Microsoft" Windows8 Home Server

Paul MeFedries Microsoft" Windows8 Home Server I UNLEASHED Second Edition 800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA

Table of Contents Introduction 1 Part I Unleashing Windows Home Server Configuration 1 Setting Up Your Windows Home Server Network 7 Configuring Windows Home Server for Networking 8 Changing the Windows Home Server Workgroup Name 8 Displaying the Network Icon in the Notification Area 9 Configuring Windows Home Server with a Static IP Address 9 Setting Up Windows Home Server as a DHCP Server 13 Viewing the Windows Home Server Network 15 Troubleshooting Network Problems 16 Checking Connection Status 16 Checking Network Utilization 19 Repairing a Network Connection 19 Working with Network Diagnostics 22 Troubleshooting Cables 26 Troubleshooting the Network Interface Card 27 Handling Multiple Network Subnets 30 Making a Remote Desktop Connection to the Server 31 Making Sure That Windows Home Server Is Ready to Host 32 Making the Connection to the Server 32 Disconnecting from the Server 33 From Here 34 2 Setting Up and Working with User Accounts 35 Understanding Security Groups 35 Adding a New User 38 Setting the Password Length and Complexity 38 Customizing the Password Length Requirement 40 Building a Strong Password 41 Changing the Password on the Client 42 Adding the User Account 43 Synchronizing the Client and Windows Home Server Passwords 45 Automating Client Logons 47 Modifying User Accounts 48 Viewing Account Properties 50

Contents v Changing the Account Password 51 Disabling a User Account 52 Enabling a User Account 55 Removing a User Account 57 Changing the Account Name 58 Adding a User to a Group 58 Allowing a User to Log On to the Windows Home Server Desktop 59 From Here 60 Adding Devices to the Windows Home Server Network 63 Installing Windows Home Server Connector on the Client Computers.63 Supported Operating Systems 64 Preparing to Install Windows Home Server Connector 65 Running the Windows Home Server Connector Setup Program on Windows 7 and Windows Vista 65 Running the Windows Home Server Connector Setup Program on Windows XP 67 Rediscovering the Windows Home Server 68 Using a Mac on Your Windows Home Server Network 70 Connecting to the Windows Home Server Network 70 Mounting a Windows Home Server Shared Folder 71 Backing Up Mac Data to a Windows Home Server Shared Folder 73 Using a Mac to Make a Remote Desktop Connection to Windows Home Server 74 Letting Windows Computers See Your Mac Shares 77 Using a Linux Client on Your Windows Home Server Network 80 Viewing the Windows Home Server Network in Ubuntu 81 Letting Windows Computers See Your Ubuntu Shares 81 Connecting Other Devices to the Windows Home Server Network 85 Connecting a Windows Mobile Device 87 Adding. an Xbox 360 to the Network 88 Connecting a Kodak Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame 89 From Here 91 Configuring Windows Home Server 93 Changing the Name of the Home Server 94 Running the Windows Home Server Console 94 Changing the Date and Time on Windows Home Server 96 Setting the Current Date and Time 96 Synchronizing the Date and Time with a Time Server 98

vi Contents Selecting the Windows Home Server Region 101 Changing the Region in the Windows Home Server Console 101 Customizing the Region Formats 102 Configuring Windows Update 103 Configuring Windows Update via the Windows Home Server Console 103 Configuring Windows Update via the Automatic Updates Control Panel 104 Updating Windows Home Server 105 Changing the Windows Home Server Password 106 Restarting or Shutting Down Windows Home Server 107 Configuring an Uninterruptible Power Supply 108 Configuring the Windows Home Server Startup Ill Editing BOOT.INI Directly 112 Using the System Configuration Editor to Modify BOOT.INI 116 Configuring Startup with the Advanced Options Menu 117 Launching Applications and Scripts at Startup 120 From Here 124 5 Setting Up and Using Home Server Storage 125 Understanding Windows Home Server Storage 125 Simplicity: Saying Goodbye to Drive Letters 126 Flexibility: Expanding (or Contracting) the Data Pool 127 Safety: Using Duplication to Ensure No Data Is Lost 128 Understanding Drive Extender 129 Server Storage on a One-Drive System 130 Server Storage on a Two-Drive System 131 Server Storage on a Multi-Drive System 131 Setting the Primary Hard Drive 131 Adding Storage to the Home Server 133 Adding a Drive to the Storage Pool 134 Adding a Drive for Windows Home Server Backups 135 Viewing Storage Status 137 Repairing Storage 138 Removing Storage from the Home Server 138 Removing a Storage Hard Drive 139 Removing a Server Backup Hard Drive 140 From Here 141 Part II Unleashing Windows Home Server Networking 6 Sharing Folders and Files on the Home Server 143 Examining the Predefined Windows Home Server Shares 144 Setting User Permissions on Shared Folders 144

