Using Windows Home Server » Friday Night

Restoring a PC to downgrade back to iTunes 9 on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:14:14 +0000

So yeah, I downloaded iTunes 10 as soon as it was available earlier this week. Early adopter I am. Not such a good thing this new iTunes is. Not only is iTunes 10 just another bulky application, it no longer works with Windows Home Server. I had already upgraded when all the WHS sites started talking about the incompatibility. What’s a boy to do? Restoring was my only solution. Seriously.

DON’T DO IT! DON’T UPGRADE.

Of course, if you do not use the HP MediaSmart Server shared iTunes functionality then go ahead.

Why not iTunes 10?

After iTunes 10 installed and did not work with my WHS, I tried uninstalling iTunes 10. The uninstall was easy, and after 30 minutes of trying to find the download of version 9, I thought I was going to be ok. WRONG!

Not only does Apple make it impossible to FIND an old version of iTunes, the new iTunes 10 updates the “itl” database file so you cannot use an older version of iTunes.

AGAIN, once you upgrade to iTunes 10 you cannot go to a prior version! Ok, maybe someone will develop a hack but for now you cannot go back! Flippers.

I had to Restore to a prior backup. This PC is my main garage PC so I do not leave it on all of the time. I had to backup to 08/29/10 so I made sure any files I had were moved to the Shared Folders BEFORE the backup. The 7:42 backup was AFTER I had upgraded to iTunes 10.

Welcome Back iTunes 9

It had only been a few days but I missed you. Don’t ever leave me again.

Conclusion

iTunes 10 is not worth the upgrade right now. I will use a test PC and keep up with the updates and post when it is working with Windows Home Server.

See you next Friday night,

Tim

Installing the Windows Home Server Vail Beta Refresh on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:52:36 +0000

This Friday night I decided to upgrade my Vail Beta test server to the new Vail Beta Refresh. Are you interested in upgrading to the new Vail Beta Refresh? Check out this article and watch the 10 minute video for an introduction to the Vail Beta Refresh and an overview of the installation process.

Background

The Refresh was released Monday but I could not get to the installation until this Friday. The wife was in San Diego for the weekend and I had a fridge stocked with cold beverages from four different continents. What else could I ask for? A Skype call from Diehard to get me motivated for a clean install of course! Let the good times begin!

I changed into my Vail t-shirt, cranked up the smooth jazz, did a quick defrag of the refrigerator and started the party.

Beta Beta Beta

If you have the time and resources to test the Vail Beta then I hope you do. We all need to get in there and test it, break it and tell Microsoft what we want. Be a part of the experience program. Download the Log Collector and file your bugs. It is easy to be critical of a Beta. The hard work is in following through with the bugs, feedback and the CAB files!

I love me some Vail. It has issues. So do I. It is still a Beta. I am over it.

Equipment Needed

64-bit test PC or server with keyboard, monitor and mouse
160GB or larger internal hard drive
Vail Installation ISO on a DVD or USB Drive
QFE file from Microsoft Connect
Network Connection
3 Beers (optional as always)

Software Download and ISO Image

You can download the Vail Beta Refresh ISO image from Microsoft Connect at:

https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer

You MUST register and join the Connect program with Microsoft to be able to download the Windows Home Server files.

Once you have the ISO image you can burn it to a DVD or use the Microsoft Download tool to put it on a USB Drive. Read about the Download tool at:

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2010/02/05/now-we-know-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool/

USB Drive Issue

Make sure you have your USB Drive in the rear USB slots. I had my USB in the front slots and it took me half a beer to figure out that my server only supported USB Boot at the back slots. Doh!

IMPORTANT ISSUES WHEN MOVING TO THE NEW VAIL BETA

There are three important things you should know before installing the Vail Beta Refresh over existing Vail Beta.

The ISO image file is too large to fit on a 4GB USB drive so make sure you have a 8GB or larger drive ready for installation.
Backup all existing data on the server to an external drive before starting the installation. This is a clean installation. Trying to use the existing Vail backup data through a Restore process can cause sharing and rights issues with your files. It is safer to just copy your files to a external drive or client machine.
Say goodbye to your PC backups from the first Vail Beta. The folders and structure has changed and a normal Restore cannot be performed.

