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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Microsoft's biggest lemon - Windows Home Server

By | March 11, 2008, 5:36pm PDT

Summary: I’m really surprised that Windows Vista gets as much bad press as it does when Microsoft has an operating system that’s worse. Much worse. I am of course talking about Windows Home Server.

I’m really surprised that Windows Vista gets as much bad press as it does when Microsoft has an operating system that’s worse.  Much worse.  I am of course talking about Windows Home Server.

Microsoft’s biggest lemon - Windows Home ServerWindows Home Server is bad in a way that you just don’t want your OS to be.  We’re not talking about poor performance or dropping a few FPS in your favorite game.  Windows Home Server has the capacity to hose your data.  For an OS, that’s bad, but for a filer server OS, that’s a disaster.

Windows Home Server was released July 2007 to, well, little fanfare.  After all, it is a file server OS aimed at the consumer market, and most home users need a $150 file server OS about as much as an alligator needs an iPod.  But for people who decided that a file server was what they needed for backup (rather than something simpler and less hassle, such as a NAS box or an external hard drive) there was a product aimed at them.

But then in December 2007 a problem surfaced.  It seemed that under certain circumstances data stored on a Windows Home Server box could become corrupted.  This data corruption occurs in a small number of cases where the server was fitted with more than one hard drive and data is accessed using one of the following applications:

  • 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
  • uTorrent

Now Microsoft claims that this problem only affects a small number of users, but since there has been very little guidance given by Microsoft, if I were a Windows Home Server users, I’d have wiped the box and installed something more reliable on it.  Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Linux … Windows Me …

Now, I know that it’s not a good idea to access files on a server directly, remember that this product is aimed at the consumer market - folks who don’t know how to make best use of a server.  But experience doesn’t guarantee that you’re safe - Microsoft technology evangelist Volker Will lost a considerable amount of data to Microsoft Home Server.  Same problem?  Hard to tell, but losing 180GB of data on a file server is no laughing matter and really shouldn’t be easy.  The conclusion says it all really:

I might wait until version 2.0, if I ever decide to install it again. The current piece will be permanently banned from our home by the weekend. Sorry folks, I think it is a GREAT idea, this implementation is just not ready for prime time.

BTW, thanks to Home Server my wife stopped talking to me as she is now really mad at me. Not only are some of our pictures gone, I spent countless hours in my room figuring out what the hell is wrong instead of with the family.

OK, so where’s the fix?  Well, if you’ve got a Windows Home Server box mothballed because you’re concerned about data integrity, it’ll be offline for the near future.  According to a blog post by the Windows Home Server team the current estimate for the release of a patch is June 2008 - nearly a year after Windows Home Server was released.

From the outside looking in, some people would say “Why is this taking so long?” Fixing this issue is the Windows Home Server team’s top priority and the team is making good progress on the fix.  We understand the issue really well at this point - it is at an extremely low level of the operating system and it requires thorough testing to ensure that the fix addresses the issue.  We have coded a part of the fix which is currently being tested internally.  Internal testing is expected to continue for at least several more weeks. 

Once the patch has passed internal quality bars, external participants will be asked to help test the fix.  Our current plan is to release beta test versions of a fix over the next few months, with a final version currently estimated for June 2008, although that date could change as testing progresses.  Thorough testing of the fix is critical and will take time.   

I agree, a patch needs thorough testing, but there’s no excuse for releasing a file server OS containing such a critical flaw, and there’s no excuse for a fix to take so long, leaving users in the lurch in the interim.

Until this bug is squashed I really can’t recommend Windows Home Server to anyone - Microsoft’s knowledge base article just doesn’t give enough specifics for me to trust my data to this OS.

Thoughts?

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Topics

Operating System, Conclusion, Microsoft Windows Home Server, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows, File Servers, Operating Systems, Servers, Software, Enterprise Software, Hardware, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Hey while I was out and about...
Kromaethius 13th Aug 2008
I ran into a Linux Site that was taling about it's decrepid C code and the mess it is. No wonder the OS looks so 1990...

