The Web's Largest Dedicated Windows Home Server Resource by Microsoft MVP Philip Churchill.
Microsoft Windows Home Server - WHS will automatically backup and restore your PCs and allow you to share and access files from any machine in the house as well as giving you remote access to those files and PC’s as well. This site will guide you on your journey of discovery with WHS.
UK magazine site Personal Computer World are reporting that the Medion will be held off until Microsoft can fix data corruption flaw.
Medion’s Home Server was on display at Cebit in Germany where UK product manager Rick Munday said it would not sell the device until Microsoft fixed the data corruption flaw that can in rare circumstances scramble files.
Subscribe in a reader 
Subscribe by Email Daily updates from MS Windows Home Server are available through an email subscription. Register Now.
March 7, 2008 at 9:58 pm
This isn’t suprising at all, and I wouldn’t be suprised if other OEM’s followed suit. I don’t know if the bug could be classified ‘rare circumstances’ as I can make it happen quite regularly, I’ve just adjusted what I use WHS for to avoid these issues. (I can corrupt streaming audio files if I copy data to the server at the same time)
If MS doesn’t get this issue resolved soon they are going to do damage that may be difficult to recover from for such a new product.
It is too bad too, because this is a great idea and opportunity for a market area.
March 8, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Medion’s Home Server shouldn’t use WHS. This is proof as to why using closed source proprietary software from Microsoft makes everyone wait and depend on them to fix, repair, patch and the like…
On the other hand, anyone using open source code gets to build upon, improve and best of all, get help NOT from one location that’s hell bent upon dependency, royalties and leasing a license (so like renting) their solutions.
Do you want to catch your own fish, or have someone toss you a bone?
Start supporting open source, let everyone build upon and share the benefits.
March 10, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Blue, that’s rich.
Just out of curiosity, what *should* they use? Name an open source application that has a better feature set for backing up and restoring Windows machines.
March 10, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Only Microsoft’s WHS Drive Extender has the data corruption design flaw!
These below Linux solutions actually provide more features and higher quality than WHS crippleware.
Qnap TS-209 Pro
Synology DS-207+
Excito Bubba Miniserver
ClarkConnect Server and Gateway
Ubuntu Server Edition 7.10
FreeNAS
etc…
March 10, 2008 at 4:06 pm
WHS Security Vulnerability!!!
Locking your Firewire-equipped Windows PC while you pop out for lunch won’t keep it secure, thanks to a new hack developed by a New Zealand-based (Immunity Inc.) security consultant Adam Boileau. The attack, which unlocks Windows XP, Vista and WHS basically bypasses windows authentication via 1394 Firewire by manipulating Firewire ports.
It works by attaching a Linux-based computer running Mr Boileau’s software (storm.net.nz/projects/16) to a locked Windows PC, the target machine is tricked into allowing the attacking system to have read and write access to its memory. After 20 seconds or so, the software fiddles with Windows’ password protection code in the memory of the target machine, rendering it useless.
What’s interesting is the fact, Microsoft was told about this some two years ago, way back in 2006. However, Microsoft still hasn’t provided any resolution what’s so ever since and even now this March 10 of 2008! So Mr Boileau’s software code “winlockpwn” has been publicly released now. How can Microsoft say, improved security when they knew there was NO security and did nothing about it for years?
March 10, 2008 at 7:07 pm
So tell me, what steps do i follow to restore a crashed Windows machine with FreeNAS or Ubuntu Server. just curious.
March 11, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Unlike WHS, which holds all your PC backup files, Ubuntu or FreeNAS can make use of more reliable technologies which you didn’t include with the above Qnap TS-209 Pro or
Synology DS-207+ Linux solutions.
But, that doesn’t even matter, as anyone can simple use a third party solution such as Acronis True Image Echo Workstation that allows LAN networking and external storage such as CD/DVD/BD, eSATA, USB and 1394 - HDD methods to be used without even needing the OS to be installed or booted unlike WHS.
The advantage is lower cost due to less complexity, more security unlike WHS which can corrupt all your PC backup files at once, and is way simpler for beginners to use, as the application boots from a CD without the need of even having an OS installed or booted.
Meaning, it’s without the hassles of having to always balance your drives like in WHS all the time, which prevent you from actually using the WHS product for sharing and streaming files when backing up, unless you don’t mind choppy video, and super slow file transfers.
WHS sells the ideal of a PC backup $$$ solution, which is embedded into the OS, so should the WHS product fail, so does all your PC back files, unlike an independent backup solution that doesn’t require it to be installed in the HDD.