Vail Beta Refresh Introduction and Installation Video

Take your time and do not force the process. I am running a Dual-Core Intel CPU with a standard SATA hard drive. The process took 38 minutes with a USB install so plan for about an hour with a DVD drive. Enjoy your beverage and play your favorite BYOB or Home Server Show podcast.

Home Server Show

With that said, let’s see some video!

Windows Home Server Vail Beta Refresh Introduction and Installation

Building an under cabinet HTPC on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:00:50 +0000

This Friday night I wanted to build a compact and low power HTPC to record four television streams from my SiliconDust HD Homerun tuners. This was a fun build but I had a couple of gotchas along the way.

Background

I have two dual SiliconDust Homerun tuners that work AWESOMELY! I cannot say enough good things about these tuners. Seriously.

So, I leave my main garage PC running 24-7 to record all of my TV. Every day and every night the garage PC runs and records all of my shows and archives them to my WHS. The issue that I have is that this PC is not very energy efficient and the garage gets to over 100° during the summer months when I am at work. In addition, if I want to watch TV in the garage (assuming a tuner is free) and I am recording then my performance drops.

What’s a boy to do?

Build a dedicated PC to record those wonderful HD streams that SiliconDust provides me of course!

Equipment Needed

Elite 100 Case and PC Parts (shown below)
Desk or Cabinet
Signals via a TV Tuner (SiliconDust Homerun Dual Tuners for me)
Three Beers (optional as always)

Parts Links and Costs

The total build was $230 without the OS.

Cooler Master Elite Case with PSU $70 at Frys in-store

http://www.frys.com/product/6185869?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

E3300 CPU $30 (Newegg combo special on 07/10/10)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116264

Zotac Board $80 from Newegg (I know Dave, but it was the only board in that config I could afford)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500047

Corsair XMS2 Memory $30 (Newegg special on 07/29/10)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145175

Old and used 80GB Drive (FREE!)

Under Cabinet LCD Mount $20 from Ebay

Let’s touch some hardware!

80 GB Drive Note: I know it is small but since WMC offloads all of the video to WHS I do not need a larger drive! The OS and software are only 30 GB total so I would have to have more than 10 hours of HD content scheduled in a row to cause an issue with the WMC WHS archive activities.

Component and PC Assembly

The assembly was easy and straight forward. Things are very tight in a case this small but the parts all connected without any issues. As usual you should follow the directions but the ones I received in the case packaging were worthless. I do not need them but really? Crappy Manual. Seriously.

IMPORTANT: The instructions below are just the highlights and are not intended as actual directions.

Open and consume first beverage!

Open case and remove power supply.

Install motherboard and cables

Install CPU and fan (With those stupid worthless Intel snap twist mounts)

Install memory

Install hard drive

Check cable connections, routing and install PSU

I am done. Open and consume second beverage!

Power On and Windows 7 Installation

The system started the first time. The BIOS was American Megatrends, was familiar and easy to update.

.

I installed Windows 7 Ultimate so I could use the RDC and do additional remote testing. The OS installation took about an hour. Since this is a basically just a Windows 7 DVR, I did not install a DVD. I used a USB for the installation. USB installation is so much easier anyway.

After an hour the OS installation was complete. After another hour or so of updates, and installing the SiliconDust Homerun software, I was steady state and 40 watts at idle. This is only half of the power than my previous Homerun recording PC used. Sweet!

The final test before disconnecting from the bench was to verify the TV signal via RDC and QuickTV and calibrate the flesh tones. You have the check them for consistency.

Under Cabinet or Desk Mounting

The PC was very neat and clean. The system is a little heavy so verify your mounting weight before you hang it up. You want to make sure the cabinet (or in my case, desk) can hold the extra weight. This specific case was made to mount behind a large television with a standard VESA mount. I bought the case specifically for the mount but was going to use it with a swing mount under the desk.

I mounted the swinging bracket to the underside of the desk and then mounted the case lid to the bracket.

Once the lid was mounted I slid the case on to the lid and secured the case screws. The PC was too heavy and kept wanting to drop “down” so I used a thick plastic wire tie on a screw hook to hold it from dropping from the back. Whenever I want to service the unit I can just push the back of the unit up slightly to unhook the tie.

I connected power and a Cat6 cable and I was done. I powered up the system and then logged in via RDC to check the settings and the job was done!

