Windows Live Calendar is here – but only for the luck few.

We have now seen numerous reports that Live Calendar is a reality and available at http://calendar.live.com, but not for everyone it seems. Perhaps a soft launch is underway to make sure that all goes well, with some people able to access the new Live Calendar, whilst others, including me, still get linked to Hotmail or the old MSN Calendar.

More info is available at Liveside.net where there is a initial review from some of the lucky few who can access the beta.

Looks like the rest of us will have to wait for now.

Matt S

Changes ahead

Over the weekend I am going to try to move the blog to WordPress.org. The WordPress.com hosted blog has been great and has some nice widgets to play with, but I have become quickly frustrated with code being stripped front the site when I have tried so do something like adding a Windows Live SkyDrive link.

With the new blog I will have more freedom to play around, add cool features and fully experiment with some of the tools available to me. I also hope to be able to focus the blog more on the information i hoped to discuss and share with people around workable solutions for the connected home. Stuff tht anyone can use to improve their user experience an work better with services like Windows live and hardware like Windows Home Server.

More to come but i hope that the site will soon be residing at www.joined-up-thinking.org and www.joined-up-thinikng.net. Can’t tell you which as I am yet to see how it works, but hopefully both will point to me, and this blog will hopefully get re-directed as it has had some decent traffic. Nothing like some of our peers at We Got Served etc. but I have been glad of the interest and readership.

I have opted to use the host AN Hosting. I am yet to make a judgement about them although I have to admit that so far usability isn’t seeming to be great, i expect this is just me getting used to a more complex, less hand holding system.

Here’s hoping all goes well.

Matt S

Beta Testers Needed – Diskeeper 2008 for WHS

Phil Churchill has reported over on his MS Windows Home Server blog that Diskeeper are looking for 50 beta tester for an upcoming Windows Home Server release.

I’m guessing this will be the 2008 version the Terry Walsh at We Got Served gave us all some information on back in August.

To take part you need to register by visiting http://www.diskeeper.com/feedback/field-testing/testing.asp and completing the Windows Field Test Application Form.

Restrictions:

• Only 50 places available
• Must be a previous customer having registered you email address in the past
• Testing to be completed by October 7th
• Participants must complete a 40 question survey
• Must sign a non-disclosure agreement

Good luck to those who try to register.

For those of us that find ourselves ineligible though through not being existing customers I suggest trying out the non-integrated 45-day trial of Diskeeper 2007 that Terry managed to secure for We Got Served which can be downloaded from http://downloads.diskeeper.com/trialware/Diskeeper2007-HomeServer-45day.exe.

Let me know if you plan on going for the beta and if you are succesful. Whilst you will be bound by the non-disclosure agreement we will be keen to hear a review once possible.

Matt S

Windows Live Calendar???

Where is Windows Live Calendar. Seriously, where is it, any one?

Please let me know!

 

Matt S

A mention on the WHS Support Forum

I was flattered to see that Joel Burt from the Windows Home Server team has been sending people here to Joined Up Thinking from the Microsoft Support Forums to see the solution that we uncovered for the September Update problems with Windows Home Server.

The team has determined the cause of the problem is working on a resolution.  For now you can follow the link here:

http://joinedupthinking.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/september-update-for-windows-home-server-problems-a-solution/

or another option is to copy Setup.exe and WHSConnector.msi from the home servers folder c:\whs to “\\server\software\home server connector software”

---

Windows Home Server Team

I hope that this helped everyone experiencing the same problem, and I have to say that I have been very impressed with the Home Server forums in the short time that I have been visiting them.

Matt S

September update for Windows Home Server problems – A solution

For those who have been having trouble with the September update for Windows Home Server causing problems with the PC Connector software, a post from pjtaylor on the Windows Home Server Forum provides a solution.

It looks like the problem is with the Connector software in the Home Server software folder as I suspected.

