Windows Home Server
Windows Home Server - Announcing Power Pack 2
We are pleased to announce Windows Home Server Power Pack 2. Power Pack 2 fixes known issues and adds new features to improve the Windows Home Server experience. Enhancements include: Improvements to remote access configuration, enhanced functionality for computers running Windows Media Center, and content streaming support for Windows Media Center Extenders. Power Pack 2 adds Italian language support on new home servers.
Power Pack 2 will be made available via Windows Update. Users need to have Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1 already installed on their home server. Power Pack 2 will automatically install as part of Windows Update if Automatic Updates is enabled on the home server. (How to turn on automatic updates.) The English version release date is March 24th. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish is currently scheduled to be available before the end of April.
For additional information, please read the Power Pack 2 Release Documentation.
Source- WHS Team Blog
New Server Joining the Windows server family
You may have heard that earlier today Steve Ballmer referenced we are working on an addition to the Windows server Family named Foundation Server.
While we don’t have any details to share now, we are very excited about the opportunity this entry-level server will bring to our customers and partners.
Look for more information coming in the next few months!
Source- Windows Server Blog
January, 2009 Update for Windows Home Server
Today the Windows Home Server team is releasing a small update to the product. The update improves the capability of Windows Home Server to repair abnormalities detected in the home computer backup database. The update should be automatically downloaded and installed on your home server over the next several days, if you have Windows Update turned on. You can check if you have Windows Update turned on, by opening the Windows Home Server Console - Settings - General page.
The Knowledge Base article (#958926) for this update will be posted shortly at this link.
Source- Windows Home Server Team Blog
Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 is Codenamed "Snoqualmie"
Windows Home Server Team Blog reports that the codename for Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 is Snoqualmie.Here is what the blog reads-
There is indeed another "minor release" in development and it will be called Windows Home Server Power Pack 2. For those who care about codenames - this is Windows Home Server Code Name "Snoqualmie" or SnoQ as everybody on the team calls it. Beta is NDA only.
Windows Server 2008 R2 released at CES
In conjunction with the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, (CES), Microsoft today released the public beta of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Windows Server 2008 R2 is an update release and the next version of the Windows Server operating system. The major technology investment areas for WS08 R2 are virtualization, web and management; the release incorporates a host of new features and capabilities that directly address these areas. When combined with Windows 7, customers will be able to take advantage of a new level of integration between server and client operating systems.
Some of the highlights include:
· Direct Access
· Live Migration for virtual machines
· BranchCache
· PowerShell 2.0
For more information, please visit the Windows Server Team Blog or the Microsoft at CES Virtual Pressroom.
Source- Technet Blog
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Sp2 public beta now available
The public beta versions of the Windows Vista Sp2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 are now available for download on the Microsoft Download centers.Currently the beta versions of SP2 has been released in five languages English, German, French, Spanish, and Japanese, in both 32- and 64-bit flavors.
Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta is prerelease code offered to the public through our Customer Preview Program. Please see the Windows Server SP2/Windows Vista SP2 Customer Preview Program page on TechNet/MSDN for additional details, documentation, and forums.
Windows Vista SP2 TechNet
Windows Server 2008 SP2 TechNet
Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta apply to people, organizations, and technical enthusiasts who are comfortable evaluating prerelease software. This prerelease software is provided for testing only. Installation of Service Pack 2 Beta will result in Microsoft collecting information about the installation process, even if the installation is not completed. We do not recommend installing this software on primary or mission-critical systems. We recommend that you have a backup of your data before you install any prerelease software.
SP2 is an update to Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista that addresses feedback from our customers and partners. By providing these fixes integrated into a single service pack, Microsoft provides a single high-quality update that minimizes deployment and testing complexity for customers.
In addition to all previously released updates, SP2 will contain changes focused on addressing reliability and performance issues, supporting new kinds of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. SP2 will also continue to make it easier for IT administrators to deploy and manage large installations of Windows Server 2008.
Service Pack 1 is a prerequisite for installing Service Pack 2. Please make sure that your system is running Service Pack 1 before you install Service Pack 2.
Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta - Five Language Standalone version can be installed on systems with any of the following language versions: English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish.
Download links-
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta x32 (KB948465)
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta for x64-based systems (KB948465)
Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Beta for ia64-based systems (KB948465)
Download Windows Home Server Toolkit v1.1 (32-Bit)
The Windows Home Server Toolkit is a collection of tools that help you troubleshoot issues with Windows Home Server. The toolkit has the following components:
- Error Reporting: The Error Reporting tool collects log files from your home computer and sends them to Microsoft. These log files are useful to Microsoft Support when troubleshooting problems you may encounter with Windows Home Server.
- Windows Home Server Connector Troubleshooter: The Windows Home Server Connector Troubleshooter is a program that runs on your home computer to help troubleshoot problems you may encounter while installing the Connector software. The Connector Troubleshooter runs a series of tests to check the most common Connector Setup problems, and then it recommends possible solutions.
- Windows Home Server Toolkit Add-in: You can also use the Troubleshooter to install a Windows Home Server Toolkit Add-in on your home server. With this Add-in, you can run troubleshooting tasks from the Windows Home Server Console Settings page.
Download the 64 bit version here
November 2008 Windows Update for Windows Home Server
The Windows Home Server team released a minor software update for the product as part of our ongoing customer- driven improvement program. Current users will receive this software via Windows Update, either on or shortly after the release date of November 25, 2008.
Below is a summary of what is included:
This update improves the interaction between home computers running Windows Vista and a Windows Home Server-based system when copying files or folders that are larger in size than the free space available on the first (or primary) hard drive to a Shared Folder. Additionally, this update resolves certain issues which can happen when restoring files and folders from Windows Home Server, such as the opening of a Home Computer Backup sometimes stalling at 79% complete. The update also improves the search functionality when using remote access.
You can read the full Knowledge Base article at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957825
The entire Windows Home Server team would thank the people that have used our Connect site to submit bugs with detailed logs and "repro" steps to help the team understand issues with the product that are not easy to reproduce. The home server team has one of the oldest Connect sites dating back to October, 2005. But most importantly we have the 4th most active site due to the fact that we keep it open so people can continue to submit product suggestions and bug reports that are directly reviewed by the product team.
Source- Windows Home server team blog
