The Windows Home Server team is pleased to announce details of the public beta of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. This public beta will include the fix for the data corruption bug described in Knowledge Base article #946676 as well as a host of other bug fixes and new capabilities. The Power Pack 1 download is planned to be available in early June and Beta participants are encouraged to sign up and begin preparing now.
Due to the nature of the shared folder data corruption bug (KB #946676) a broad beta test program with sufficient time for feedback is required. The timeline for a final release will depend on this feedback and testing, in order to deliver a fix of the highest quality. To meet our goals for the beta test we need the number of beta testers who are actively using and testing the Power Pack 1 beta to ramp up very quickly. Therefore we are asking beta testers to begin preparing in advance.
Below is a set of instructions to prepare a home server for testing the beta of Power Pack 1:
- Ensure you have a complete backup of all of your files. While internal testing so far indicates that we have fixed the data corruption bug in the beta release, the whole point of a beta test is to validate internal testing. This means there is a risk that our internal tests have not detected all issues. As a beta tester it is your responsibility to ensure that your data is backed up and protected before you install the beta.
- If you are setting up a new home server to run the beta on, download and install the “Windows Home Server RTM Evaluation Edition” from Microsoft Connect.
- Ensure that Windows Updates are enabled for your home server. Your home server must have all the latest updates from Windows Update installed before you install the beta Power Pack 1 update package.
o To turn on automatic updates:
§ Go to the Windows Home Server Console > Settings > General page.
§ Click On (recommended) in the Windows Update section.
§ Click Update Now to get the latest updates immediately
- Please turn on the Customer Experience Improvement for your home server. The information provided to the team through this program is invaluable in helping us understand how we are doing against our goals.
o To turn on Customer Experience Improvement:
§ Go to the Windows Home Server Console > Settings > General page.
§ If you agree to opt-in to this program, ensure the Help make Windows Home Server better in the Customer Experience Improvement section is enabled.
- Please ensure that you have a backup of all of your files and data. If your data set is large (the larger the better for testing purposes) this will take a while, so you might want to get started now!
Thank you very much for getting ready to beta test Power Pack 1. More details and installation instructions will be sent within the next 1-2 weeks.
Best wishes,
The Windows Home Server team
