Windows Home Server Users Guide (eBook)

Andrew Edney has been an IT professional for over 12 years and has over the course of his career worked for a range of high-tech companies, such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Fujitsu Services. He has a wide range of experience in virtually all aspects of Microsoft's computing solutions, having designed and architected large enterprise solutions for government and private sector customers. Over the years, Andrew has made a number of guest appearances at major industry events, presenting on a wide range of information systems subjects, such as an appearance at the annual Microsoft Exchange Conference in Nice, France, where he addressed the Microsoft technical community on mobility computing. Andrew is involved in numerous Microsoft Beta programs, including next-generation Windows operating systems and next-generation Microsoft Office products, and actively participates in all Windows Media Center Beta programs.

Contents at a Glance 5
Contents 6
Foreword 13
About the Author 14
About the Technical Reviewers 15
Acknowledgments 16
Introduction 17
What Is Windows Home Server? 19
Windows Home Server Overview 19
Requirements for Running Windows Home Server 24
Buying a Windows Home Server System 26
Windows Home Server Software 29
Summary 29
Windows Home Server Installation 30
Checking the Prerequisites 30
Installing Windows Home Server 31
Reinstalling Windows Home Server 41
Upgrading Windows Home Server 45
Troubleshooting the Setup 46
Summary 53
Windows Home Server Post- Installation Configuration 54
Completing the Setup Process 54
Logging Into Windows Home Server 60
Installing Drivers 62
Activating Windows Home Server 71
Launching Windows Update 74
Installing Additional Software 75
Shutting Down 76
Summary 77
Windows Home Server Connector Installation and Configuration 78
Identifying Supported Operating Systems 78
Installing the Windows Home Server Connector 79
Configuring the Windows Home Server Connector 85
Removing the Windows Home Server Connector 92
Reinstalling the Windows Home Server Connector 94
Cancelling an Installation 94
Connecting from a Different Subnet 95
Summary 99
Windows Home Server Console and Settings 100
Connecting to Windows Home Server 100
Configuring Windows Home Server Settings 108
Troubleshooting Windows Home Server Connections 128
Summary 131
User Accounts 132
Adding a User Account 133
Removing a User Account 139
Disabling and Enabling a User Account 144
Changing Account Properties 146
Matching Passwords 148
Summary 152
Home Computer Backups and Restores 153
How Do Backups Work? 153
Working with Backups 154
Restoring Files and Computers 171
Backing Up Your Windows Home Server 194
Summary 194
Windows Home Server Storage 195
How Does Server Storage Work? 195
Managing Server Storage 195
Summary 210
Shared Folders 211
Adding a Shared Folder 212
Removing a Shared Folder 216
Viewing and Changing Shared Folder Properties 217
Enabling Folder Duplication 219
Balancing Storage 221
Viewing Shared Folder History 222
Accessing Shared Folders 224
Recovering Files from Previous Versions 227
Summary 228
Media Streaming 229
Enabling Media Library Sharing 230
Disabling Media Library Sharing 231
Streaming with Windows Media Connect 232
Streaming to an Xbox 360 232
Streaming to Windows Media Player 11 240
Summary 243
Remote Access 244
Checking Broadband Router Compatibility 244
Configuring Remote Access 248
Creating a Windows Live ID 259
Enabling Users for Remote Access 262
Disabling Users for Remote Access 263
Testing Remote Access 263
Configuring Computers for Remote Access 265
Logging On Using Remote Access 269
Using Remote Access 271
Accessing Your Computers 272
Accessing Your Shared Folders 277
Logging Off 283
Viewing Remote Access Connections 283
Troubleshooting Remote Access 284
Summary 285
Home Network Health Monitoring 286
Viewing Network Health Notifications 286
Examining the Windows Home Server Notifications 290
Examining the Windows Vista Computer Notifications 293
Summary 295
Add-Ins 296
Viewing Add- Ins 296
Installing an Add- In 297
Uninstalling an Add- In 303
Finding More Information on Add- Ins 304
Summary 307
Additional Resources 308
Microsoft Windows Home Server Web Site 308
Official Windows Home Server Blog 309
Official Windows Home Server Forums 310
We Got Served Blog 311
MS Windows Home Server Blog 311
Summary 312
Networking Primer 313
Cables 313
Network Interface Cards 314
Hubs and Switches 316
Routers 317
Firewalls 318
Windows Command- Line Tools 322
Summary 330
Build Your Own Windows Home Server 331
Windows Home Server Software 332
Motherboard 332
Processor 333
Memory 333
Graphics Card 333
Sound Card 334
DVD Drive 334
Case 335
Network Interface Card 335
Hard Drives 335
Summary 336
Basics of the SDK 337
SDK Developer’s Guide 338
Windows Home Server API Reference 341
Code2Fame Challenge 341
Additional Resources 342
Summary 342
Index 343