Windows Home Server “Vail” Preview Updated

Yesterday Microsoft posted an update to the preview of their next version of Windows Home Server which is codenamed Vail.  The last update for this was published back in April of this year.

WHS Vail is an entirely new build based on the original version of Microsoft’s WHS platform.  WHS helps you maintain central file storage on your home network and backs up each connected PC on a regular schedule of your choosing.  Since I started using WHS V1 I have never found myself without a good backup for any of my systems.

I recommend this for a home setup where there is more than one computer present.

You can grab the WHS Vail preview update from the Microsoft Connect Windows Home Server page and you only need a Windows Live ID to get access to it.

You can report any bugs you find or suggestions you might have through the Connect website where the downloads are and Microsoft has setup a couple of other resources to help you out as you test this preview:

• Windows Home Server Social Forum
• Online Help Site

So if you have a spare machine sitting around the house you should give this a try.  One caveat on this release – it is not for daily use.  There are documented issues with some data integrity so do not trust irreplaceable data to this preview.

Let us know what you think about the preview over in the forums.

Related Posts

• Windows Home Server Vail Public Preview Available Now
• New Windows Home Server Vail Beta This Week?
• Learn About Windows Home Server Vail
• Windows Home Server Vail Preview Part 1
• Windows Home Server Vail Loses Drive Extender Feature

Richard Hay  (3358 Posts)

Richard is the Owner of WindowsObserver.com and has been involved in tech for over 25 years. His first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then he used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and what you see here today is the result of the work he has continued on the site since 1995. In January 2010 his community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when he was awarded the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for Windows Desktop Experience. In January 2011 he was renewed as a Microsoft MVP but in a new category called Windows Expert - Consumer and in January 2012 he received the award for the third time.