As far as the Windows Home Server goes, yup it's a peice of crap. Bad idea from the start and now the public is figuring it all out.

As Linux becomes more popular, you know somewhere around 5% of the PC market, and it isn't there yet, but maybe in 3 to 5 years, we'll all be reading about the POS operating system and all of it's flaws too. Besides, OS by obscurity doesn't make it the best, no sir, far from that.

So, when that does, and it WILL happen, you'll be as quiet as a dead church mouse?
View in thread
0 Votes
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Where's No_Ax On This?
itanalyst2@... 11th Mar 2008
As I recall, he was bashing anyone who said anything negative about WHS on here, and I was one of the biggest critics of it, saying you could do the same thing with Linux...

I guess he's silent as usual.
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So he is your opposite?
John Zern 11th Mar 2008
as you bash anything Microsoft, good or bad.

But then I guess when you remain silent on the negative stories about Linux, well I guess he gets to do the same thing here.
0 Votes
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Dude, you need help.
Hallowed are the Ori 12th Mar 2008
Seriously. Letting someone p!$$ you off that bad and get under your skin like that isn't good for your health.

Take a vacation, go visit one of Eliot Spitzer's favorite girls, see a shrink.... something. Otherwise you're stroke-bound.
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classy
Hogleg 12th Mar 2008
This is one of the most classic examples of forum trolling I've ever seen. Wanna add a line about how he kicks puppies while your at it?
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Hey while I was out and about...
Kromaethius 13th Aug 2008
I ran into a Linux Site that was taling about it's decrepid C code and the mess it is. No wonder the OS looks so 1990...

As far as the Windows Home Server goes, yup it's a peice of crap. Bad idea from the start and now the public is figuring it all out.

As Linux becomes more popular, you know somewhere around 5% of the PC market, and it isn't there yet, but maybe in 3 to 5 years, we'll all be reading about the POS operating system and all of it's flaws too. Besides, OS by obscurity doesn't make it the best, no sir, far from that.

So, when that does, and it WILL happen, you'll be as quiet as a dead church mouse?
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There is something to be said...
jparrott@... 11th Mar 2008
for the open source way in all of this. Bug fixes and patches usually come in days/weeks vice months/years...

Why is it the biggest software company in the world with paid employees cannot beat out the open source community in timeliness of fixes? I believe its because to one group - it's just a 9-5 job w/benefits. To the other, it's a labor of love and devotion. The quality of the workmanship and care usually shows more for those who love what they are doing....
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Not sure if that the same thing, It's even insulting
John Zern 11th Mar 2008
as if all programmers worked for free, Microsoft (or any company) would be able to have as many people on the issue as they wanted.

To claim that to paid programmers - "it's just a 9-5 job w/benefits" is an insult to programmers. People get into their line of work becuase they like what they do, the fact that they have families to support doesn't change how they feel about it.

Besides, how many programmers do you know that axtually leave their work at the office?
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There are two types of programmer....
bportlock 12th Mar 2008
... there's the "I *love* programming and computing" type and there is the 9-5 wage slave who is competent but unlikely to push the boundaries back. They can both be found in any company and I have worked with a mixture of both. The first lot are enthusiastic and eat, drink and sleep IT. The "9-5" bunch can do programming but aren't particularly bothered and leave their work on their desk at 5pm.

Open source is unlikely to attract the "9-5" type. If I had to sum it up in one sentence "Some live to program, the others program to live".
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Some live to program...
john3347 13th Mar 2008
The problem here is that those who "live to program" use the computer AS a project. The masses want to use their computers FOR a project. The "live to program" group wants to display their expertise with big words and three letter abbreviations along with complicated procedures that the ordinary user doesn't want/isn't able to follow.
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Leave their work at the office???
john3347 13th Mar 2008
I would be interested in knowing realistically how many bring their home hobbies to work with them!
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You obviously haven't used Open Source
tonymcs@... 11th Mar 2008
Or maybe you just fiddled with the slow dog Open Office and thought it wasn't too bad. In reality, most of open source is rubbish. That labour of love and devotion crap wears off real fast when a programmer has to work for nothing for a lot of whiny compainers.