Contents vii Modifying Permissions for a Windows Home Server Shared Folder 146 Sharing Server Folders Outside Drive Extender 146 Creating a New Shared Folder 149 Toggling Duplication for a Shared Folder 151 Accessing the Windows Home Server Shared Folders 152 Understanding the Universal Naming Convention 153 Mapping a Shared Folder to a Local Drive Letter 154 Disconnecting a Mapped Network Folder 156 Creating a Network Location in Windows 7 and Windows Vista 157 Creating a Network Place in Windows XP 158 Copying Files to a Shared Folder 159 Publishing a Windows Vista Calendar to the Server 160 Publishing Your Calendar 161 Subscribing to a Calendar 162 Working with Shared Calendars 164 Viewing Share Storage History 164 Searching the Shared Folders 166 As-You-Type Searches with Desktop Search 168 Advanced Searches 168 Using Advanced Query Syntax to Search Properties 169 Deleting a Shared Folder 172 From Here 173 7 Making Connections to Network Computers 175 Configuring a Computer as a Remote Desktop Host 176 Configuring a Windows 7 or Vista Host 177 Configuring an XP Host 178 Restricting the Computers That Can Connect to the Host 179 Connecting via Remote Desktop Connection 181 Getting the Client Computer Ready 181 Making the Connection to the Remote Desktop 182 Disconnecting from the Remote Desktop 187 Connecting via Windows Home Server Web Site Remote Access 187 Configuring Users for Remote Access 188 Activating Remote Access on the Server 188 Displaying the Remote Access Home Page 188 Making the Connection 190 Disconnecting from the Host 193 Connecting via the Internet 194 Determining the Windows Home Server IP Address 194 Setting Up Port Forwarding on the Router 195

viii Contents Configuring the Router By Hand 197 Determining the Router's External IP Address 197 Using a Dynamic DNS Service 198 Obtaining a Domain Name from Microsoft 199 Displaying the Remote Access Home Page 200 Connecting to a Network Computer 201 Connecting to the Windows Home Server Console 202 Connecting to the Windows Home Server Desktop 202 Working with Windows Home Server Shares in the Web Browser 205 Enabling Drag-and-Drop Uploading 207 Customizing the Remote Access Web Pages 208 Setting Remote Access as the Default Home Page 209 Customizing the Website Headline 210 Customizing the Website Images 211 From Here 212 8 Streaming and Sharing Digital Media 213 Streaming Digital Media to Network Computers and Devices 214 Getting Your Devices Ready 214 Activating Media Sharing in Windows Home Server 216 Connecting Devices 218 Playing Streamed Media in Windows Media Player 220 Playing Streamed Media in Windows Media Center 222 Connecting Windows Media Center to Your Home Server 223 Sharing Photos 223 Customizing the Photos Share with a Template 223 Using Server Photos as a Screensaver Slideshow 225 Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Media Player 226 Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Live Photo Gallery 227 Adding the Photos Folder to Windows Photo Gallery 228 a Running Slide Show from the Photos Share 229 Changing the Default Picture Import Location to Windows Home Server 229 Sharing Music 230 Customizing the Music Share with a Template 230 Adding the Music Folder to Windows Media Player 231 Changing the Default Rip Location to Windows Home Server 232 Sharing Videos 233 Customizing the Videos Share with a Template 233 Adding the Videos Folder to Windows Media Player 234 Archiving Recorded TV on Windows Home Server 235 From Here 238

