What do you do? Nothing.

Tech Tip

Most errors with Live Domains are not local and just ignoring the error is enough. On a usual day, If you are unsure of the cause of the error, you can reset your Remote Access which will disconnect you and reconfigure your router. Today however the issue seems to be global.

IMPORTANT NOTE: NEVER TURN OFF YOUR REMOTE ACCESS WHILE OUTSIDE THE HOME NETWORK. ONLY USE THE CONSOLE FROM WITHIN THE HOME NETWORK OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET BACK IN!

Results

The cause of this error today seems to be with Microsoft and will correct itself soon but there are times when you will need to do the Remote Access reset. Use your power wisely.

See you next Tuesday,

Tim

Background – Extended Remix

My first article about HDTV recording talked about options for over-the-air (OTA) signal and how I can get great HDTV programs from a regular digital antenna. This article can be found at:

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2009/10/19/windows-media-center-connector-and-recording-tv-to-windows-home-server-on-a-friday-night/

Since the 2009 television season started in September I have been obsessed with recording TV to my PC. This obsession started with the need to record three channels at once. My Moxi DVR records two shows at once but there are three shows on at the same time on Thursday night TV. I needed another recording device that could be played from the living room. Another DVR would be costly per month and be a pain to deal with. Could I get something going with Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server? We know that Windows Media Center (WMC) can be a DVR and that Windows Home Server will manage the programs.

The WMC DVR research process has transformed into finding the best signal options for HDTV. WMC can handle the HD signal but how do you get that HD signal to your PC? I live near the mountains and do not get some of the HD channels OTA so what do I do? What about the pure digital cable signal Charter already feeds to my home? I already pay for HD cable signal so why not use those signals for HD recording on the PC?

Up until Friday the technology was not there for existing PC users. Up until Friday you would either need to find a specially OEM built used “digital cable ready” PC or try a multitude of hacks and tweaks to get your system compatible with the CableCARD technology.

Let me explain.

Now I am not a cable expert by any means but let me give you an idea of how things currently work. I am just a ”dude” speaking in layman terms so please cut me some slack on the terminology. If you want to see HD signal on your HDTV you need to either connect to a HD digital antenna or connect to a HD service provider. You can go to Best Buy and get a digital antenna and watch local HD stations OTA or you can call you cable company and get a HD set top box. If you do not have either of these chances are you watching standard definition on that 50” LCD of yours.

The rare exception to these two choices is called a CableCARD­. A CableCARD­ is small PCMCIA card that inserts into your CableCARD­ ready TV or your TIVO type device. The cable company can use this technology to decrypt the video instead of the set top box (STB) that most of have that already does the decrypting for us. The STB allows us to see the HD programs and the scrambled channels. Without either of these you are probably stuck with channels 02-99. The CableCARD­ basically just tells your TV or TIVO that you have a subscription to your cable company and which channels to allow.

More information about CableCARD­ can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCARD

CableCARD­? Where do I put it? How do I get encrypted HD cable signal to my PC? Ugh.

Well let me tell you my friends, this has not been an easy road. I almost feel like a pioneer in my cable service area because no one has done this. Really you say? Am I really the first in this service area to try this? This is Los Angeles. Well the suburbs anyway. The cable service tech, the installer and their supervisor say I am the first. How can this be?

Surely you can’t be serious. I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

Lets set this pig on fire.

Equipment Needed

• Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center
• CableCard compatible Digital Cable Tuner
• Cable provider with CableCard support (verify with your service provider first)
• 3 Beers (optional as always)

Digital Cable Tuner Purchase

I have been looking around since September for a Digital Cable Tuner (DCT) that offered CableCARD­ support. ATI had one on their web site but I could not find it in retail. I looked around and Amazon had it listed but their customer service said they no longer carried it. Dell and HP both had it listed in certain PC manuals but did not sell one. Crap.