In reality, open source suffers from bad coding, manuals and documentation that may as well be encrypted and each version is usually guaranteed to break the last. How do I know? Well I actually use and modify open source adn that's definitely been my experience. For every application jewel that appears, there are thousands of dross.

Yes open source can turn out polished code occasionally (or at least for this version with these programmers) but it's not the rule and certainly not common practice.

In the end love may keep you warm, but it doesn't pay the bills...
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You obviously haven't used Open Source
deaf_e_kate 12th Mar 2008
Pot Kettle Black - rearrange as appropriate
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Scratch an itch programming
frgough 12th Mar 2008
Open source is generally coded to 'scratch' a particular
programmer's 'itch' and no farther.
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Ridiculous (NT)
none none 12th Mar 2008
.
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open source suffers?
Ole Man 12th Mar 2008
I see no suffering by open source. As a matter of fact, it's improving and becoming more robust and popular ten times as fast as Microsoft's "offerings"

I presently use open source, and have not had a crash or data loss since I started using it over a year ago (and haven't had to mortgage the farm to get the fifteen or so distros I've taken for a ride, either). How many Windoze users can (honestly) say that?

I suppose you consider Visduh a rip-roaring success? And what did it cost the "users" to find out? And WHS is a gonna-be success (as soon as they get the bugs worked out) I suppose?

If I were flying the Microsoft flag (as you obviously are), I certainly wouldn't be hitting on open source, right about now. Aren't they (Microsoft) preaching "interoperation" with open source now? I thought so!
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Re: You obviously haven't used Open Source
none none 12th Mar 2008
In reality, most of open source is rubbish. ... How do I know? Well I actually use and modify open source adn that's definitely been my experience.

There are a lot of Windows users who think Windows is rubbish but it's almost understandable as Windows is the default OS. I just figure they haven't got off their duffs and would rather complain. But one has to go out of one's way to use open source.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion but if it's rubbish why do you go out of your way to use it?


BTW I use Linux and Windows and I don't think open source is rubbish at all. That's been my experience.





happy
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You obviously haven't used Microsoft Products
Sysadm1n 12th Mar 2008
"Or maybe you just fiddled with the slow dog Office 2007 and thought it wasn't too bad. In reality, most of proprietary software is rubbish. That Microsoft certified crap wears off real fast when a programmer has to work for nothing for a lot of whiny compainers.

In reality, Microsoft products suffer from bad coding, manuals and documentation that may as well be encrypted and each version is usually guaranteed to break the last. How do I know? Well I'm actually an MCSE and that's definitely been my experience. For every application jewel that appears, there are thousands of dross, and virii, and worms, and undocumented vulnerabilities, and now data corruption.

Yes closed source can turn out polished code occasionally (lets pretend MS home server doesn't exist just to help me out here)."



Fixed it wink
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word to the wise.
rtk 12th Mar 2008
never admit your "an MCSE" in public.

Even if you'd score 100% on all your "exams", you'd still know JackSh*t about programming.

If you think vulnerabilities, bug and data corruption are an MS exclusive, you've got a lot to learn about your personal confuser.
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word to the wise
Sysadm1n 17th Mar 2008
"never admit your "an MCSE" in public"

The burnt remains of that seven year-old certificate might still be around my yard, if you want to go look for them wink.


"If you think vulnerabilities, bug and data corruption are an MS exclusive, you've got a lot to learn about your personal confuser."

But when it comes to hiding bugs, refusing to acknowledge vulnerabilities, and epically failing to patch data corruption problems...Microsoft will always be king wink.
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There are bad coders on all sides
Boot_Agnostic 12th Mar 2008
it's just less vocal users who are willing to prop up their side in order to win a fight.

OSS clearly wins on openness and the ability, maybe not the want, of someone to clean up the code.

