I'm thinking of setting up one of my old machines at home with Windows Home Server... does anyone have any experience with this? I have an increasing amount of files to store, and I want to be able to remote desktop into my home server from anywhere with an Internet connection.
Do you think this is a good idea? Please share your thoughts.
129 comments:
I installed on college a few years ago, but it was only for a couple of classes.
Wish i retained the memory :( sorry bro
yup i think this is a good idea, do it!
Sorry not sure myself, probably a good google search will help.
A coworker of mine swears by it. Says it is really easy to set up. I personally deal so much with full Windows Server 2008 R2 that I prefer it even at home.
I don't, but I've always been interested in setting this up
I'm also interested in this, as I am planning on building a mini pc for my television and want to set up a central server for music and movies.
Well if you have a machine that you do not use it's a good idea :D
I once tried that but now I forgot what happened hehe...
never really tried this before. i usually carry a flash drive around so i really don't need this.
i tried it once a few years ago and messed my computer up.. i don't think you want my advice XD
It sounds pretty awesome. I'd like try it out too, but I never have. Keep us up to date with what you're doing so we can see your process.
I would love to have my own private server. :D
Go for it! Definitely worth it
i think unix-based systems are better for servers, they hame much more expirience
i dont know man srry :(
I think thats a great idea! No help here tho on how to set it up =\
I tried to make my xbox a home server, but I can't connect to it. I was thinking of getting a NAS. I don't really see the use of controling your old pcs desktops when you want them as servers :P You could also just set up an FTP.
I wish I did, so I could do it too. I've been wanting to do a home server for quite some time.
Honestly you don't need home server to do that. Just use the one built into any version of windows. It's an easy setup.
cool info!
cool story Bro!;)
cool i wanted to do it too but i'm too lazy :D
Always good to have a home server, you can just use the likes of logmein for remote desktoping, but for accessing files and things, windows home server should do you well
mh, is there no way to do that kind of stuff with a mac?
i always thought that macs were easily better at this stuff then windows-pcs.
Sounds good to me.
I think all my friends run linux servers. Not sure if any have every dealt with WHS.
I'm all for a home server...but a older pc is often more of a power hog than you'd imagine. Think about how much power you actually need. Could a older laptop do what you actually need your server to do?
As long as it has usb2.0 and a network connection, you could save quite a bit on your utility bills over the year.
Sounds like a good idea. I haven't set one up, but it seems like a useful thing.
I know I've been tempted to do that few times myself, there is generally a computer sitting in the corner doing nothing but really, there is probably a software option that would be more simple.
I have no experience with that so I cant help you there
Don't really need to set up a home network but good info
I've been thinking about doing this but don't have any experience with it :(
It's an excellent idea. With todays bandwidth, its ideal to store and stream your media from a central server to all your home pc's
hmm good luck
great post
If you have spare machine and really need a server DO IT!!
dunno... but looks easy enough.
seems like a good enough idea
go for it bro
great info.. thx man..
I have a friend who has done this but it was with Linux I'm afraid. =T
its cool like anyhting else thou its a hassle to you get the bugs worked out and make cure you keep sercuirty tight.
well for remote desktop i used teamveiwer but i expected more
some good instructions
Doesn't sound like a good idea to me... I don't have any personal first-hand experience with Windows Home Server, but from what I've heard it's hellish. You might be better off installing a basic Linux distro like Debian and running Apache on it (or just SSHing into it since you don't really need a web server, just files).
I don't have experience with that, but why not give it a try? Are there any consequences for it?
I had the similar setup.. pretty good idea actually ... you can set it to be file server, torrent downloading machine, and you can access all of the files with lan or wifi in your home, and through ftp server over internet... or something similar :D
just do it you won't regret it ... also remember to put it on a UPS so it has power all the time...
best combo is to put computer and internet router on UPS...
Sounds like a good idea, but I'm not familiar with computers in that aspect. Sorry
If i had any experience I would help, but I have no idea XD. Sorry :P
I use amahi.
Free and painless.
I'd share my thoughts but I have no idea how to go about doing what you're talking about. D:
Maximum PC has a few very good articles on the subject.
Get an external Hard drive - maybe now a days they have the ability to be accessed with internet
no experience, sorry.
use a service like dropbox
Do it! It's neat
Personally, I'd suggest using FreeNAS. I use that as my home server and it has basic RAID functions, connects easily to Windows and Linux flavors like CentOS and Ubuntu. Very easy to set up, highly customizable, and FREE.
Looks like a good idea to me!
Useful tutorial, thx.
¿Can we do this with a mac?
Thanks for the tips.
you would have to keep that computer on at all times you would like access to the server which for some people sucks. you can use i think any pc with windows and just do the remote desktop feature and make a log in etc on the pc. let me know if you succeed
What kind of server are you planning on setting up? I dont have any experience on Windows, but I do have some in linux. Its pretty easy believe it or not to set up servers on Linux.
