Top Add-Ins for Windows Home Server
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Now that it has been around for a while, what the Home Server OS can do has rapidly grown, thanks to additional software from Microsoft and also other developers. If you happen to have a Windows Home Server, this is a must-read for you. If you don’t have one, after reading this you might want to go pick one up.
I did a review a few years ago of Windows Home Server. At the time it was fresh out of Microsoft and didn’t have everything that made it worth getting. Microsoft had apparently taken Windows Small Business Server 2003, stripped out some features and added the Home Server Software.
As many of us are either IT personnel or love computers, why use a stripped-down OS? Microsoft had made it easy to do everything you can do with a home server and still offered a ton of features, all for $100. It was Microsoft’s first attempt at putting a server in people’s homes. It can be installed on an old machine you may have replaced.
As I mentioned in the intro, if what the original Windows Home Server could do was reasonably useful, today's version is downright impressive. Keep reading for some of the things you will definitely want to make your machine even more efficient and capable.
Power Packs
Microsoft has added a ton of features to Windows Home Server. They release new features in updates called Power Packs. These are completely different from the SBS Server OS Service Packs. Microsoft has kept up and continues to add features though the OS is getting old.
I highly recommend that everyone get these Power Packs. They can be downloaded through Windows Updates. You many need to install and reboot for the other updates to install before you even see the Power Packs.
The first Power Pack brought a fix to the nasty data corruption bug, and added a few useful capabilities, like enhanced remote access. Thankfully they added 64-bit support for their connector.
If you are installing WHS for the first time and don’t have a version with Power Pack 1 installed, do that before you move any data to the home server. The data corruption bug could cause all your data to be lost.
Power Pack 2 brought some other great features. Most of them were designed for Media Center users and those who use extenders. While it wasn’t as big of a release as Power Pack 1, it was definitely welcome. When it was paired with Vista’s Media Center, it brought the Media Center to a new level.
Finally, Power Pack 3 was recently released. It focused more on Windows 7 features. It better manages Windows 7 computers and does some things specifically for Windows 7, like add the shares to the libraries automatically.
Add-Ins
One of the key selling points of Windows Home Server was the ability to have Add-Ins and the ability to easily create Add-Ins and integrate many Home Server features into them. They can add many new features to your home server and allow you to get more out of it. I’ve been using Windows Home Server for a while; here are some of my favorite Add-Ins.
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