Open and consume third beverage!

Conclusion

This was a fun build but I did have a few issues with this case and the parts. These were only gotchas although the board size issue is a show stopper with this specific case!

ATTENTION COOLER MASTER: This case is NOT really for Micro ATX. It is only for MINI ATX. Seriously.

I usually do not have gotchas when I build. I plan ahead and do the research to avoid any parts mistakes. That being said, this case is so SMALL that I had a few minor issues.

First, the power supply mounts above the corner mount of the mini ITX board. This is ok as long as you are prepared for it. The first board I tried was a Micro ATX board and the memory slots hit the PSU. I had to buy a Mini ITX board so it would fit. Crap!

The arrows show the mounting holes for the motherboard. yes, one is UNDER the PSU and the other is attached to it with a standoff.

Second, this case does not allow for expansion slots so forget any cards. Also even if you could fit another board inside the case, as you can see below, the PSU would be covering the slots.

Third, when working on such a small case always check the heights of your parts. I got a great deal on this Corsair memory but it was almost too tall to fit in the case.

Fourth, before you disconnect your monitor and keyboard verify that your power settings are all correct. I forgot to tell the PC to “Never” go to sleep.

I would walk in to the office after a few hours and the power button would be flashing. RDC (Remote Desktop Connection) would not work. Why? The PC was asleep by default. Duh. Change it as soon as you get the OS running!

Mental Note: Get Windows Media Center working before you disconnect. WMC playback is NOT supported via RDC!

Again, this is a really cool case and the build was really fun!

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

BYOB Episode 3 Out Now

Andrew Edney — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:53:29 +0000

This weeks BYOB podcast is out and the feature build is one of Tim’s builds.

Here is what they say about this episode:

Welcome to episode 3 of the BYOB Podcast. The Build Your Own Box podcast is for anyone interested in the building of PC’s, Servers, HTPC’s, and all the hardware news pertaining to building your own boxes.

This week we cover an Atom build, talk about Seagate’s new Hybrid hard drive, and a short discussion on SSD’s. In addition, we cover the Hardware Pick of the Week and do a quick impression of Gigabytes new ITX board.

Hardware News

1. Seagate’s XT hybrid drive

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18989

2. EVGA Classified SR-2 Dual Xeon motherboard

http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=270-WS-W555-A1

Feature build

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2010/05/04/atom-windows-home-server-build-on-a-friday-night-purchase-and-assembly-video-edition/

Hardware Pick of the week

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128448

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1528717&highlight=Gigabyte+H55N-USB3

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3769/reviewed-gigabyte-h55nusb3-miniitx-done-the-gigabyte-way

As usual you can listen to the show here: http://homeservershow.com/byob-episode-3.html

Atom Windows Home Server build on a Friday night – v1 Server Operating System and Overview – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:20:08 +0000

In the last article I built this D510 Windows Home Server. In this post John Zajdler and I will load the OS, talk about Windows Home Server v1 and give you some tips when building your own WHS.

Background

I had been looking for a small form factor for a WHS build for my sister-in-law in recent months. Since the LX195 I bought for my sister was no longer sold, and not that powerful anyway, I decided that a dual-core small form factor would process enough, not be a power hog and fit into their home entertainment center.

Since I was building this WHS for someone else I needed to meet three main requirements:

Cost less than a HP MSS (otherwise just buy a EX495)
Low watt power usage (35 watts target)
Small form and high acceptance factor

The previous article is at: http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2010/05/04/atom-windows-home-server-build-on-a-friday-night-purchase-and-assembly-video-edition/

After tax cost, not including two used 2.5” USB Drives, was $309.61. Not a super cheap build but not expensive either. This build is great for someone like me with extra parts lying around and a Vail beta installation.

This is also a great build for the family. It is not too complicated and could be a great project for you and your children. Your kids can see inside it and the assembly takes less than 30 minutes. Once it is up and running your family can spend hours looking inside and watching your WHS process your media.

Equipment Needed

Two beers (Optional as always)
Previously Built Windows Home Server
OEM v1 WHS OS or Windows Server code name Vail
John Zajdler (optional)

Lets set this pig on fire!