I don't really know much about this but I think you should do it
have never tried this but it does dound good, let us know the results!
I heard a home server is reallly nice. It lets you get your stuff from anywhere. But i never learned to set one up.
i rather linux
Defo a great idea, i havent done it but im thinking its gonna be something im keen for soon.
Not an expert, but I've always heard it better done with Ubuntu.
Not really sure though. Sorry.
I for one am not savvy enough for this. Still love your blog though, so solid and full of good sutff.
Go for it man
We have a small home network set up so that the computers can talk to one another and the PS3 but nothing where it can be accessed anywhere with net.
hmm sounds interesting but I dont know how it works
your posts are always welcome.
no experience. haha but you seem to know what you're doing, so give it a shot.
Nice Post! :)
I can see the benefits with this idea, although i prefer to just have a couple external Raid TB hard drives
Make sure you has firewall :D
You should set it up with Linux Ubuntu instead
Only thing I've heard is that Win Home Server is a little basic, but if you just need to access files it'll do the job.
Can't say I've ever done it, sorry. My best advice is: use Google and trial and error.
I always avoided remote access for security reasons.
oh god I had enough trouble with my windows to windows server..i can't imagine the problems you'll have.
sounds interesting, sadly i dont have any experience with this.
I have always had troubles, but good luck
Not worth it. Just make a linux server (Ubuntu is great for that). It will be much better for you in the long run (windows servers are just no where near as good).
nope sorry i can't help
I'd use a file back up like DropBox, get your files anywhere any time.
its definitely a good idea. as a tech nerd it frees up much space on your comp
Yeah sounds good to me, I only have experience with shared folders on networks though...
Make sure you make it secure too!
i dont really know enough about comps to be able to provide a good suggestion :(
Not sure, never set up anything like that when it wasn't constrained to a LAN.
HOWEVER I prefer Ubuntu for server based stuff since it has more options, but if you're just using it as a filedump, by all means go with Windows.
yeah definitely a good idea. I have been meaning to set up something like this for a long time.
wish i could help ):
PC IS GOD
im interested in hearing ur followers thoughts
I good friend of mine did this, and had no problem at all. Anyway I don't know very much about it.
I think it is not a good idea, Windows Server it seems that the problems, and how pc's are old may have problems with frequency
Hmm not sure if its a good idea, but it definitely could be. Sorry i'm not being much of a help, I voted though! Chrome is my choice atm
I've done it before, but a long time ago. Depends what you need. Much love.
Sounds like a good topic to blog about once you get things running
ofc its a good idea
also place db and web on it :D
place some game images and tell us the adress :D
Perhaps a better solution is to set up an NAS. I set up FreeNAS on an old box and used it for quite some time. It is really awesome. Do check it out.
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Windows gets so much hate, but its still pretty solid. Usually.
I dunno.... make the server Linux? lol
i have no idea. i was good with Appletalk and Dave, but with the advent of OS X, i haven't a clue anymore.
As long as the hard drive is reliable, it's a great idea. Unfortunately, most people think all hard drives are created equal. An SSD drive would probably be good for it, but they're a tad bit pricey.
its an excellent idea i do it at work.
Hmm looks like a good idea.
i dont know, but supportin you
I am planning on doign the same thing. But the machien is have is an old rusty tower and I am affraid of high electricity bills when I leave it on 24/7.
Sounds like a good idea.
Only ever set up apache...
I did that myself
if you have content that needs to be backed up and can make use of remote desktop, its probably a good idea, ive always wanted to but dont think i ever really had the ability to use it
thats an awesome idea
You should set it up and then rent it out! Dedicated servers go for about $100 a month
YES!
Servers are always a good idea, remember to get a good protection though!
siq post BRO
I just use Linux on mine since it's free, but yeah, man, home servers are sick. Play your media from anywhere in the house!
I'm sure you can google this pretty easily..
I was planning on doing it, and then I moved, and the old machine I was going to use won't boot... So no experience, sorry. Personally, I just take my external harddrive whenever I need it.
you could go for a linux server and set up FTP on it so you can access your stuff remotely that way ;P
thanks for the info
only if you really need it dude, it uses alot of power to maintain
well.. never used 'windows home server' but.. i guess just clicking in 'next' u may find something... hehehe
Hope you liked it!
Sorry, I honestly have no clue with servers. I once tried to set up a CS server, but even that didn't work :(
can't get enough info!
sorry. never done this.... but i am planning on it. you should update us with your experiences.
I was thinking of doing the same thing with an old comp of mine, but I'm too broke to give it a decent HDD. don't even know what it takes to run a server these days...
What is the purpose of doing this? just extra memory or faster processing? I'm semi acquainted with the PC I'd have to do some research on this though, good idea.
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