Windows Home Server update fixes data-corruption issue

Microsoft has released an update to Windows Home Server that fixes a data-corruption problem some users were having with the software.

The update, Power Pack 1 Final Release, also adds support for PCs running x64 versions of Windows Vista, and improves remote access and power-consumption features of the product, according to Microsoft.

According to an internal blog, Power Pack 1 Final Release is available in English now, with German, French and Spanish versions to come soon. Users who don't download the update now will receive it as part of Windows Update in August; around the same time, Chinese and Japanese versions of the update also will be available.

Windows Home Server is Microsoft's first server software aimed at allowing users to store and secure files on PCs at home. The first hardware running the OS, HP's MediaSmart Server, went on sale in November.

The following month in a Knowledge Base article, Microsoft revealed a problem with data corruption that affected some Windows Home Server systems. Knowledge Base is Microsoft's online product-support database for customers.

According to Microsoft, files may become corrupted when Windows Home Server users edit or transfer them on systems with more than one hard drive.

The problem affected the Windows Vista Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Money 2007, SyncToy 2.0 Beta, Intuit QuickBooks and uTorrent programs.

In an e-mail Monday, Microsoft said that the data-corruption problem affected "a very small set of customers" and will be fixed by the Power Pack 1 update.

In addition to HP's MediaSmart servers, Windows Home Server also is available at retail outlets such as Circuit City, Best Buy and Fry's, and at Amazon.com and other online stores. A system-builder version of Windows Home Server also is available online at Buy.com and Newegg.com for people who want to build and configure their own hardware running the OS.

Microsoft said it doesn't have customer-adoption figures for Windows Home Server; however, it said Forrester Research is forecasting that the product will reach 4.56 million households in the next five years.

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