Apparently this ATI product has been out for years but not really supported. It seems like a few PC manufacturers started to mess around and ship units in PCs but then just let it go away. I cannot even find a NEW PC with this product. I am not going to EBay an old PC just to try to get this to work. WTF, this is such a great concept. I am disappointed.

What’s a boy to do?

I finally found a company that carried this DCT product. CannonPC carries both the internal and external unit I was looking for. Since my Dell Studio is the primary PC I thought of going with an internal card but the internal DCT card requires an internal USB connection and separate power source that my board does not have free. In addition, since I was not sure about which PC in my home this would end up working on the safer route was to order the external unit.

http://www.cannonpc.com/

Thank you Gregg for carrying this product!

Mental note: Want to see what a serious Media Center PC is made of? Check out Gregg’s LX series. Six SATA connections, 12 USB connections, 2 PATA and 2 1394 ports. Crazee.

Friday Night DCT Installation

Installation is very easy. Turn off your PC. Connect the cables. Power up the DCT. Wait till you have a light and then power up your PC. I just followed the printed directions and I was ready!

The directions tell you to stop once you have powered up and wait for the cable tech. I have read that you can configure the DCT for regular signal before inserting a CableCARD­ but I would not take any chances. You have waited this long so what is a few more hours?

OCUR Check (No longer needed)

I have the DCT connected so now what? My PC is not a “Digital Cable Ready” PC so what do I do? I ran the OCUR check and it showed I was not compliant. I ran the BIOS hack and it failed. Every article I could find said that I was bound to have issues with a system not made for digital cable. There were two articles that I relied on heavily for this product and I want to thank both engadetHD and The Digital Lifestyle for their great articles.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/12/how-to-install-a-cablecard-tuner-in-your-diy-media-center/

http://thedigitallifestyle.com/cs/blogs/custom/archive/2009/03/20/the-custom-integrator-show-installment-007.aspx

IMPORTANT NOTE

Since the release of the Digital Cable Advisor (mentioned later in this article) the OCUR check and BIOS hack is no longer required. This section and links were included to thank the authors and to let you know how much time and frustration Microsoft has saved you with the new release.

Lets move on.

Saturday Morning Cable Appointment

It is now Saturday morning at 8:30 am and the Charter van pulls up out front. The Cable Tech comes into the house and says he has never seen a unit like this before. He said he has installed the CableCARD­ in TIVO units and TVs but never a PC. He calls his next level Charter people and they do not know about this type of DCT either. The woman on his speaker phone puts him on hold and gets her Supervisor but still no one has heard of this type of unit. He keeps saying the “customers unit” over the phone. They don’t support customers units. Stop talking about my unit dude. Seriously. This is an ATI unit by the way. It is not like I made it from scratch. Shit.

I ask him if he can at least insert the card and see how it goes. I open WMC and he agrees.

He puts the CableCARD­ in the DCT unit and WMC immediately recognizes it. Sweet.

Looking good. After a few seconds I get a different screen. My heart sinks. Shit².

Now, being in sort of a messed up situation, I start looking for more screen options (as if that will fix it) and confirm that without the PC being recognized as a “digital cable ready” PC I am screwed. I am in a panic with the tech there searching for solutions I know are not there. WMC shows I inserted but not recognized. Prom all over again.

Now I know that I can get the software working and the BIOS changed if I just have a few more days. I just know it, I think. I ask the cable tech if he can leave the CableCARD­ in the unit and I will fix the software. He says he can leave it in and come back next weekend to see if I can get the software to work. Sweet. Thank you Charter.

Digital Cable Advisor – Microsoft Saves My Day

So here I am on Saturday morning all bummed out. I just spent $35 for a cable appointment and $279.13 on this tuner and it is a brick. What’s a boy to do?