Videos

Below are two 7 minute videos showing the loading of the operating system of the Windows Home Server. The videos are in HD and give some good information of what to expect with a WHS build. Since I had already done video of the WHS screens during load, this is more of a two man forum on WHS and the loading process.

D510 Atom Mini Windows Home Server – Part Three

D510 Atom Mini Windows Home Server – Part Four

Conclusion – Sweet Build

A special thank you to John Zajdler, Christopher Lux for the consult and all of the encouragement on this build.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

AMD CPU Upgrade and Corsair H50 Installation on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:15:38 +0000

I did it again. I bought another Dell Outlet PC and I am going to upgrade the CPU and add on a H50 Corsair CPU cooler. This PC is for my mobile work bench, and testing equipment in the garage, so cooling is important. I had some extra space on the side of the rolling cabinet and wanted to keep the top clear for equipment and video. Wait till you see where the H50 went!

Why do this to a Dell? Again…

If you go to the Dell Outlet you can get some great deals. For $200 you can get a basic PC with Windows 7. The cases are nice, the power supplies are clean and they come with DVD drives and software. You could not build your own for that price. Windows 7 alone will cost you $90 OEM!

Equipment Needed

Dell AMD PC $202 (Dell Outlet)
H50 Corsair Cooler $54 (Tiger Direct with Bing)
AMD Phenom X3 8750 $65 (Newegg with Bing)
3 Ultras (optional as always)

For a total of $321 you can build yourself a nice and clean rig. Well…I have not mentioned that the H50 does NOT fit inside the case. I have a work around for that.

Corsair H50

I have mentioned the H50 before and I will mention it again. This cooler is a great deal for the the price and an easy first liquid cooling package for any PC builder.

Directly from the Corsair website:

Features

Pre-filled, closed-loop system is easy to install

Copper CPU cooling plate for maximum cooling performance

Integrated pump and reservoir is sealed for zero maintenance and improved leakage protection

Large 120mm radiator for fast heat dispersion

High-efficiency, low-noise 120mm fan for drawing cool air across the radiator

Two-year warranty

The Corsair supports the following CPU sockets:

LGA775
LGA1366
LGA1156
AM2/AM3

More information can be found at:

H50 High-Performance CPU Cooler

Below is an interior installation I did for my dads PC for Father’s Day back in May!

Ventilating a Windows Home Server Cabinet on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:21:32 +0000

I had a plain and ugly server cabinet on Thursday. With a trip to Ikea and the Cooler Guys, I am now the owner of a sweet, well ventilated, wife-accepted server storage facility. This is not a rack or a case. If the cabinet door in your living room is propped open then this article is for you too. Read on to see what I ended up creating…

Background

Last year I spent about $300 creating a Home Depot bought modular closet rack. Now I must say, with clothes and stuff on it I am sure it makes a clean set up, but for technology it just never looked good. It was functional but never really fit with the room. Since my wife and I just installed new bamboo floors, and remodeled the office, it had to go.

But what was I to replace it with? Anything with doors would get hot.

I have an Ikea, I mean Idea…

Equipment Needed

Cabcool 802U Dual 80mm USB Powered Cabinet Cooling Kit

Ikea Bookcase

Six Beers (Optional as always)

Some wood and cheapie air register grill (if you want to attempt an attic vent)

The Cooler Guys

I usually do not endorse any one specific website but after looking around I found only one reliable location for USB fans and cabinet ventilation. I bought all of my own equipment and am not affiliated with this website in any way. That being said, they have some GREAT stuff. They are in Washington and delivery only took a few days.

http://www.coolerguys.com/

They have more than just cabinet equipment. Check them out. You will end up buying something from them!

The kit I bought was $24.95. That is way cheap and easy for this kit!

Directly from their website:

Cooling Unit includes the following:

(1) Set of Dual 80mm component cooling fans with USB connection

(1) Black Acrylic Fan bracket (L) 210mm (H) 110mm x (W) 3mm (~8.25″x4.25″x.125″)

(2) Black 80mm fan grill

(8) Fan Screws to attach grill(s)

Pack – 4″ Nylon Multi-Purpose Tie Black

(4) 1/2″ black Cabinet screw(s)

All necessary screws, cables, and fasteners to complete the unit are included
Fan Specifications:
Dimensions: 80x80x25mm
Rated Voltage: 5 Volts
Connector: USB
Tail: 16 inch /Dual
RPM: 1500 +/- 10%
CFM: 20
dB: 19.7
Bearing: Sleeve
MTFB: 30,000 hrs

The Installation

Let me start by saying that unless you do a “built-in” you do not have to worry about ventilation or hoses. Just buy the kit and cut out the back part of your cabinet.

