding Cross-Linked Clusters

    Understanding Cycles

    Understanding Windows Home Server’s Automatic Disk Checking

    Running Check Disk

Checking Free Disk Space on the System Drive

Deleting Unnecessary Files from the System Drive

Defragmenting the System Drive

Reviewing Event Viewer Logs

    Exporting Event Logs to a Database

Setting Up a Maintenance Schedule

From Here

Chapter 16 Customizing the Windows Home Server Interface

Making the Start Menu More Efficient

    Activating the Frequent Programs List

    Getting More Favorite Programs on the Start Menu

    Adding the Internet and E-Mail Icons

    Pinning a Favorite Program Permanently to the Start Menu

    Streamlining the Start Menu by Converting Links to Menus

    Adding, Moving, and Removing Other Start Menu Icons

Making the Taskbar More Efficient

    Displaying the Built-In Taskbar Toolbars

    Setting Some Taskbar Toolbar Options

    Creating New Taskbar Toolbars

    Creating a Taskbar Toolbar for Launching Programs and Documents

    Improving Productivity by Setting Taskbar Options

    Controlling Taskbar Grouping

Modifying the Start Menu and Taskbar with Group Policies

Customizing the Color Quality and Resolution

Setting the Screensaver

    Selecting a Screensaver

    Creating an Instant Screensaver

Customizing the Desktop Colors, Fonts, and Sizes

    Selecting a Color Scheme

    Creating a Custom Color Scheme

    Creating Custom Colors

    Changing the Effects Properties

From Here

Chapter 17 Troubleshooting Windows Home Server

Replacing Your System Hard Drive.

Restoring a Windows Home Server Backup

Understanding Troubleshooting Strategies

    Did You Get an Error Message?

    Does an Error or Warning Appear in the Event Viewer Logs?

    Does an Error Appear in System Information?

    Did the Error Begin with a Past Hardware or Software Change?

    Did You Recently Edit the Registry?

    Did You Recently Change Any Windows Settings?

    Did Windows Home Server “Spontaneously” Reboot?

    Did You Recently Change Any Application Settings?

    Did You Recently Install a New Program?

    Did You Recently Install a New Device?

    Did You Recently Install an Incompatible Device Driver?

    Did You Recently Apply an Update from Windows Update?

    Did You Recently Install a Windows Home Server Hotfix or Power Pack?

General Troubleshooting Tips

Troubleshooting Using Online Resources

Troubleshooting Device Problems

    Troubleshooting with Device Manager

    Troubleshooting Device Driver Problems

    Tips for Downloading Device Drivers

    Troubleshooting Resource Conflicts

    Verifying Digitally Signed Files

Troubleshooting Startup

    When to Use the Various Advanced Startup Options

    Using Safe Mode

    Using Safe Mode with Networking

    Using Safe Mode with Command Prompt

    Using Enable Boot Logging

    Using Enable VGA Mode

    Using Last Known Good Configuration

    Using Directory Services Restore Mode

    Using Debugging Mode

    What to Do If Windows Home Server Won’t Start in Safe Mode

    Troubleshooting Startup Using the System Configuration Utility

Reinstalling Windows Home Server

From Here

Part IV Unleashing Windows Home Server Advanced Tools

Chapter 18 Working with the Windows Home Server Registry

Starting the Registry Editor

Navigating the Registry

    Navigating the Keys Pane

    Understanding Registry Settings

    Getting to Know the Registry’s Root Keys

    Understanding Hives and Registry Files

Keeping the Registry Safe

    Backing Up the Registry

    Protecting Keys by Exporting Them to Disk

Working with Registry Entries

    Changing the Value of a Registry Entry

    Renaming a Key or Setting

    Creating a New Key or Setting

    Deleting a Key or Setting

Finding Registry Entries

From Here

Chapter 19 Using Windows Home Server’s Command-Line Tools

Getting to the Command Line

    Running CMD

    Opening a Folder in a Command Prompt Session

Working at the Command Line

    Running Commands

    Working with Long Filenames

    Changing Folders Faster

    Taking Advantage of DOSKEY

    Redirecting Command Output and Input

    Piping Commands

Understanding Batch File Basics

Creating Batch Files

    REM: Adding Comments to a Batch File

    ECHO: Displaying Messages from a Batch File

    PAUSE: Temporarily Halting Batch File Execution

    Using Batch File Parameters

    FOR: Looping in a Batch File

    GOTO: Jumping to a Line in a Batch File

    IF: Handling Batch File Conditions

Working with the Command-Line Tools

    Working with Disk Management Tools

    Working with File and Folder Management Tools

    Working with System Management Tools

From Here

Chapter 20 Using Other Windows Home Server Power Tools

Using the Group Policy Object Editor

    Working with Group Policies

    Customizing the Windows Security Dialog Box

    Customizing the Places Bar

    Increasing the Size of the Recent Documents List

    Enabling the Shutdown Event Tracker

Getting More Out of Control Panel

    Reviewing the Control Panel Icons

    Understanding Control Panel Files

    Alternative Methods for Opening Control Panel Icons

    Putting Control Panel on the Taskbar

    Displaying Control Panel in My Computer

    Removing an Icon from Control Panel

    Showing Only Specified Control Panel Icons

Configuring the Microsoft Management Console

    Launching the MMC

    Adding a Snap-In.

    Saving a Console

    Creating a Custom Taskpad View

    Controlling Snap-Ins with Group Policies

Controlling Services

    Controlling Services with the Services Snap-In

    Controlling Services at the Command Prompt

    Controlling Services with a Script

Setting Up a Fax Server

    Installing the Fax Service

    Starting the Fax Console

    Configuring the Fax Service

    Examining the Fax Console

    Sending a Fax

    Receiving Faxes

    Routing a Received Fax

From Here

Chapter 21 Scripting Windows Home Server

Understanding Windows Script Host

Running Scripts

    Running Script Files Directly

    Using WScript for Windows-Based Scripts

    Using CScript for Command-Line Scripts

    Script Properties and .wsh Files

Programming Objects

    Working with Object Properties

    Working with Object Methods

    Assigning an Object to a Variable

    Working with Object Collections

Programming the WScript Object

    Displaying Text to the User

    Shutting Down a Script

    Scripting and Automation

Programming the WshShell Object

    Referencing the WshShell Object

    Displaying Information to the User

    Running Applications

    Working with Shortcuts

    Working with Registry Entries

    Working with Environment Variables

Programming the WshNetwork Object

    Referencing the WshNetwork Object

    WshNetwork Object Properties

    Mapping Network Printers

    Mapping Network Drives

Programming the Windows Management Instrumentation Service

    Referencing the WMI Service Object

    Returning Class Instances

From Here

Part V Appendixes

Appendix A Glossary

Appendix B Windows Home Server Keyboard Shortcuts

Appendix C Windows Home Server Online Resources

 

 

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