Book Review: Windows Home Server User's Guide

Apress was kind enough to send me a review copy of Windows Home Server User's Guide by Andrew Edney ($23 from Amazon.com) and I'm only happy enough to review it for them.

First of all let me say that I've always liked Apress books. They are generally clear and concise.  While many dive deep into technical issues, the book is not targeted toward geeks. Instead it is a thorough guide to getting the most out of your Windows Home Server. It will show you situations in detail (like backup errors) so that if/when they happen to you, you won't be running around screaming what to do.

If you are starting from scratch with a barebones computer system, there is a good step by step installation chapter. It also examines some of the common setup problems and offers some solutions.

From there the book goes through the post-installation setup of Windows Home Server. You'll want to start there even if you purchased a pre-built system (such as the HP EX470/EX475). 

It will also take you through all of the features of Windows Home Server and tell you what you need to know about each one. It's a great way to learn exactly what your new baby is capable of. There's even a section on streaming media to an XBox 360!

Again, this is a "users guide" and as such, this book is not targeted at specifically at programmers (although a good programmer must understand the capabilities of his/her target platform). If you are a novice or an intermediate computer user, I highly recommend this book. It's only shortcoming is that there is no mention of HomeServerHacks.com, but I'm certain that it will be corrected in the second edition .