I am pretty sure I went overboard on the ventilation in this project but it was really fun. Those hoses (shown below) weigh only a few ounces and the vent to the attic only cost me about $5 in wood and $6 for the vent grill.

WTH?

This might look a little ugly. Ok it is. But that 2×4 is just a sideways “u” that the cabinet bolts to. Since the closet is 10 inches deeper than the bookcase I needed a secure mount for the Ikea bookcase. In addition, since there is 10 inches of space (depth) I had room for my D-Link switch, cabling, LED lighting, hoses and my waterproof USB safe that I use for WHS backups.

To turn the space back into a closet I just slide the cabinet out (it is on casters) and remove the 2×4. I even left the closet door railing on the top so I could put the doors back in. The only real damage I did was in the ceiling and I can just patch it and popcorn it if I ever move.

I needed my vent to rise about the cellulose insulation. That is alarm company wiring btw!

Cabinet Installation Video

Lets see some video!

Final Product

I was very impressed with the results. Once I finished the molding it brought the whole unit into a whole new look.

BEFORE and AFTER

How Does It Vent?

Since it is Ikea furniture, the doors do not close with any good tolerances so there is plenty of space for fresh air to get in at the bottom. If you have a sealed cabinet you could just add a vent for intake. Remember that heat rises so place the fresh air vent as low as practical.

And finally…

Thank you to my wife. She was very supportive of this project and helped with most of the job. I gave her the right side of the cabinet. I am sure girl-stuff will go in there. It is all about balance.

Mental Note: It sure reduces the server noise. Those Black Caviar drives I recommended and purchased perform great but sure make a lot of noise! The doors block all of the sound!

The whole project was about $360 with $50 being for the hoses and the attic vent thing. If you already have an existing cabinet (it is the one in your living room with the door propped open) then just get the $25 cabinet kit.

My EX485 looks so happy. I do too.

See you you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Atom Windows Home Server build on a Friday night – Purchase and Assembly – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:08:24 +0000

After a few calls with Christoper Lux from Home Server Show I decided to do a Windows Home Server build based on the D510 Intel Atom processor. Read on and check out the two HD videos showing the Windows Home Server build.

Background

I had been looking for a small form factor for a WHS build for my sister-in-law in recent months. Since the LX195 I bought for my real sister was no longer sold, and not that powerful anyway, I decided that a dual-core small form factor would be powerful enough, not be a power hog and fit in their home entertainment center.

Christopher Lux and I had a telecon a few weeks ago and the topic of Atom processors came up. Could an Intel Atom power a WHS effectively? In addition, could we stay low power with the unit? My wife and I both have Dell Inspiron 10 netbooks with Atom CPUs and they have run well for us. My two home-builds are both dual core so I wanted to make sure I could get the Atom in a dual-core CPU, and not the single core like our netbooks. Chris said that the Atom dual-core board was just out and on sale. We threw a bunch of links back and forth and then last week after one more check with Chris I pulled the trigger on the board.

Since I was building this WHS for someone else I needed to meet three main requirements:

Cost less than a HP MSS (otherwise just buy a EX495)
Low watt power usage (35 watts target)
Small form and high acceptance factor

I had extra drives at home and since I just Vailed my test box I now had that OEM software as an extra Windows Home Server license for this build.

Equipment Needed

Two beers (Optional as always)
OEM v1 WHS or Windows Server code name Vail
Parts listed below

Lets set this pig on fire!

Cost Considerations

For about $72 you can get an Atom D510. The CPU is built into the board so no chip to install!

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43098

Other parts cost include (parts shown in detail on videos)

After tax cost, not including two used 2.5” USB Drives, was $309.61. Not a cheap build but not expensive either. This build is great for someone like me with extra parts lying around and a Vail beta installation.

Videos

Below are two 10 minute videos showing the parts and assembly of the Windows Home Server. They are in HD and show some good detail of what to expect with a small WHS build. Be sure to check back next week for the WHS software installation and testing over the network! Do not give me crap about the wiring. It is a SMALL case!