After I had realized that the OCUR thing was going to be an issue I got into a panic looking other ways to modify the software. Still in a panic I had posted to The Green Button http://thegreenbutton.com/default.aspx earlier in the morning hoping someone could help me with the OCUR check issue. I ran the CMD as an Administrator but it would just not run. Create a new drive path? Did not work. This is getting too difficult. I decided to go watch my working DVR recorded program Stargate Universe and see people with real problems.

43 minutes later, after Lou Diamond Phillips creeped me out, I came back and checked my email. I had a message on the board from a member saying that just yesterday (Friday Nov 6th) a new software Extras release was put into WMC that could solve all my PC not ready for digital cable issues. Thank you Phoenix Dragon Master for the link!

http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4361&Itemid=1

The article states that a new release is in WMC now allows WMC to check your system and upgrade it to Digital Cable Ready status without any OCUR checks or BIOS hacks. I love you Microsoft.

Wait. Are you kidding me? After two months of stressing out and trying to figure out how I am going to pull this pseudo hack article off there is now a legitimate solution right in front of me? Really? This software was released the same day as I am writing the article which would be a short failed article because I cannot trick the PC into thinking it is Digital Cable Ready? Seriously?

Digital Cable Advisor? Please be there. Please be there. Please be there. Open Windows Media Center and go to the Extra Gallery. You might want to try it while you are reading this article. It is really cool.

Holy Ravioli. This must be a dream.

Download anything you want.

Trying not to get my hopes up.

Of course I accept the EULA.

Next.

I agree. Lets start the darn thing.

Now I am scared. What if it fails?

It is doing the analysis. Take your time honey.

The test is running. I am really nervous. This all seems too easy.

Sweet. My system has passed. Click on Update System Settings. This takes a few minutes.

No, congratulations to YOU Microsoft. You made a great interface and will make a lot of users extremely happy with Windows Media Center. I think I am Done.

HOLD ON. BACKING UP to WHS. I do not want to lose this PC image!

Activating the CableCARD­™

Now that my system has passed the test I will set up the TV signal for the CableCARD­. I go to Settings and then to TV Signal. Please work. Please work. Please work.

Oh crap. Product key? My stomach is starting to hurt again. Next.

Sweet. Microsoft and WMC has already entered the product key for me. I have deleted it from this screen shot but the KEY was already there!

I am cool. Yes I want to Activate the CableCARD­ now.

Please Activate my CableCARD­. Please, oh please.

I am done. Since my installer was already here I just need to ensure that Charter has the data they need. Make sure you print or save a copy of this screenshot for future use. My Charter cable tech was already here this morning and enabled my card so I should be good to go. He is doing a follow up appointment next Saturday to see the system and verify that everything is working.

Lets try an HD channel. The Breeders Cup is on this morning on Channel Four. The picture looks great and the guide matches my Charter channel line up! I am up and running and good to go.

Conclusion

After all of the research and work with this project I feel real confident about the results. Microsoft has made it easy to add a CableCARD­ tuner to WMC and I hope that more people start to use this interface for their HD programming.

Three things to remember before attempting to try this:

1. You must run the Digital Cable Advisor FIRST to verify your PC can accept the DCT
2. You need a CableCARD­ tuner (DCT) which costs a lot right and is hard to find right now
3. Your cable company must offer CableCARD­ service and support the installation

Mental note: I ran the Digital Cable Advisor on my garage HTPC just to see if it qualified and it worked. I have a ATI TV 650 USB on that Inspiron 537 machine and it did not change the line up or affect performance. I am still just “basic” on that machine but I know if the prices come down on DCTs that I will buy one and get another CableCARD­.

My PC is now a HD DVR so I will recover the cost of the DCT in about a year.

I will now be able to record HD shows directly from my cable provider and continue to have my WHS store and maintain the recorded programs. I can then view these HD shows on any WMC PC in the house. I love Windows Media Center. I love Microsoft. I love Windows 7. I love WHS. Seriously.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

I am currently working on a new book about Netbooks and one of the things that I have realised is that because most, if not all, netbooks don’t come with a DVD drive non-technical people have trouble installing software on them. It is no longer the simple case of just popping the CD or DVD into the drive and letting the software install for you.