Proprietary and closed believes it wins on security through obscurity, but with coders cranking out of momma's to the point that we have as many as we have lovely lawyers, you can't hide code that someone really wants to crack.

And there are thousands of bad coding projects made for each OS platform . . . . except maybe OS/2 (its dead and supposedly buried in the backyard).
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Rubish
DemonX 17th Mar 2008
You're obviously off your meds again.
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Amen!
gwthornt 18th Mar 2008
I was a programmer, systems analyst and database administrator before I retired. I was programming when Microsoft began. I have used PCs since the IBM XT. I have used every version of Windows. I have used linux. It is a nice toy but consumers that need to used PCs for home businesses, home management, and other real world projects/tasks need a real OS with available software. I have never found/used an open source program that was as good as the alternative from a company such as Microsoft.
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Don't end sentances like that with an elipses.
Hogleg 12th Mar 2008
It's the same thing as asking closed-ended questions.
swell for arguing, not-so-swell for discussions.
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Re: Don't end sentances (sic) like that with an elipses.
none none 12th Mar 2008
Also, always avoid annoying alliterations.






happy
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Too totally true
Hogleg 12th Mar 2008
nt
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Will anyone see this issue?
John Zern 11th Mar 2008
Seriouslly, I know of 5 people using it (different locations) and they think it's great. 3 know of the issue and will avoid it, the other two don't use OneNote or Outlook, probally none of the programs that it is causing the issue with.

The one thing they are all doing now, though is backing up their data located on their desktops.

Did you ever have a backup drive go bad? if so, a RAID 1, NAS backup is the way to go, though even the affordable ones have their limitations.
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I was thinking of buying this until this article.
I am Gorby 12th Mar 2008
At home we have 2 PC's and 3 laptops. I have a NAS drive for common storage, and a tiny print server to share the printer.
I was thinking of getting WHS purely because it is a pain to get the printer diagnostics working. To get a printer working through a print server, its usual diagnostics don't work. Whenever I get a flashing light, I disconnect the printer from the print server and direct connect via USB and look at it through the printer monitor to see which color cartridge is empty.
I thought WHS would alleviate this. I don't need any more aggravation in my home PC setup than I already get from Vista (roll on SP1 - I don't do betas)

I'll wait.
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don't go by this
sorahl 13th Mar 2008
Gorby,

don't go by this guy's poorly researched 'article'. Head over to the sites where people who really know what they are talking about can tell you the pros and cons of WHS.
Hey he should have mentioned that you shouldn't drive your car because it could break down, and that stove in your kitchen... it MIGHT burn your food. and forget the toilet...it might just clog!!
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RE: Microsoft's biggest lemon - Windows Home Server
g_keramidas@... 11th Mar 2008
i think you mean more than 1 hard drive

"server was fitted with more than one PC and data was accessed using one of the following applications:"
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A bad idea from Microsoft
jpr75_z 11th Mar 2008
I want to know who approved this silly project to begin with? And how many have they sold? 10, 12, 20? No one with an IT background would buy such a thing. And come on, most home users can barely name the parts of their computer and now they are going to manage a "Home Server". Dumb idea. If anyone is thinking of buying one, don't.
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A bad idea from Microsoft
allan_subs@... 11th Mar 2008
What's your justification for saying that? Have you had any experience with installing and or running one, or even seen the Admin console interface. I'm all for informed debate, but I'd like a little more reasons to support your statement "Dumb idea. If anyone is thinking of buying one, don't."
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You obviously have never used or seen one....
BitTwiddler 12th Mar 2008
The backup system is outstanding. I know of few that can take a dead machine and restore it from bare metal using any previous backup on WHS in an hour. Sure, most handle data, but few do bare-metal restores this well.
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Actuall, WHS is a great idea
pmcgrath@... 12th Mar 2008
Everyone complains that MS does not innovate, yet WHS is one of the best consumer innovations out of MS in a long time, and people can do nothing but complain about it. The combination of remote access, shared storage, automated backups, flexible storage expandability, and ?add in? support, all wrapped up in one, easy to configure package is a pretty amazing and unexpected feat from MS. I like this product. It is a great idea.

