We Got Served

Over the weekend, I blogged about building your new Windows Home Server - assembling the hardware, all the way through to the big switch on (including closing your eyes and hoping the server didn’t blow up!). It’s all gone to plan, you have your server built and in position - so what happens next? Let’s take a look at installing Windows Home Server Beta 2.

Step 1: Ensure you have a keyboard, mouse, monitor and ethernet cable plugged in

Windows Home Server is designed to be run as a “headless” unit - i.e. it doesn’t need a keyboard, mouse and monitor. It’s just a server, with electricity and a network connection. That’s okay for day to day, but to install Windows Home Server on your box, you need to see what you’re doing and be able to tell the server what you want to do! So, find yourself a keyboard and mouse and plug those in (borrow them from one of your desktop PCs you’ll only need it for a short while), plug in a monitor (again, borrow it) and then plug your server into your broadband router, using an ethernet cable.

Note: Make sure you don’t have any USB or Firewire external hard drives plugged in at this point, or else WHS will refuse to install. You can plug these in after you’ve installed Windows Home Server.

Power it all on, and we’re ready to go!

Step 2: BIOS Settings

I’m not going to spend a huge amount of time on this one - when you switch on the server, you’ll see it tells you to press one of the Function buttons e.g. F12 for “Setup” - do this, and you’ll enter the BIOS settings. This is where you control things like fan speeds, power management settings, which drives/disks the server should boot from etc. All a bit technical for the average user, but interesting enought to have a play with. If you’ve built your own server, check your motherboard manual for the BIOS settings you’ll need. Ensure that all of your hard drives and DVD drive are listed in the BIOS settings. Choose “Save and Exit” and your server will restart.

Step 3: Insert the “Windows Server Beta 2 Installation DVD” into your DVD drive

When you’re accepted into the Beta, you’re given 3 pieces of software to download and burn to DVD/CD. The Windows Home Server “Installation DVD”, “Connector CD” and “Restore CD”. Right now, we need the Installation DVD. Open the DVD drive and pop the DVD in. You may be asked to “Press any key to boot from the DVD drive” - if so, do so! After a short pause, you’ll see a message that “Windows is loading files” and a grey progress bar filling up across the screen from left to right.

Note: Windows Home Server uses the same installation technology as Windows Vista (called Windows PE 2.0). Those of you who were on the Vista beta will remember that Windows PE is really fussy when it comes to the quality of the DVDs you install with. I had to burn WHS three times before I had an installation DVD that worked - if you get an error, re-burn the WHS DVD at the lowest speed you can. There’s more information on this at Microsoft Connect.

If everything’s going to plan, you’ll get the familiar Windows Vista-style scrolly bar:

Then one of those lovely Vista Aurora backdrops (at which point, you panic that you’ve actually put a Windows Vista DVD in by mistake!):

and then boom! Before you know it, you’re suddenly transformed back in time to Windows XP/Server 2003 installation grooviness, with the Welcome Screen.

Step 4: The Welcome Screen

So, if like me, you haven’t installed Windows Server 2003, you’ll be interested to see it looks just like Windows XP, but the install screens are grey, not blue - because Servers are officially for boring workplaces, not for fun places like Your House. Ewww. At this point, select “New Installation” and click “Next”. Remember, if you’re re-using a hard drive from an old machine, it will be reformatted as part of the installation process, so everything will be wiped. If you need the data on this drive, don’t install WHS on to it.

Step 5: End User License Agreement

The EULA pops up - I always feel sorry for the lawyers who write EULAs. No-one ever reads them, but they look like they’re lots of work. Do that guy a favour and have a quick read through. Who knows, you may find a spelling mistake which you can bug! Once you’re done, select “I accept the agreement” then “Next”.

Step 6: License Agreement

License agreement time - you’ll be able to apply for your license key when you’re accepted into the beta. Type it in now, and press “Next”.

Step 7: Formatting your hard drives

Okay, next up, WHS tells you it’s going to format your drives - as this point you realise your 500Gb hard drive is actually only worth 465 Gb. Hmmm…. anyway, acknowledge that you’re happy to wipe and format these drives, and select Next.

You’ll be asked if you’re really, really sure you happy to format these drives. Select Yes to continue.

Step 8: Ready to Install

A dialog pops up that tells you that WHS is ready to install. Select “Start” to begin the installation. At this point, you can basically leave the computer to do its thing, and do something less boring instead. Depending on your setup, installation could take anywhere from 45 mins to a couple of hours. Mine took about an hour.

Step 9: Enjoy the Show

If, like me, you have nothing better to do then sit back and learn a little about the features and benefits of Windows Home Server! Watch those reboots. Gasp when you realise they’ve not yet updated the boot screen from Windows Server 2003/Small Business Server! Then watch a few more of those great features and benefits screens….

After 30 minutes or so, the installer will try to install drivers for the various hardware elements in your new server. Depending on your hardware, this may be successful - on my install, I got lots of dialogsd appearing, telling me that the driver couldn’t be found, then then magically disappearing. Don’t worry, just let the installer do what it’s paid to do. We’ll sort the drivers out later.

Here’s a selection of the screens you’ll see.

Step 10: WHS Installation Complete

After a couple more reboots, you see that Windows Home Server installation is complete. Wahay!

But wait! You’re not yet done….

Step 11: Set a Server Password

When you select “Finish”, you’ll be logged off and be asked to log in, and set yourself an administrator’s password. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and click OK to log on. Click “Yes” to change your password. Where the dialog asks for your old password, just leave this blank, and type in your new password, and click OK. That’s the WHS installation complete. Well done!

Step 12: Install Your Drivers

One more thing… your server will have come with a Drivers CD - you must install these drivers before continuing. Open the DVD drive, swap the Installation DVD for the drivers CD that came with your server hardware, and follow the instructions to install the drivers for your hardware. Reboot the server as required.

Step 13: Remove the keyboard, monitor, and mouse

You’re ready to go headless - unplug and remove the keyboard, monitor, and mouse. From now on, you’ll be accessing the server from your home computers via the Windows Home Server console, which you’ll install from the Windows Home Server Beta 2 Connector CD. Some computers can be a bit funny about booting without a mouse, keyboard or monitor installed - if yours is, you should be able to switch a setting in the BIOS to allow booting to happen.

Grab the Connector CD now, and place it in the first home computer (desktop or laptop) you want to connect to your Home Server.

Step 14: Install the Connector CD

Here’s the Welcome screen that greets you. Click “Next” to start the installation.

Step 15: EULA

Yep - it’s another End User License Agreement - see, that EULA guy is busy! Read what you need to, then agree and click “Next”.

Step 16: Installation Begins

The Connector software is installed on your PC.

Step 17: Finding your server

Immediately after installation, the Connector software tries to find your server on the network - it should do so pretty quickly.

Step 18: Log on to your home server

Once your home server is located on the network, you’ll be asked to login. Just enter the administrator password you set a few minutes ago, and you’re in!

Step 19: Computer Configuration

… a few more bits and pieces happening under the hood….

Step 20: All Done

That’s it - repeat steps 14 - 20 for each computer you’d like to be monitored and backed up on your server, and you’re ready to configure your server.

Congratulations, you’ve sucessfully installed Windows Home Server - Beta 2!