Now I know that you can buy, or even get good free software off the Internet and download and install it, but again, a lot of people don’t know that.

Only a few days ago I was in a popular computer shop here in the UK and a young mother had a problem with a netbook she had bought because it had a virus (or so she thought), She wasn’t very technical and didn’t understand that she had to install something else on the netbook, she thought it had everything on it when she bought it. The “salesman” at the shop then told her she not only needed to BUY an AV product, but she also needed to buy an external DVD drive in order to install it. All this was going to come to roughly 50% of the cost of her netbook.

Of course, when he went to check something I jumped in and explained to her she could get some good AV software for free from the Internet or even buy the same software he was trying to sell her online and then download it straight away, thus saving her money on an external drive that she said she didn’t want or need.

Just after that I discovered that Norton have released a version of their Internet Security software specifically for netbook users – called the Norton Internet Security Netbooks Edition. This is the same software as they already have available only it comes on a USB stick.

So now all people have to do is buy this stick, plug it in and the software will be installed, and they are protected.

Even better, this version was under £20.

Well this week Cougar and Drashna have released a new updated version, now at version 1.04.

For more information on the add-in, including the download link, click here.

I’ve been meaning for a while to run this add-in, along with Cougars Wordpress add-in, so I guess I had better get on with it

Well done Cougar and Drashna!

Here is what Dave’s says about show 63:

The Home Server Show 63 – HTPC, Media Center, MyMovies, Media Browser and More.  We go over the usual, news, tweets, and what’s going on in the world and then Chris and I dive into HTPC and everything that surrounds the extender vs. HTPC battle.  We discuss our builds which are based on the Atom ION chipset and we also discuss ripping movies and using Media Center add-ins to view them.  I think this is the longest running show that I’ve published.  If you have questions or answers about this episode feel free to discuss them at http://homeservershow.com/forums/

Links and news items that were discussed on the show.

Tech Tip on a Tuesday Morning

Team Foundation Server

Add-In: D-Link ViewCam

K-Mart Black Friday Ad

Add-In: Download Manager

Lenovo Q110 Nettop as a HTPC

Wal-Mart $300 Laptop Deal

Dave’s Zotac Ion based HTPC built into a Series 1 Tivo box

Tv Tuner cards for PC’s – Do they make a good one?

http://www.mediabrowser.tv/
http://themetabrowser.com/
http://mymovies.dk

Add-In of the Week – LightsOut - http://www.home-server-blog.de

Click here to listen to the show.

I just got this error the other day, so I did some research. I may have caused the error, as I was messing with removing a disk, installing a disk, changing the SATA ports, formatting, partitioning, etc… I probably confused WHS.

I worked around the problem and now I can backup again. This deletes all prior backups on the server for this computer – this should not be a problem, unless your computer crashes during this process. I suggest that you have a copy of your important files on the WHS anyway.

Here’s what I did to fix it:

1. Uninstall WHS Connector from the computer with the problem.

2. Remove PC from Computers & Backup (As you can see from this screen, I’ve got XP, Vista Home & Business and Windows 7 happy together.)

3. Cleanup backup database using the “cleanup now” button in Settings, Backup

4. Reinstall Connector on the computer

5. Setup backup in WHS for this computer (optional)

6. Let WHS backup the computer

The original article to enable Internet TV using the TV Tuner is at:

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2009/10/28/activating-windows-7-internet-tv-and-mapping-movies-to-windows-home-server-on-a-friday-night/

Background

I wrote an article last week about using your TV Tuner to get Internet TV up and running. Right after I posted the article a reader named Eric put up a comment that said:

“Actually, you do not need a tv tuner to enable internet tv. Just go to settings>general>Automatic download options>Download now. This will add the internet tv option to the WMC start menu, then follow the same steps to activate it.”