WHS just wants to dictate how every file must be stored in it’s NTFS proprietary, while limiting everyone using it to very specific conditions (Windows XP and Vista) that depend upon zero WHS errors, bugs and accidents which isn’t the case at all. SEE KB 946676 which states WHS “Drive Extender” causes data corruption!
It’s also much faster than WHS to restore and backup your OS too! There are many other solutions here as well, many of them for FREE, being open source code.
March 12, 2008 at 1:16 am
WHS can corrupt all your backup files at once? Have you even read the MSFT article on the data corruption issue? Hint: it doesn’t affect backups.
The “hassles” of drive balancing? I often stream video to MCE, and occasionally while WHS is balancing. I suppose I should be seeing skipping due to this transparent process?
“Depends on zero bugs”. Heh. Let me guess, if there’s a bug in FreeNAS then everything’s okay because it’s open source so I can fix it myself with my powerful development skills. Right?
I listed Ubuntu and FreeNAS above because I’m familiar with them and I know that they are not solutions that can compete with WHS. I’m still waiting for someone to walk me through the steps needed for a crashed Windows OS restore using an open source solution.
March 12, 2008 at 3:53 am
Oh Aaron,
What possible solution cannot complete with WHS, except only for data corruption or WHS’s dumb down management console requiring third party solutions?
FreeNAS is a free NAS (Network-Attached Storage) server, supporting: CIFS (samba), FTP, NFS, AFP, RSYNC, iSCSI protocols, S.M.A.R.T., local user authentication, Software RAID (0,1,5) with a Full WEB configuration interface.
It speaks for itself.
Ubuntu is also free, so I guess you got something against it, being FREE? Ubuntu supports quick failure recovery: If a client system fails, simply swap in a new one and continue working. No configuration is required, and all of the user’s data and settings are intact.
Try doing that with WHS!
Synology makes data backup so complete and automatic that backup can be done without your attention. From Secure Network Backup, Local Backup, to PC Backup (Synology Data Replicator II), you can always find the backup alternatives that fit your needs.
http://www.synology.com/enu/products/features/index.php
Qnap TS-409 Pro supports multiple file sharing protocols for users to share files across Linux, Unix, Mac, and Windows platforms. Qnap server functions including File Server, FTP Server, Printer Server, Windows ADS (Active Directory Service), MySQL and SQLite, SMB & SOHO, FTP server with SSL/TLS, SSH login, Online RAID Level Migration and encrypted remote replication and backup to external devices are supported to enhance data protection. http://www.qnap.com
And you think WHS has more to offer?
What $M fanboys can demonstrate WHS to be a disaster-proof NAS for Business?
March 12, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Judy, cheers to you. You’re wonderful at spinning.
Let’s see what we have so far:
FreeNAS: It’s a NAS. Got it. But it still can’t recover a crashed Windows computer. Not sure what your point is here other than agreeing with me.
Ubuntu: I haven’t said that I have anything against “free”. I just have a problem with you and everyone else stating or implying that it can do everything WHS can do.
For example, you said this: “Ubuntu supports quick failure recovery: If a client system fails, simply swap in a new one and continue working.”
What you conveniently failed to mention is that this requires that all of your clients are built as “thin” clients compatible with the “Linux Terminal Server Project”, aka very close to 0% of home computers. Nice try though.
Synology: Looks neat, and admittedly I had never heard of it before. Still it doesn’t seem to automatically restore a crashed Windows computer. Are you familiar with what I’m talking about when I say that? Your laptop fails, you insert your WHS recovery disk and it automatically connects to WHS and restores you entire laptop to any point in time, over the network. Maybe I’m wrong about Synology, I just don’t see this listed among their other features.
All of these solutions that you guys list seem really great at backing up files using a zillion transfer protocols. Fantastic. But they don’t offer automated Windows machine restores, which for me is the biggest unique feature that WHS provides. When my laptop fails, I’m not only assured that my data is backed up, I also know that I won’t have to spend hours reinstalling my applications and settings after I’ve reinstalled the new OS! I can get my laptop back to yesterday’s exact snapshot in as long as it takes to copy the files over. OR I can rebuild it using files from any day’s snapshot.
Other smaller examples: Many of your suggested products don’t offer automated ways to being client machines out of standby on a nightly basis for backing up. Some of them don’t offer versioned snapshots of your system for access to files on any given backup day. Some of them require mounting and unmounting drives, which is just too difficult for most home users. For example look here, straight from the official FreeNAS documentation:
“Any drive (USB, ZIP, CD-Rom) MUST be first unmounted before removing it. A reboot could occur otherwise.”
Um yeah, this may be easy for you and I, but imagine 95% of the world who don’t even know what “mount” means.