Today the Windows Home Server team released version 1.1 of the Windows Home Server Toolkit, a collection of diagnostic tools that run on your home computers and home server. This version provides a Windows Home Server Connector Troubleshooter that works on home computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit) and Windows Vista (x64) operating systems.
Additionally, the Toolkit Add-in for Windows Home Server has been simplified to make it easier for people to access relevant information when troubleshooting any issues that they may encounter with their home servers. After installing the toolkit on a home computer, you can easily copy the Toolkit Add-in to your home server. Click Start, All Programs, Windows Home Server Toolkit, Publish Server Add-in, to copy the Toolkit Add-In file to your home server.
After you copy Toolkit.msi to your home server, install the add-in using the Console. The Toolkit Add-In adds a Settings page called Toolkit 1.1.
To install the Toolkit add-in using the Windows Home Server Console
1. On your home computer, double-click the Windows Home Server tray icon to open the Windows Home Server Console.
2. Click Settings to open the Windows Home Server Settings page.
3. Click Add-ins in the navigation pane, and then click the Available tab in the details pane.
4. Click Install on Windows Home Server Toolkit 1.1.
The Console closes after the add-in is installed. Open the Console again, and then open the Settings page. Verify that the Toolkit Add-In appears in the navigation pane.
Here are the links for the Toolkit on the Microsoft Download Center:
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After installing the November 2008 update on your home server, your home server will be rebooted and you should see the Version Information incremented to 6.0.1800.24 in the Windows Home Server Console - Settings - Resources page for several of the components:
Additionally, after installing the Windows Home Server Connector software with Power Pack 1 you were given the choice to automatically install new updates of the Connector software from your home server to your home computers. The November 2008 update requires an update to the Connector software, but it is more or less automatic (assuming you took the option for 'automatic updates' during the initial installation of the Connector software). After the home server reboots, my home computer showed this message:
After rebooting my home PC, everything is back up and running.
The Windows Home Server team released a minor software update for the product as part of our ongoing customer- driven improvement program. Current users will receive this software via Windows Update, either on or shortly after the release date of November 25, 2008.
Below is a summary of what is included:
This update improves the interaction between home computers running Windows Vista and a Windows Home Server-based system when copying files or folders that are larger in size than the free space available on the first (or primary) hard drive to a Shared Folder. Additionally, this update resolves certain issues which can happen when restoring files and folders from Windows Home Server, such as the opening of a Home Computer Backup sometimes stalling at 79% complete. The update also improves the search functionality when using remote access.
You can read the full Knowledge Base article at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957825
The entire Windows Home Server team would thank the people that have used our Connect site to submit bugs with detailed logs and "repro" steps to help the team understand issues with the product that are not easy to reproduce. The home server team has one of the oldest Connect sites dating back to October, 2005. But most importantly we have the 4th most active site due to the fact that we keep it open so people can continue to submit product suggestions and bug reports that are directly reviewed by the product team.