The reason it is taking so long to fix the bug is because of how deep in the system it lives. MS tried to create a Drobo like storage container that allows for easy expandability as well as redundancy. Not an easy task.

Apparently it only affects a small number of users because you have to really be stressing the server to cause the corruption. So if youre backing up one pc, while up loading 100 GB of video files from a second, and editing photos off the server, yes this could cause corruption. Yes, WHS should be able to handle this without corrupting the files, thats why its a bug. MS says dont edit using the listed apps as CYA. In reality, the probability of there being a corruption is very small. If it happened more often, it would have shown up in beta testing.

Its wrong to call the WHS a lemon because of this bug. Yes, its a 1.0 product from MS (sigh). But there is a lot to like here and I personally have had no issues with mine.
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Are you sure?
bmgoodman 12th Mar 2008
Have you actively compared the files on your WHS to known good versions stored elsewhere? The data corruption is quite silent if you're not careful.
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except me
Hogleg 12th Mar 2008
I have an IT background and I'd consider it. It's not useful for me atm because I have other machines that can act as file servers, but if I still did side work and I didn't to bother with/feel comfortable bothering with backups and whatnot, I'd absolutely consider it.
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WHS is great
archer75 12th Mar 2008
I built my own WHS box. It's great. I can use drives of different sizes without losing space as you would in RAID 5. It pools them all together in a single storage pool to make management and organization easy.
I have a great deal of movies on it I stream to my HTPC. And I can login from any browser and access the files should I need to.
It also keeps all my home computers backup. I love it.
It's also very stable. Never crashes on me.
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I disagree
Michael Kelly 12th Mar 2008
I think the idea was a very good one, because it does not need the overhead management that you suggest, and it serves a good purpose for multi-PC households. But as usual, the implementation was horrendous.
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"No one with an IT background..."
john3347 13th Mar 2008
jpr, This product is not designed nor intended for someone with an IT background. What do you not understand about Windows HOME Server? I am a home user and I have not yet bought the product, but I have a trial copy. It installed very easily without any special training. Everything worked "out of the box" except the remote access. A change from DSL (with ports closed to non-commercial customers) to cable internet fixed that. Yes, I can live with one harddrive for some indefinite period of time. "Home" use is the key to this product. IT pro's with your heads in the clouds, move on. Thank You.
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Ahem!... I am in IT and...
piook@... 29th Apr 2008
I have used WHS since RC1 and it has been a godsend for me and my family. Not only can we now have access to all of our music, movies, and photos, but all of their PC's are backed up with me having to do it manually. And yeah, one could use a NAS for both of these, but neither of them are as seamless a solution as WHS is. I have lost data when I went to convert from RC2 to the Final product, but that was my fault for not backing up the data to an outside source like one should always do when upgrading ones system (Tell me when upgrading to Exchange 2007, would you do so with out backing up all of the mail and settings first?)
As for this bug, yes they have known about it for a long time, and that is a bit troublesome, but then again there is plenty of things one can do to prevent this from happening. Like, if you are using uTorrent have it save the files to the system partition and move them over to the Drive Extender partition upon completion. And I remember from the early on reading in the RC2 documentation that one should not store pst files on the server as it could cause problems.

Ultimately though, WHS is a great idea that has a lot of potential (regardless what some of the myopic posters here might say) and it is only going to get better.