After reading his comment I reposted the article with a note about the process and grabbed another beer form the hotel mini fridge. What’s a boy to do?

Phoenix and Windows Media Center

At the time of the posting I was in Phoenix for an Earned Value class and on my work laptop so I could not check his process. This process put me in the mood for some WMC action but since my work laptop runs XP Pro I was assed-out. Fortunately my hotel was across the street from the Microsoft Store so I went to check it out and get my fix. I had a coworker, named Jillienne, with me and I told her we could get some dinner and see the store. She is a MS fan and her hubby is into WMC too. They use WMC as their DVR so this field trip seemed like a great idea to both of us.

The whole store looked great. The store is inside the mall and kind of hard to find but we eventually found it. We arrived in Phoenix just a few days after the Windows 7 launch so the store was in excellent form.

All of the prices were list so it is not like I was going to buy anything but touching the hardware was great. They had a few of the Surface machines which were fun to play with. Of course they were not as much fun to play with as these people seem to be having:

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/Default.aspx

They had two WHS set up. One was an empty demo and one was actually turned on. The PC next to it did not have the WHS Connector on it so I do not know what they had it hooked up to. I was hoping for a sign or something but NO. Just a lonely HP MSS.

The PC next to the WHS was playing Windows Media Center and had the PBS Channel for Internet TV showing some Cousteau footage. I did not see a TV Tuner on the PC so I figured they did the same Internet TV setup that I am about to write about. I played around with WMC for a few minutes while Jillienne looked over my shoulder and apologized for her stomach growling to the Microsoft employees.

I asked an employee about WMC and the functionality of CABLECARD since I was on topic. I really am obsessed with getting HD cable to my PC so this seemed to be the right time to ask. After being referred to three levels of employees in the store, I finally talked with “Chris” who said that YES, Windows 7 will support CABLECARD. Woo hoo. CannonPC, here I come!

As we left the store, Jillienne and I opted for the food court, over the dinner at the nearby Yard House, and got some cheapie food. Directly above us was a big ass Microsoft banner. I wonder if they would ever consider making a bed spread in that pattern. I would buy it. Would that be cool or what?

Get back to the article topic already…

Ok ok. Since writing the first article some readers have had issues with the enable process in WMC so in the interest of science I thought I would do a fresh reinstall Windows 7 on my Dell Studio and document the second process that Eric brought to our attention.

Equipment Needed

• Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center
• Internet Connection
• 2 Beers (Optional as always)

For those of you playing the home game Windows 7 is fresh and ready to go so lets set this pig on fire!

Internet TV Enable Process – No Tuner Option

Open WMC.

WMC is easy to navigate and set up so far.

I never choose Express but for this article lets choose it and move on.

I do not know if the Set Up was directed to the WHS Connector or the WHS Connector took over but I will click on Ok and continue.

Love the WHS screens. Seriously. Click on Next through this process.

Click on next. Going to get a beer.

I would have a few more shots of the Connector but the system rebooted. I walked away for the second beer and the system rebooted on me! I guess I have never left the final connector screen unchecked long enough. Whatever.

Ok, rebooted and back on track. WMC opens as normal and now I will use the “Eric process” to enable Internet TV. The Internet TV option is NOT enabled at this point. Remember that I did a clean install and do not have my TV Tuner connected.

I click on Tasks and then Settings.

Choose General.

Under General choose Automatic Download Options.

Click on Download Now.

No Internet Connection? Really? You know I have one. Are you going to make me set this up? I agree, install, whatever…lets go!

Mental note: I wonder if the enabling of the program guide during TV Tuner setup forces the download option behind the scenes.

Click on Next. I agree, install, whatever…lets go!

Trust me, I am Always On. I agree, install, whatever…lets go!

Test this!

Connection working. Uh, yeah. Thanks for the update there sporto…I agree, install, whatever…lets go!

