Hi there! We are on to our second edition of Vail Engineering blogs, and this time we are talking about Launchpad - what it is, how it can be extended and why developers should care about it. I aso want to point out that we got pretty good response to Vail SDK with some of our MVPs covering it pretty...

Hi everyone! My name is Dileep and I am a Development lead with Windows Home Server team. It has been more than a week since we released the beta builds of the next version of Windows Home Server “Vail”, and we are very encouraged by the download and the feedback pouring in through connect. Thank you...

The momentum behind Windows Home Server add-ins continues to grow!  The Windows Home Server team is very pleased to announce the availability of the Japanese Software Development Kit (SDK).  The SDK provides developers with guidance, for example application programming interface (API) information...

A key benefit of Windows Home Server is the versatility and power it offers as a development platform.  Even when Windows Home Server software was still in the beta stage, we published a software development kit (SDK) so that 3 rd party developers could develop interesting add-ins for the product...

I sometimes get asked the question: " What is the difference between a home server and a network attached storage (NAS) device?" First off, Microsoft is focused on the development of a feature rich and powerful home server software solution, where most NAS vendors are primarily hardware companies...

The Windows Home Server team is ecstatic about the number of add-ins that have been developed for Windows Home Server over the past year. Check out the WeGotServed blog that has a more comprehensive list of all of the add-ins that are available for Windows Home Server. In reviewing a lot of the add...

We added 3 new Windows Home Server MVPs to our family in early October.  Check out their sites and blogs to see their latest (and previous) contributions to the home server community. Alex Kuretz - The HP MediaSmart Server Enthusiast Community Donavon West - Home Server Hacks Sam Wood - Tentacle...

Channel 10 posted another video with Mark, Brendan and Doug that showcases some of the future possibilities when pairing Windows Home Server with Windows Live Mesh .  Windows Home Server is already playing the role of the smart always-available hub in households around the world, but as a greater...

The Professional Developers Conference (PDC) is an event where Microsoft employees that sit behind one or more displays banging out lots of cool code on a daily basis get to venture out and meet other developers outside of Microsoft. Teams often showcase various technology demonstrations to highlight...

The technical briefs and other documents for Windows Home Server have been updated to incorporate new and changed functionality with Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. Technical Briefs are "Level 200" documents designed for a more technical audience as they explain some of the inner-workings and technical...

As we've posted to this blog before, the Windows Home Server team is gearing up for a big presence at the upcoming PDC 2008 show in Los Angeles, CA. With so much riding on the line at this important event, we naturally want to get as much input on our messages from a critical audience - the developers...

If you haven't updated your event calendars lately, here's one to make sure you have on your agenda: the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008 , or PDC as we affectionately call it. Taking place in Los Angeles, CA from Oct. 27 - 30, this year's PDC is gearing up to be one of the biggest events...

The team is pleased to announce that Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and is now available on the Microsoft Download Center ! The English version is available now and German, Spanish and French versions will be available on the Download Center soon. Windows...

Donavon over at Home Server Hacks has started a new "Ask the Home Server Guy" feature. In his words: Send in your questions about anything and everything Windows Home Server related and I’ll do my best to answer them. Send your questions to ask@HomeServerGuy.com (note the spiffy new domain name)....

Donavon West of Home Server Hacks and LiveGadgets.net has created a nice Home Server blog headline ticker gadget to help you get the WHS news you can use. Pretty slick - it currently pulls from this blog, We Got Served , MS Windows Home Server and Home Server Hacks . J

The Windows Home Server team has been heads down working on the data corruption issue since we first posted the Knowledge Base (KB) article in late December 2007. An update to the KB article was posted today that provides more information regarding symptoms, cause, status and guidance. You can read the...

Check it out. Microsoft France is running a " Code2Fame "-style developer contest on MSDN. French speakers can learn more here. J

With Windows Home Server we have seen some people talk about (and do) some pretty crazy things. Since the software is available through the OEM and System Builder channels – people can build their own home servers. Some people just load it up and use it as intentioned. Other people try to tear it apart...

Check out the On10 video about Omwave's cool Add-in to create mood lighting in the home. Omwave is based in France and has a Home Server product call the OM Server - WGS provides a good overview. J

Our friend Terry Walsh has kicked off the inaugural We Got Served Awards for three Windows Home Server categories: best hardware, best commercial software, and best community Add-In. Vote for your favorites by Christmas and get in on a prize drawing! J

Today is Windows Home Server launch day! We're announcing a number of things. First, the HP MediaSmart Server is now on sale on leading retailer sites, such as Amazon , Best Buy , Buy.com, Circuit City and Comp USA . (Officially pre-order, but shipping soon.) As I wrote this, the two versions of the...

Sonos is creating a lot of buzz today around its new Sonos 2.5 software, which includes enhanced compatibility with Home Server for storing, organizing and streaming zillions of songs around the home. Great to see a popular solution like Sonos on board the Home Server bus. Also - good overview of...

Yesterday here on campus we hosted a fun event to select the Code2Fame Challenge winners. The three finalists presented their Add-In wares to a panel of esteemed judges, who in turn determined the first, second and third prizes…each with an associated award of cold, hard cash. Without further ado, the...

The Code2Fame Challenge entry deadline is quickly approaching... We’ve seen many Add-Ins published for Windows Home Server; why not submit yours for the Challenge? NOW is the time to submit it as an entry (entries must be postmarked by August 25, 2007). Over $50,000 in cash and prizes is up for...

Last week on the Coding4Fun blog , Brian Peek posted a fun article on how to build Windows Home Server Add-in that allows you to access your Outlook email via the web using your home server. Unfortunately there is something about this article that causes certain newsreaders to not show it! Weird. The...