Contents ix 9 Backing Up and Restoring Network Computers 239 Understanding Windows Home Server's Backup Technology 240 Single Instance Storage 240 No Backup Types 241 Smarter Backups 241 Automatic Backup Management 242 Converting Client Partitions to NTFS 242 Format the Partition as NTFS 243 Run the CONVERT Utility 243 Configuring Windows Home Server Backups 244 Configuring the Backup Time 244 Configuring Automatic Backup Management 245 Configuring a Computer for Backup 247 Excluding a Disk Drive from a Backup 247 Excluding Folders from a Backup 248 Adding a New Hard Drive to a Backup 249 Turning Off Backups for a Computer 251 Running a Manual Backup 251 Cancelling a Running Backup 252 Backing Up Other Systems to Windows Home Server 254 Working with Backups 254 Viewing a Computer's List of Backups 254 Viewing Backup Details 257 Preventing Windows Home Server from Deleting a Backup 258 Cleaning Up Old Backups 259 Browsing Backed-Up Files 260 Restoring Network Backups 261 Restoring Backed-Up Files 262 Restoring a Computer to a Previous Configuration 263 From Here 266 10 Monitoring Your Network 267 Monitoring the Windows Home Server Status Icon 267 Monitoring the Icon Color 268 Monitoring Network Health Notifications 268 Monitoring the Windows Home Server Shares 270 Launching the Computer Management Snap-In 271 Viewing the Current Connections 271 Viewing Connections to Shared Folders 272 Viewing Open Files 273 Closing a User's Session or File 274 Monitoring Remote Desktop Sessions 275 Starting the Terminal Services Manager 275

X Contents Viewing Remote Desktop Sessions 276 Sending a Message to a Remote Desktop Client 277 Disconnecting a Remote Desktop Session 279 Controlling the Administrator's Desktop via Remote Control 279 Monitoring Users via Task Manager 281 From Here 283 11 Implementing Windows Home Server Security 285 Enabling Security Auditing on Windows Home Server 285 Activating the Auditing Policies 286 Understanding the Auditing Policies 287 Tracking Auditing Events 291 More Ways to Secure Windows Home Server 295 Renaming the Administrator Account 296 Hiding the User Name in the Log On Dialog Box 296 Making Sure Windows Firewall Is Turned On 297 Disabling the Hidden Administrative Shares 299 Securing Network Computers 300 Monitoring Home Computer Security 300 Thwarting Spyware with Windows Defender 301 Protecting Yourself Against Email Viruses 305 Implementing Parental Controls 307 Creating Accounts for the Kids 307 Avoiding Phishing Scams 310 Sharing a Computer Securely 313 Implementing Wireless Network Security 315 From Here 317 12 Setting Up a Windows Home Server Website 319 Understanding the Windows Home Server Default Website 320 Viewing the Default Website Folders 320 Viewing the Default Website with Internet Information Services Manager 322 Adding Folders and Files to the Default Website 323 Adding a File to a Default Website Folder 323 Adding a Folder to the Default Website 325 Creating a New Website 328 Creating a New Website Using a Different IP Address 328 Creating a New Website Using a Different Port 333 Creating a New Website Using a Host Header 337 Configuring a Website 339 Modifying the Website Identity 339 Giving a Website Multiple Identities 341

Contents xi Changing the Website Location and Permissions 342 Setting the Default Content Page 345 Disabling Anonymous Access 347 Adding Site Links to the Home and Remote Access Pages 349 From Here 351 13 Running a SharePoint Site on Windows Home Server 353 Installing and Configuring Windows SharePoint Services 354 Downloading and Installing SharePoint Services 3.0 354 Running the Initial SharePoint Services 3.0 Configuration 354 Creating a New SharePoint Web Application 355 Creating a Top-Level SharePoint Site 358 Deleting the Default SharePoint Web Application 360 Restarting the Windows Home Server Default Website 361 Adding a Firewall Exception for the SharePoint Web Application Port 361 Forwarding the SharePoint Port in Your Router 362 Adding Users to the Top-Level SharePoint Site 363 Logging On to the Top-Level SharePoint Site 365 Adding Sites to SharePoint 365 Adding a Top-Level Site 367 Adding a Subsite 367 Working with Site Settings 369 Customizing a Site 369 Working with Users 374 Working with Groups 377 Working with Permissions 380 Deleting a Site 381 Creating Content for a SharePoint Site 382 Storing Images in a Picture Library 382 Tracking Appointments with a Calendar 384 Maintaining a List of Contacts 385 Keeping a List of Web Page Links 387 Managing Permissions for Content 388 Deleting Content from a Site 388 From Here 389 Part III Unleashing Windows Home Server Performance and Maintenance 14 Tuning Windows Home Server Performance 391 Monitoring Performance 391 Monitoring Performance with Task Manager 392 Monitoring Performance with System Monitor 404

