Windows Home Server Functionality + Normal OS Functionality

I'm looking into building a new pc for home, ideally a server/media centre hybrid - something with lots of storage, from which music/video can be streamed on laptops around the house over wifi, but something which can also connect to a tv/monitor to playback movies/music etc as well as browse the internet, do email, schoolwork etc.
Unless I'm mistaken, WHS can't do these things, so am I mistaken, or alternatively is there any software out there that will turn a Windows XP/7 pc into a capable server?

PS. Some of these files that need to be shared would ideally be on external drives if at all possible...

 

JR MediaCenter can take care of your streaming/ripping needs as can many other products.

Cobian Backup can easily take care of occasional incremental/full backups to removable media.

You're going to want to use a motherboard with onboard raid1 to get some sort of redundancy for your disk storage though.

 

if you don't reconsider building two separate systems, yes, winhomeserver won't be ideal for you (there would be solutions in the form of using virtualisation, though.. but not really the best thing.. two systems == best solution right now with whs and wmc).

but i guess, in the future, this might change. whs2 is in the works, and as it's win7 based (win2008r2 that is), it might have much more media centric features.

but this is still up in the stars.

 

The best solution I can think of is a DIY build a cheap HTPC that will hook to the TV and do streaming/internet and stuff.

Then also a cheap DIY server that does not have to be near the TV it can be tucked away and on the network so you can stream stuff from it to the HTPC.

Both of them are low powered machines, you do not need expensive components.

Here is an example of a HTPC I built and it worked very well, did full 1080P without any problems and was small enough to fit right in with the rest of the TV stuff.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11010688

I had pictures of it all but the host where I saved them is no longer up.

Total cost was under $300 for a very nice HTPC.

The server requires even less power really, just a basic cpu & ram, the largest cost there is you will need a large case to hold a lot of drives, a stronger power supply to make sure everything is running ok, and the cost of the drives themselves.

I have seen 2TB drives for $150 lately. I would get 8 of them and have redundancy on most of the data.

This is what my starter build looked like for my WHS that I put together about a year ago. Never did order the parts money was too tight and I wanted 2TB drives to become cheaper and more reliable.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=12123206

 

+1 for the vicious way.

 

I disagree.

Forget Home Server. Just get a regular copy of Windows 7... Home Premium or Pro.

That'll have Media Center. Then you can just network the drives and start saving/backing up files to the HTPC.

Home Server is nice for elaborate backup schemes with multi-drive arrays and redundancy, etc.... but for an average home setup, it's overkill.

There's no reason the HTPC can't double as an NAS unit with shared storage for your house... you don't need any special OS for that.

Sure the dual-machine setup others have suggested is better... but it's double the cost, and the practical advantage is small.

 

home server is exactly made for home usage. it's not overkill, it's about being simple and works, AND being able to scale in the future easily.

 

Well I agree it's made for home usage... but for typical home usage it's more than is really necessary. I mean, what do you actually do with it that you couldn't do with a regular copy of Windows?

 

guarantee that all data is save. and have easy managability and accessibility without having to set up anything.

yeah, you can do this all by hand. but it IS more work.

and the way it uses the discs is unique, very flexible, absolutely great.

oh, and, i started with a simple mini-box.com pc and some existing 3.5" hdds that where lying around. so no, it was not "doubling any cost". the M200 costs 200$.

 

With a PC on the network with a regular copy of Windows 7, plus Windows' built-in backup program on the systems you want to back up, you can do everything you could do with an Apple Time Capsule (and probably more). You can schedule automated backups on the source systems without too much trouble.

Now, Windows Home Server offers even more than that... but I don't think most people really need that.

My HTPC cost me about $300 (Aspire Revo nettop), and I'm sure it could handle this duty fine. So... $200 plus disk cost (if they're not lying around) is actually close to doubling the cost.

 

Drive extender and backups from other PC's. Mostly the drive extender feature, it just isn't anywhere else yet.