Was this set up really necessary? Could this have been done automatically? Click on Finish.

Ok, so I am seeing some download action going on.

While I am waiting for the download notification I will move the Recorded TV videos from the Windows.old folder to the new Public folder on my PC. Yes, Windows 7 moved all of the documents and folders to another folder during the clean installation so all of that file and video backup I did ahead of time was not really necessary. Windows 7 did not delete it. Better safe than sorry I guess. My previously recorded TV shows up like it was always there. No file transfer from WHS. Sweet.

Download complete and the Internet TV option is WORKING as planned.

Download away. I agree, install, whatever…lets go!

All of the channels are there. This process worked well and Internet TV is good to go!

Conclusion

A big thanks to Eric for showing us the process. Also, as some of the postings have shown, Internet TV only seems to be for US based connections. I do not have a way for checking internationally so I am hoping that Andrew can kick down with some additional data if needed.

I found the Cousteau program that I saw in the Microsoft Store. Sweet.

See you next Friday night,

Tim

Tech Tip

You can use the Belarc Advisor to get a detailed list of installed software, licenses and drivers on your PC prior to a clean installation. Belarc Advisor creates a web page that lists ALL of your PC data. This program is great! Seriously.

Use

Windows 7 will require you to do a clean install if you are upgrading from XP or Vista Ultimate. Some of us will do a fresh install anyway. Most of us need some way of making sure we get all the programs and applications installed correctly after the upgrade. I know I forget how many programs I have installed over the years and am not sure about which drivers are for which piece of hardware. Run this small app and let it analyze your system. You will be surprised at how much information it puts on the web page!

Link

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Results

With the release of Windows 7 we are all weary of the clean installs and the hassle of dealing with the existing programs on our PCs. I was able to print out the profile and manually “check off” the programs that I wanted to reinstall on my PC. I also saw a lot of old shit that I had forgot was on the system. During the two hour Windows 7 automated install I used the Belarc printout and another PC to download new applications, find installation CDs etc. so I was ready to go once Windows 7 completed the installation process. I am confident that I did not miss any programs and actually got rid of old outdated programs. Did I really need to keep applications like Dell Video Chat and Mionet? Hell no.

See you next Tuesday,

Tim

While that isn’t all that exciting and nothing new for users of Windows Home Server. And since my friend digs Windows 7 and has no desire to load Vista back on his new laptop I now have a image of a Vista sitting on my WHS doing nothing. I’ll save it just because it is my friends bought and paid for OS but what am I going to do with this pretty much worthless image?

Then I got the wild idea to see if I could restore that image on a spare hard drive I had laying around and see if I could get it to boot on my hardware. I’ve read of people using a different machine to restore a image on a spare drive and then taking that drive and installing it in the machine the image was made for. But I never read of anyone trying to boot that image to a different system. So what the hell, I’ve got nothing better to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon. After all riding in the rain isn’t my idea of a fun thing to do just for kicks.

So I whip out my Restore USB thumb drive and boot my PC on it. By the way putting the Restore CD on a bootable USB thumb drive is the way to go. Not only is does it work much faster but you can include all of the extra drivers you might need for your NIC card and or hard driver controller like I need to do when I do a restore.

So how did it go? Well the image restored to the spare drive just fine. I boot that drive and I see “Starting Windows” and I get excited. Then boom BSOD. Disappointing to say the least. During the time the BSOD was displayed I notice it saying something about maybe hard drive drivers or something. Knowing how I have my hardware setup I go into the BIOS and change the SATA controller to IDE mode and try again. Tada it booted but as you can imagine my hardware is vastly different then the hardware of my friends laptop. I run Windows Update and before you know it all of my hardware drivers are loaded. Reboot, change the BIOS back and try again. Sure enough it boots this time and does some more updates. Before long this install of Vista is running like a charm. A quick WHS backup of this setup and now I have an image of my hardware saved. Now I can reload this image either on my hardware or my buddies laptop and both will boot perfect. Is WHS kick ass or what?