Assembly Results

I am not going to spend much time on text here. The two videos show the build and the pictures below have some shots of the case and internals.

Next week I will show the loading of Windows Home Server v1 and runs some tests over my network.

Viva Intel, Christopher Lux and Microsoft. Seriously.

A special thank you to Christopher Lux for the consult and encouragement on this build.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Thank you for checking in with the website and be sure to let us know what you would like to see next.

Six Minute and Six Second Installation of a Sound Card and Media Card Reader on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:41:08 +0000

Another slow WHS week so I am doing a video of the final steps for my new budget HTPC. This week I will install a sound card and 3.5” media card reader in 6 minutes and six seconds.

Background

This is the last article on my cheapie HTPC build. The previous two articles are at:

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2010/04/05/the-easy-250-outlet-htpc-on-a-friday-night/

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2010/04/11/six-minute-and-six-second-installation-of-a-60-blu-ray-drive-on-a-friday-night-video-edition/

Equipment Needed

PCI Sound Card
3.5” Media Card Reader
Six Minutes and Six Seconds
One Beer (optional as always)

I got these basic components cheap at Newegg. For those of you really into sound there are much better, and more expensive, sound options available. For most of us though, a sound card like this is fine.

Installation Video

This is a quick video of the installation. Although every computer model is different, the basic concepts are the same. If in doubt, check with the manufacturers website for service instructions and warranty information.

Here are a few quick links:

Dell

Gateway

Sony

If you have a video camera why not do a video of your own?

Conclusion

After I started the PC, the drivers for the sound card and media card reader automatically installed. Sweet.

The HTPC was then moved into the house and placed behind the 50”. The wife accepted the location and we watched “The Hangover” in Blu-Ray stutter free. Super Sweet.

This project should be an easy sell to your family. For about $320 you not only get a Blu-Ray player and Windows Media Center but you also get other great features of Windows 7 such as Internet Explorer and Zune. In addition, you can also download applications like Google Earth, Skype and iTunes. Netflix and Hulu also run great on a 50”.

See you next Friday night,

Tim

The easy $250 outlet HTPC on a Friday night

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:49:08 +0000

I can easily go overboard on a HTPC build but can I do it the other way? Can I make a cheap HTPC that actually performs? This is not really a build. It is more of a bargain hunt. Let me show you how I did it this on a Friday night.

Outlet PCs – Really?

Large PC manufacturers sell refurbished or “scratch and dent” PCs. Sometimes, like at Dell and HP, they sell them for under $300. Sometimes under $200!

Why buy a PC already assembled? Well, if you are going to build your own PC you can hunt around for parts and deals, but when it comes to the OS you are going to have to pay from $85-$100 for Windows 7. This means your home build with “new parts” is always going to be a minimum of $200 or more.

Last week I got a 15% off coupon from Dell and started looking for a cheap Dell Windows 7 PC. I finally found one and ordered it. They are actually listed quite regularly if you do not mind refreshing the page often. It took me a couple of hours checking about every 10 minutes before it popped up.

Make sure the Outlet PC you order has Windows 7 Premium!

I had also ordered a CPU on sale from TigerDirect recently. These deals also pop up all the time on other sites like Newegg.

I also get 10% Bing Cashback from the the CPU order! Sweet. $255.53 minus $6.70 CB is $248.83!

Why the Dell Inspiron 546?

I am Dell guy. You might be a HP person. You might even like another brand. It is cool either way. I like Dell because they have all of their support online and it is easy to find their specs and the service tag information. So why the Inspiron 546 model?

AMD CPU Socket
Four memory slots
Four SATA connections
HDMI connection

Do not like Dells? Go to HP. You could also do the Compaq CQ4010f Desktop PC at the HP Outlet for $319 plus 10% Cashback which puts you at $287 (no tax).

This unit comes with the same AMD Sempron LE-1300 Processor so upgrading the CPU would be easy!

Let me show you how easy it is…

X4 Phenom CPU Change Video

AMD CPUs are usually less expensive and should suit you fine for a HTPC.

