Some recommended Windows Home Server Add-ins
By Mauricio Freitas, in
Technology, posted: 12-Jan-2008 13:01
After rebuilding my Windows Home Server (because of the HDD crash) I decided to invest some more into "Add-ins". Those are programs specially designed to run on a Windows Home Server machine, which is a bit different from the standard consumer-grade OS.If you don't know yet, Windows Home Server is based on server code, making it a more robust platform. But not all software will run on it, so some special versions are needed. Also, add-ins can plug into the Windows Home Server console for easier remote management.
The first program I installed was Avast for Windows Home Server. One of the cool features is the complete integration withthe console, plus remote management of any Avast installed on PCs connected to this server. You can initiate a scan, schedule scans, start a program or virus definition updates and check the event logs.
Then I installed Whiist, so that I could add links to the Windows Home Server pages. But not only that, it will automatically create photo sites, including thumbnails, with nothing but a few clicks.
Next I installed Diskeeper 2008 for Windows Home Server. This new version also integrates into the console and is specially designed for Windows Home Server, which uses some special redirectors for file storage.
The most interesting add-in is Webguide (pictured). This is such a cool program that Microsoft entered into an agreement with the developers so that it could be free for Windows Home Server users. Go and download yours!
Webguide has some tricks though. If you are running the Power Pack 1 beta you will need to change a web.config file before installation. If you want to stream music from your server, make sure to load the local library using Windows Media Player. And if you want to stream DVDs then you will need a MPEG2 decoder and an AC3 decoder.
I have installed Cyberlink PowerDVD 7 on this server, so that I could use its MPEG2 decoder. And you can download a free AC3 decoder from here.
If you have an ISO file for your DVDs then you will need Daemon Tools. Just be aware when installing it to not install the advertising part of the software. Read each disclaimer before clicking ACCEPT!
Of course if you are playing DVDs over the network you will need the drive set to the appropriate region encoding - but you know this, right?
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Comment by Andreas M, on 25-Jan-2009 23:00
If you store important data on your home server make sure you use a UPS and http://www.gridjunction.com
WHS Disk Management is another cool addin.
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Comment by Joe, on 13-Feb-2008 04:56
Hi Mauricio,
By installing PowereDVD 7, can you attach your WMS directly to your TV and HT Amp (assuming you have a video card with dvi or hdmi and a sound card with digital output)? I can't find any information on this. Thanks,
-Joe