I did this for nothing else then to see if I could do it and make it work. I have no plans to ever use this install of Vista for a couple of reasons. First it is my friends OS he paid for so I have no rights to use it. Second Windows 7 just rocks! So really what purpose does this serve. Just think what would happen if your PC died or worse was stolen or you just want a new one. You build or buy a new one, restore your last backup and you are back in business in no time. Will this work every time? I have no idea but I bet it will more times then it won’t. I helped my friend update his laptop to the retail version of Windows 7 this past week. The last thing I did before we nuked his hard drive and installed 7 was run one last backup to my WHS. Can you see what I’m going to be doing next? Yup, I’m going to see if I can restore that backup and get it to boot too. Anyone want to take bets on if it will work or not? Got a spare hard drive laying around and nothing to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Why not give this a shot and see if will work for you too.

fasthair

Everyone knows what a pain and time consuming deal it is to install a new operating system. Windows 7 has changed a lot of that pain. Since I always nuke and pave my hard drives when I install a new OS it takes a great bit of time to get everything setup the way I had it.

This is where WHS comes in to save the day. The first thing you do before you load Windows 7 is run a program on the 7 install DVD called Easy Transfer. This works slick. It takes all of your personal setting and files and puts then in a Easy Transfer file that you then move to your personal folder on your WHS. Since I keep all of my music, photos and other personal files on my WHS already I didn’t have to worry about loosing any files during a OS install. So now you have run the Easy Transfer setup and moved the file to your WHS, now what? Do one last backup of your system before you nuke the disk to install the new OS.

Once your new Windows 7 is up and running you run the Easy Transfer wizard again and restore all of your personal files and setting and in no time you have your PC setup just like you like it. The wizard even tells you what programs you need to reinstall. What about that last backup you did? If you are like me you forgot one critical file and it was not in the Easy Transfer file either. I forgot my company file for Quick Books. No problem. Open up the backup file on my WHS and drag it back to my new setup. Does WHS kick ass or what?!

As I said I’ve done three Windows 7 installs the past few days. The first system worked flawless using the Easy Transfer method and seeing how it worked so well I thought I would use it to do the other installs. Guess what? Life isn’t always that simple or easy. On the second install Easy Transfer couldn’t open or load the file. I tried everything I could to get it to run but it just wasn’t going to happen. Since I had done a last backup before nuking the hard drive all I had to do was open that last backup and grab all of my personal files. Yup WHS saved the day again! Does WHS kick ass or what?!

So gone are the days of hating installing a new OS. Windows 7 and WHS make it a pain free snap to do.

fasthair

Well, the 3 winners are as follows:

Rhymemaker

Tegguy

Served

Congratulations guys, I will be in touch to get your shipping details and they will be in the post in the next few days (depending on anymore postal strikes)!

For those of you who didn’t win, you can order my Windows 7 book – Windows 7 Tweaks, Tips and Tricks from Amazon and buy it in all good bookshops.

Stay tuned for more great giveaways here at Using Windows Home Server.

Dave says:

I’m back this week for a fun topic.  This week we talk about how to make a Home Server out of an old PC.  I also have a listener roundtable that I recorded at my Windows 7 Launch Party.

If you are a blogger and you would like some more exposure to your articles visit GeekGazette.net.

MyMovies 3

MissingRemote.com review of MyMovies

The Before you Build Checklist – This is also available on the main page under popular posts.

Podcast List has been cleaned up. – This is also available on the main page under popular posts.

Thank you goes out to usingwindowshomeserver.com and Perfect Disk.  I am a winner!

We have been using twitter a lot lately.  @schooltechtv had a hard drive issue and looks like it is solved!

Click here to choose your listening options for the podcast.

And congratulations to you Dave on winning one of our giveaways – and very glad to hear that you received it from us