Optional HTPC Aftermarket Upgrades

A HTPC would be connected to your home stereo and might be driving a large flat screen TV. You can find 5.1 sound cards for under $20 online and 512MB video cards for about the same. You could trade out the processor cost for these two parts and still be under $250.

$250 Performance?

I am not going to run super cool tests or benchmarks. Not for $250. I will let Microsoft numbers show you some basic information. Its a $250 PC.

Out of the box from Dell:

After “used freebie” 512MB 4350 Video Card installed

After X4 Phenom upgrade:

Stupid Aero rating is always the lowest! Anyone know how to increase this easily?

Conclusion

Overall I am very happy with outlet purchases. Five of my PCs are from the outlet and work great.

Can you have performance for $250? I think so. If you are looking into a HTPC or even a second PC I would suggest looking at outlet PCs. With coupon codes or Bing you can get some great deals. If 5.1 sound is not something you want to add then you can find outlet PCs that have it as part of the system. If you familiarize yourself with a certain model or case size you can lurk around the outlet and wait for the good deals.

Next week I will install a $54.99 Blu-Ray from Newegg!

See you next Friday night.

Tim

EX470 Memory Upgrade on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:16:28 +0000

Do you have a HP EX470 and want to upgrade to the HP 3.0 Software release? If so, you should upgrade the memory to 2GB. This week I made a video with John “Diehard” Zajdler walking me through the EX470 memory upgrade!

Background

My parents EX470 has been running well since November of 2008. I had the main drive fail last year (just before warranty was up) and HP me sent a replacement drive. I was up and running the next day. Thank you HP for great service and a great product!

Now that the EX470 is out of warranty I am going to upgrade the memory from 512MB to 2GB. It would not have voided the warranty to change the memory before, but I had no reason to upgrade it before now. Once the memory upgrade is complete I will be able to install the HP 3.0 Software upgrade!

In addition, HP never released any documentation on servicing the EX470 so the memory upgrade is at YOUR OWN RISK.

Equipment Needed

2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667
John Zajdler (Optional)
Torx T15 and Phillips #00 Screwdriver
Two Pints (Optional as always, pints are 16 ounces so adjust accordingly)

Memory Purchase

You should purchase the 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300). I installed the Patriot brand but there are other manufacturers out there.

Make sure you get just ONE chip and NOT a pair of 1GB!

Patriot 2GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220231&Tpk=N82E16820220231

Kingston 2GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139039&Tpk=N82E16820139039

I bought mine on sale a while back at Newegg so you might want to shop around for the best deal. Do not forget to use BING!

EX470 Memory Upgrade Video – Watch in 720 HD.

I had seen instructions and videos on HomeServerShow and Home Server Hacks but I wanted to do something a little different. I used my Sony Webbie, a tripod, LifeCam HD, 9 inches of Scotch brand tape and Skype’d up John Zajdler.

The process is mostly edit free but I had to break it into four videos because of the 10 minute YouTube time limit. In addition, I had Skype sound issues so keep your hand near the volume.

Conclusion – Upgrade Successful

I was fortunate enough to have one of the best hardware people out there to walk me through the process. With these videos you now also have a copy of that resource. Do not worry and take your time!

After John and I completed the upgrade John asked me to plug it in to give it a try. I connected the power plug and Ethernet connection and waited for the blue lights. Three minutes later I had a third server on my network! Sweet.

Thank you to John Zajdler for walking me through the upgrade.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

EX470 Support – Not Available

The EX470 is no longer supported (according to the HP website) so you will not find anything of value on the HP website regarding parts.

You will find some old part numbers but that is about it.

EX470 Specifications

These are not needed for the memory upgrade but since support is up I would suggest downloading them and putting them on your server somewhere just incase you ever want to reference the original documentation in a digital format.

HP EX470/EX475 MediaSmart Servers (3493.0KB, PDF)

HP EX470, EX475 MediaSmart Server – User’s Guide

HP MediaSmart Server – Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

Upgrading a HP EX485 WHS to Version 3.0 on a Friday night – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:13:56 +0000

I am fortunate that Andrew Edney had the 3.0 Upgrade Disks sent to me for my EX485. This article is in three videos (21 minutes total) that show the start to finish 3.0 upgrade on a MSS EX485.