xii Contents Optimizing the Hard Disk 411 Examining Hard Drive Performance Specifications 411 Performing Hard Drive Maintenance 412 Disabling Compression and Encryption 412 Turning Off Windows Search 412 Enabling Write Caching 412 Optimizing Virtual Memory 413 Customizing the Paging File Size 414 Watching the Paging File Size 415 Changing the Paging File's Size 415 Defragmenting the Paging File 416 Optimizing Applications 417 Adding More Memory 417 Optimizing Application Launching 417 Getting the Latest Device Drivers 417 Setting the Program Priority in Task Manager 418 More Optimization Tricks 418 Adjusting Power Options 418 Eliminate the Use of Visual Effects 419 Optimizing Windows Home Server for Services and the System Cache 420 Optimizing Network Data Throughput for File Sharing 421 Upgrading Your Device Drivers 423 From Here 426 15 Maintaining Windows Home Server 427 Checking System Uptime 428 Displaying Uptime with the SYSTEMINFO Command 428 Displaying Uptime with Performance Monitor 429 Displaying Uptime with a Script 429 Checking Your Hard Disk for Errors 431 Understanding Clusters 432 Understanding Lost Clusters 433 Understanding Invalid Clusters 433 Understanding Cross-Linked Clusters 434 Understanding Cycles 434 Understanding Windows Home Server's Automatic Disk Checking 434 Running Check Disk 435 Checking Free Disk Space on the System Drive 437 Deleting Unnecessary Files from the System Drive 440 Defragmenting the System Drive 443

Contents xiii Reviewing Event Viewer Logs 445 Exporting Event Logs to a Database 447 Setting Up a Maintenance Schedule 455 From Here 456 16 Customizing the Windows Home Server Interface 459 Making the Start Menu More Efficient 460 Activating the Frequent Programs List 460 Getting More Favorite Programs on the Start Menu 462 Adding the Internet and E-Mail Icons 463 Pinning a Favorite Program Permanently to the Start Menu 464 Streamlining the Start Menu by Converting Links to Menus 465 Adding, Moving, and Removing Other Start Menu Icons 466 Making the Taskbar More Efficient 468 Displaying the Built-in Taskbar Toolbars 469 Setting Some Taskbar Toolbar Options 470 Creating New Taskbar Toolbars 470 Creating a Taskbar Toolbar for Launching Programs and Documents 470 Improving Productivity by Setting TaskbaT Options 472 Controlling Taskbar Grouping 473 Modifying the Start Menu and Taskbar with Group Policies 475 Customizing the Color Quality and Resolution 476 Setting the Screensaver 477 Selecting a Screensaver 478 Creating an Instant Screensaver 479 Customizing the Desktop Colors, Fonts, and Sizes 480 Selecting a Color Scheme 481 Creating a Custom Color Scheme 481 Creating Custom Colors 483 Changing the Effects Properties 485 From Here 487 17 Troubleshooting Windows Home Server 489 Replacing Your System Hard Drive 490 Restoring a Windows Home Server Backup 492 Understanding Troubleshooting Strategies 493 Did You Get an Error Message? 493 Does an Error or Warning Appear in the Event Viewer Logs? 496 Does an Error Appear in System Information? 496 Did the Error Begin with a Past Hardware or Software Change? 497

xiv Contents Did You Recently Edit the Registry? 498 Did You Recently Change Any Windows Settings? 498 Did Windows Home Server "Spontaneously" Reboot? 498 Did You Recently Change Any Application Settings? 500 Did You Recently Install a New Program? 501 Did You Recently Install a New Device? 502 Did You Recently Install an Incompatible Device Driver? 502 Did You Recently Apply an Update from Windows Update? 502 Did You Recently Install a Windows Home Server Hotfix or Power Pack? 503 General Troubleshooting Tips 504 Troubleshooting Using Online Resources 504 Troubleshooting Device Problems 506 Troubleshooting with Device Manager 506 Troubleshooting Device Driver Problems 509 Tips for Downloading Device Drivers 510 Troubleshooting Resource Conflicts 511 Verifying Digitally Signed Files 512 Troubleshooting Startup 513 When to Use the Various Advanced Startup Options 513 Using Safe Mode 514 Using Safe Mode with Networking 514 Using Safe Mode with Command Prompt 514 Using Enable Boot Logging 514 Using Enable VGA Mode 515 Using Last Known Good Configuration 515 Using Directory Services Restore Mode 516 Using Debugging Mode 516 What to Do If Windows Home Server Won't Start in Safe Mode 516 Troubleshooting Startup Using the System Configuration Utility 516 Reinstalling Windows Home Server 520 From Here 521 Part IV Unleashing Windows Home Server Advanced Tools 18 Working with the Windows Home Server Registry 523 Starting the Registry Editor 524 Navigating the Registry 525 Navigating the Keys Pane 525 Understanding Registry Settings 526