 

heh i never buy 300$ systems for real use, coudln't stand how slow they are.. my media center cost me around 2500$, so the 200 more is nothing.. which was what i was judging around.

as i said. you can do everything without home server. but about nothing as elegant, and flexible..

 

I'm sure WHS is great, all the reviews say it's great, and I'm not trying to knock it. If you want the gold-plated solution, then by all means get WHS and an array of backup drives.

If you just want somewhere on the network to back up your files, store shared files, and act as external storage, an HTPC with a regular copy of Windows will have no problem.

Well, it does depend on your budget to some extent.

I agree.

I guess it's just a matter of whether having an extra network drive(s) is "good enough" for the OP, or whether he'd prefer to spend a few hundred extra for a more elegant and flexible backup solution.

 

it's not "gold plated" at all. it's mainly ment for people where there are several pc's/laptops, which is true for about any typical family. there, it makes sense to have a dedicated server, and the cost, compared to all the other hw, is low.

yes.

yes. but it's quite high on the list of "must haves" imho, so anyone having some form of budget, or old system he can reuse should try it.

the network drive costs, too. the storage in the media center would cost, too. so we're back at 200$ extra cost. same amount of storage.

 

How are you getting a computer with a legal copy of WHS for $200?

With the media center PC you can use part of the system drive for starter backup storage, and get maybe 100 gb or so of that to use as backup/network storage, and then add more storage as needed.

This price on their site is with no RAM, no OS, and no drives. Even if you don't want to count the drive cost, the RAM + OS cost will be over $100.

EDIT: ok, I did find this model for $250 that comes with a 640 gb disk + WHS OS. So considering the amount of storage they give you, I guess maybe an cost of $200 may be realistic if you get this model or something at this price.

I guess I just prefer lightweight solutions... I bought the Revo nettop for my HTPC after all. I do plan to set up network storage on it and back up my system to it... I have no doubt it'll meet my needs.

 

i prefer usage-lightweight solutions that deliver much functionality. but i like your way, too, of course. mine costs tons of money in the end (an i5 desktop, ssd. a media center, ssd. a laptop/tablet, ssd. a home server. bluray capability. fullhd projector. all delivering more than adequate performance for their needs). but the money still is quite well spent for the solution i get. very fast systems, huge amount of storage (4tb, soon expanding), all data everywhere, all very reliable (got put to prove in different cases yet).

edit: and all systems absolutely silent and hidden from visibility. i don't want inyourface style computers. i want them quiet, delivering, without being visible.

 

davepermen and I don't always see eye to eye (and sorry for my outburst the other day, lol), but I do agree with him regarding WHS. Never has anything been simpler and convenient. I store all my music, photos, and videos on the WHS. And you only need two hard drives to get started. I agree it is a little extra money, but even if you have spare hardware lying around, an old PC, whatever, it'll get you started. I had some older PC components and put a system together for ~$250. I already had two 1TB hard drives in two of my PC's which I didn't need there any more as a 320GB would suffice because all lare files are stored on the WHS. Now I have a 5TB setup. Plus the backup is "smart" and doesn't duplicate the same data more than once, it just puts pointers to it.

I was hesitant as well, but after doing it I am a converted believer.

 

hehe these outbursts are what i love about the forum. always bring out new ideas no one wanted to talk about but should.

the only reason we're not "eye to eye" yet, is because you haven't explored all your possibilities how whs can ease your life, yet.. but that's no problem. that's the power of whs: delivering the most simple way to organize your home in a save form. and then grow how ever you like to.

 

Look at the HTPC forum on avsforums for more ideas. There is also a nice set of threads on HTPC setups on the support forums for JR Media Center ( http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=10.0)

 

I just gave the simple Windows Homegroup/Sharing Folders route a go and combined with Windows' built in backup it will be more than enough for what I need, and there's no way my parents would understand/sanction the need for two pc's.

Thanks for all the input guys

 

Just hide the server somewhere

 

+1

i like that idea