Equipment Needed:

3.0 Software Upgrade from HP (Starts at around $30 US)
PC with DVD/CD Drive
Three Beers (Optional as always)

To order the CDs go to HP and enter your model number at:

http://www.hp.com/#Support

Insert the CD…

Backup Your EX Series Prior to Upgrade

3.0 Upgrade Part One

3.0 Upgrade Part Two

All done in under an hour!

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) now requires that I disclose any relationship I may have with anyone that provides something of value in connection with my reviews. I would like to disclose that I do not accept any form of cash compensation. Thank you to Andrew Edney (via HP) for sending me this free copy of the 3.0 Upgrade Disks for testing and documenting in my videos.

See you next Friday night,

Timothy Daleo

Using Windows Home Server » Friday Night

Restoring a PC to downgrade back to iTunes 9 on a Friday night

DON’T DO IT! DON’T UPGRADE.

Why not iTunes 10?

Welcome Back iTunes 9

Conclusion

Installing the Windows Home Server Vail Beta Refresh on a Friday night – Video Edition

Background

Beta Beta Beta

Equipment Needed

Software Download and ISO Image

USB Drive Issue

IMPORTANT ISSUES WHEN MOVING TO THE NEW VAIL BETA

The ISO image file is too large to fit on a 4GB USB drive so make sure you have a 8GB or larger drive ready for installation.

Say goodbye to your PC backups from the first Vail Beta. The folders and structure has changed and a normal Restore cannot be performed.

Vail Beta Refresh Introduction and Installation Video

Building an under cabinet HTPC on a Friday night

Background

What’s a boy to do?

Equipment Needed

Parts Links and Costs

Let’s touch some hardware!

80 GB Drive Note: I know it is small but since WMC offloads all of the video to WHS I do not need a larger drive! The OS and software are only 30 GB total so I would have to have more than 10 hours of HD content scheduled in a row to cause an issue with the WMC WHS archive activities.

Component and PC Assembly

Open and consume first beverage!

Open case and remove power supply.

Install motherboard and cables

Install CPU and fan (With those stupid worthless Intel snap twist mounts)

Install memory

Install hard drive

Check cable connections, routing and install PSU

I am done. Open and consume second beverage!

Power On and Windows 7 Installation

The system started the first time. The BIOS was American Megatrends, was familiar and easy to update.

.

I installed Windows 7 Ultimate so I could use the RDC and do additional remote testing. The OS installation took about an hour. Since this is a basically just a Windows 7 DVR, I did not install a DVD. I used a USB for the installation. USB installation is so much easier anyway.

After an hour the OS installation was complete. After another hour or so of updates, and installing the SiliconDust Homerun software, I was steady state and 40 watts at idle. This is only half of the power than my previous Homerun recording PC used. Sweet!

The final test before disconnecting from the bench was to verify the TV signal via RDC and QuickTV and calibrate the flesh tones. You have the check them for consistency.

Under Cabinet or Desk Mounting

Open and consume third beverage!

Conclusion

ATTENTION COOLER MASTER: This case is NOT really for Micro ATX. It is only for MINI ATX. Seriously.

BYOB Episode 3 Out Now

Atom Windows Home Server build on a Friday night – v1 Server Operating System and Overview – Video Edition

Background

Equipment Needed

Videos

Conclusion – Sweet Build

AMD CPU Upgrade and Corsair H50 Installation on a Friday night – Video Edition

Why do this to a Dell? Again…

Equipment Needed

Corsair H50

Ventilating a Windows Home Server Cabinet on a Friday night – Video Edition

Background

Equipment Needed

The Cooler Guys

The kit I bought was $24.95. That is way cheap and easy for this kit!

The Installation

WTH?

Cabinet Installation Video

Final Product

How Does It Vent?

And finally…

Atom Windows Home Server build on a Friday night – Purchase and Assembly – Video Edition

Background

Equipment Needed

Cost Considerations

Other parts cost include (parts shown in detail on videos)

Videos

Assembly Results

Viva Intel, Christopher Lux and Microsoft. Seriously.

Six Minute and Six Second Installation of a Sound Card and Media Card Reader on a Friday night – Video Edition

Background

Equipment Needed

Installation Video

Conclusion

The easy $250 outlet HTPC on a Friday night

Outlet PCs – Really?

Why the Dell Inspiron 546?

X4 Phenom CPU Change Video