Contents xv Getting to Know the Registry's Root Keys 527 Understanding Hives and Registry Files 529 Keeping the Registry Safe 530 Backing Up the Registry 530 Protecting Keys by Exporting Them to Disk 532 Working with Registry Entries 534 Changing the Value of a Registry Entry 534 Renaming a Key or Setting 540 Creating a New Key or Setting 540 Deleting a Key or Setting 540 Finding Registry Entries 541 From Here 542 19 Using Windows Home Server's Command-Line Tools 543 Getting to the Command Line 543 Running CMD 544 Opening a Folder in a Command Prompt Session 548 Working at the Command Line 548 Running Commands 549 Working with Long Filenames 551 Changing Folders Faster 552 Taking Advantage of DOSKEY 552 Redirecting Command Output and Input 554 Piping Commands 557 Understanding Batch File Basics 558 Creating Batch Files 559 REM: Adding Comments to a Batch File 560 ECHO: Displaying Messages from a Batch File 560 PAUSE: Temporarily Halting Batch File Execution 561 Using Batch File Parameters 561 FOR: Looping in a Batch File 563 GOTO: Jumping to a Line in a Batch File 563 IF: Handling Batch File Conditions 564 Working with the Command-Line Tools 567 Working with Disk Management Tools 567 Working with File and Folder Management Tools 576 Working with System Management Tools 588 From Here 602 20 Using Other Windows Home Server Power Tools 603 Using the Group Policy Object Editor 603 Working with Group Policies 604 Customizing the Windows Security Dialog Box 607

xvi Contents Customizing the Places Bar 608 Increasing the Size of the Recent Documents List 612 Enabling the Shutdown Event Tracker 612 Getting More Out of Control Panel 615 Reviewing the Control Panel Icons 616 Understanding Control Panel Files 619 Alternative Methods for Opening Control Panel Icons 621 Putting Control Panel on the Taskbar 621 Displaying Control Panel in My Computer 622 Removing an Icon from Control Panel 622 Showing Only Specified Control Panel Icons 623 Configuring the Microsoft Management Console 624 Launching the MMC 628 Adding a Snap-In 628 Saving a Console 630 Creating a Custom Taskpad View 631 Controlling Snap-Ins with Group Policies 634 Controlling Services 635 Controlling Services with the Services Snap-In 636 Controlling Services at the Command Prompt 639 Controlling Services with a Script 640 Setting Up a Fax Server 644 Installing the Fax Service 644 Starting the Fax Console 644 Configuring the Fax Service 645 Examining the Fax Console 646 Sending a Fax 647 Receiving Faxes 650 Routing a Received Fax 652 From Here 654 21 Scripting Windows Home Server 655 Understanding Windows Script Host 656 Running Scripts 658 Running Script Files Directly 658 Using WScript for Windows-Based Scripts 658 Using CScript for Command-Line Scripts 660 Script Properties and.wsh Files 661 Programming Objects 662 Working with Object Properties 663 Working with Object Methods 664 Assigning an Object to a Variable 665 Working with Object Collections 666

Contents xvii Programming the WScript Object 667 Displaying Text to the User 668 Shutting Down a Script 668 Scripting and Automation 669 Programming the WshShell Object 674 Referencing the WshShell Object 674 Displaying Information to the User 675 Running Applications 679 Working with Shortcuts 680 Working with Registry Entries 682 Working with Environment Variables 684 Programming the WshNetwork Object 686 Referencing the WshNetwork Object 686 WshNetwork Object Properties 687 Mapping Network Printers 687 Mapping Network Drives 687 Programming the Windows Management Instrumentation Service 688 Referencing the WMI Service Object 689 Returning Class Instances 689 From Here 693 Part V Appendixes A Glossary 695 B Windows Home Server Keyboard Shortcuts 711 C Windows Home Server Online Resources 721 Windows Home Server Websites 721 Windows Home Server Blogs 722 Windows Home Server for Developers 723 Index 725