Oh, and for those of you who are slamming either open source or Microsoft, you are both wrong. The two approaches have their places and ultimately it leads to choice for the consumer. Just think if it was not for Firefox, IE wouldn't be nearly as good. And if it were not for Microsoft there would not be anyone for the open sourcers to beat.
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RE: Microsoft's biggest lemon - Windows Home Server
allan_subs@... 11th Mar 2008
You might like to fix the typo. Where you say "server was fitted with more than one PC and data was accessed using one of the following applications" you mean "server was fitted with more than one hard drive and data etc..."
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RE: Microsoft's biggest lemon - Windows Home Server
celeriun@... 11th Mar 2008
I am currently using a home server and I love it - it does everything I want in terms of both being a central storage unit and a family web server without me having to spend hours programming. The data corruption bug has not been a problem for me, nor will it. I have a minor in CIS and feel like I am an expert computer user. I also like Vista just for the record, so maybe I just don't belong in this crowd.
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RE: Microsoft's biggest lemon - Windows Home Server
celeriun@... 11th Mar 2008
Even in Beta Version you Adrian were pretty impressed. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=363)

I think next time you guys take more time to review products and stop saying it's good and then saying it's the worst later on. And also try making enough judgement on Beta versions and give that for the RTM versions.
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Problem is in the operating system
deaf_e_kate 12th Mar 2008
So does the problem have ramifications for the Windows Server 2003 SP2 (and later versions) hence its taking so long to fix and test?

Quote from http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2008/03/10/an-update-on-kb-946676.aspx

"From the outside looking in, some people would say “Why is this taking so long?” Fixing this issue is the Windows Home Server team’s top priority and the team is making good progress on the fix. We understand the issue really well at this point - it is at an extremely low level of the operating system and it requires thorough testing to ensure that the fix addresses the issue. We have coded a part of the fix which is currently being tested internally. Internal testing is expected to continue for at least several more weeks.

Once the patch has passed internal quality bars, external participants will be asked to help test the fix. Our current plan is to release beta test versions of a fix over the next few months, with a final version currently estimated for June 2008, although that date could change as testing progresses. Thorough testing of the fix is critical and will take time. "

If I was using Windows Server 2003, I'd be worried.
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Did you rtfa?
NonZealot 12th Mar 2008
If I was using Windows Server 2003, I'd be worried.

If you read the knowledge base article you would realize that the bug is in a driver that is only available with WHS.
Windows Home Server uses a file system mini-filter driver in addition to the NTFS file system to implement Shared Folders storage technology.
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I made the same mistake
vince@... 12th Mar 2008
Geesh, chill. I interpreted the line about being worried about Windows 2003 Server to mean that if I'm a server2k3 user, I should be wondering about its integrity as well. Simple error of omission on the part of the author.

I come here for summaries in lieu of reading every KB article
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Thanks for this story!
bmgoodman 12th Mar 2008
I'm $500 into a "Home Server" that cannot reliably serve files! This is certainly Microsoft's biggest lemon since Win ME (or maybe EVER). And don't believe Microsoft's claim that only a handful of apps are affected. Pretty much ANYTHING that modifies file attributes can hose your data. For example, Windows Media Player can do it! (How? Well, you know those "star ratings" assigned to your files? Seems WMP "touches" pretty much every file you play!)

This software is a great idea, but horribly implemented. I should have KNOWN not to buy before version 3.0!!

(Thanks Adrian for writing this story. I couldn't get George interested in it because he trusted Ed Bott who said there's no story here!)
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You might try Linux
jshaw4343 12th Mar 2008
I use a stripped down version of Debian (free) with Samba to run a file server on a old desktop PC. Then you can restrict your clients from modifying any of the data on the server - including WMP. It doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles, requires some editing of config files, but it's easy and there is plenty of documentation out ther.
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Why that won't work for most home users is...
cornpie 12th Mar 2008
"...requires some editing of config files..."
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"requires some editing of config files"
john3347 13th Mar 2008
The open source community just doesn't get it. Home users do not have the expertise, competence, nor desire to "edit config files". Don't want to pay Geek Squad to fix what they mess up by trying to "edit config files". When are the open source people going to figure this out?????
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Mental Telepathy Operating System?
MisterMiester 14th Mar 2008
Home users do not have the expertise, competence, nor desire to "edit config files".

I guess with Windows users it's very difficult to type and press "enter", right? A modern distros like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Suse have plenty of dialog boxes settings for the typing impaired. You can use the GUI apps or the command line, the choice is yours.

Remember you have a choice, it's not my way or the highway. wink

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