The solution:

1. Open the software folder on your Windows Home server (\\HOME SERVER NAME\Software\Home Server Connector Software)
2. You should find that there are two temporary (TMP) files which are similar in size to the WHSConnector and Setup file. 
3. Delete (or remove to a safe location if you prefer) the WHSConnector and Setup files and rename the smaller temp file as Setup.exe and the larger temp file as WHConnector.msi
4. Try to reinstall the connector software from this folder and you should be back in business.

Hope this helps everyone experiencing this problem, let me know how you get on.

Matt S

WHS Update & Problems

Terry Walsh reported over at We Got Served earlier today the availability of the September Update to WHS.

Terry also reported that there was some weirdness happening with the connector software as documented on the WHS Forums.

I installed the update earlier this evening and have been experiencing problems ever since.

After the update on the WHS the Connector software on the PCs says that it needs to be updated, displaying a red icon in the system tray.

When clicking upon the red icon I am told to install a new version of the connector software.

This uninstalls the connector software , then reinstalls it from the software folder of the WHS.

So far so good, but when trying to then add the PC to the WHS and set up backups as part of the install process it hits an error and declares that I need to install the latest version of the connector software, which is what I was doing!

Continuing completes the process unsuccessfully and closes the connector software. Re-opening the WHS connector software to the system tray kicks starts the whole process over again.

I have tried resetting both the PCs and the WHS box, removing the PCs from the WHS Computers & Backups tab, and all manner of other things, none of which seem to be helping.

So at the moment I have no backups and no connector software, however the folder sharing and Remote Access to the WHS is working.

This is especially frustrating as I only had my RTM (Release to Manufacturing) copy delivered yesterday and did a clean install (upgrading from the release candidate) to start give the server a fresh start, so haven’t even had time to play before it has hit this complication.

It looks to me like the problem is with the Connector software that has updated in the WHS software folder.

I hope that MS come up with a fix or a solution soon as there are a lot of people out there that may be experiencing this as their first taste of Window Home Server. At least i have had a good experience over the last few months so can tolerate this. For others this may be the sort of issue that Home Server was meant to avoid when it promised to be user friendly and for the family.

Windows Home Server Arrives!!

At last. My RTM (or System Builder if you will) copy of WHS arrived yesterday, a few days ahead of the expected (and much complained about) delay and it installed with only minor incident last night.

Happy days. It has been a long wait but now satisfying to think that I am running software that in some small way i helped contribute to through the beta process.

WHS delivery problems

So , the date has passed and still no Home Server. I was delighted a few days after my last post to receive an apologetic email from Novatech to tell me that unfortunately they were having problems with deliveries and i wouldn’t be seeing my much anticipated WHS software until the 14th of September. Bonus! I wasn’t expecting it till the 20th.

Anyway – the 14th came and went, no sign of the postman knocking at the door with a package or a courier needing a signature. A few days later I though I had best get in touch with Novatech only to receive a further apologetic email explaining that further supply problems have meant that I won’t be likely to be receiving my product till after the 25th.

Not happy.

Why do I only find out that my delivery is delayed when it doesn’t turn up and I chase them? Maybe they hoped I wouldn’t notice it being more than two weeks late!

The wait continues…

Home Server purchased

Having taken part in the beta for Windows Home Server and run the final release candidate for a few months on my old desktop machine (a HP media center that is only a coupe of years old so coping very well and probably a little over kill) I have finally taken the plunge and ordered a released copy from Novatech which shows as £86.95 when including tax in the UK, or a little over £90 when taking into account the P&P costs.

I’m glad for three reasons

1. I will now have a legit copy without a time limit to the beta copy ticking away
2. Hopefully this release version will be fully polished and any bugs will have been ironed out
3. I will be able to finally forget about WHS, allowing it to do its job quietly in the background without constant tinkering  which whilst enjoyable is not what the system is for, it is meant to be pretty much plug and play. When the final release arrives, I’ll be able to leave it alone.

I think I am due delivery on the 20th September 07. Fingers crossed all goes well with the install.