The wait is over. Power Packs 2 for WHS is finally here and now available for download!
Power Pack 2 adds new features to improve the Windows Home Server experience for consumers. The update includes enhancements for remote access configuration and computers running Windows Media Center, along with content streaming support for Windows Media Center Extenders. Power Pack 2 also includes Italian language support in addition to existing Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish versions.
The English version of Power Pack 2 will be available on March 24 and will automatically install as part of Windows Update if Automatic Updates is enabled on the home server (How to turn on automatic updates). Users need to have Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1 already installed on their home server beforehand. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish is currently scheduled to be available before the end of April.
Timed with the release of Power Pack 2 comes the launch of Windows Home Server in the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). With more than 100 add-ins developed for Windows Home Server, MSDN availability offers a larger community of professional developers to build new applications and solutions on top of the Windows Home Server platform.
Here are some of the new features:
Remote Access
The Remote Access Settings page is redesigned to make it easier to use.
A Web-hosted diagnostic service is used to more accurately test if remote connectivity is available from outside the home network.
New and improved initial configuration and repair wizards, as well as better troubleshooting guidance for common home networking issues that can prevent Remote Access from working properly
Media Sharing and Windows Media Center PCs
The most interesting new feature is the new media features. When the Windows Home Server Connector software is installed or updated on a Windows Media Center computer, the next time a user starts Windows Media Center they will be prompted to install the Windows Media Center Connector.
Windows Media Center computers will automatically have access to content stored in shared folders on the home server. Music, Photos, Videos, and Recorded TV folders are enabled by default.
Windows Media Center Extenders can access and stream multimedia content stored on the home server. Access permission can be granted on an individual folder basis.
Windows Home Server now supports streaming MP4 files, a popular format for high quality multimedia, to Xbox 360 and other devices that support the MP4 format. Metadata such as title, artist, composer, album, and genre now appears in the music or video library.
For more information on these and all of the new features, see the announcement on the WHS Team Blog.
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18 comments:
Link to the documentation:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f219dd13-3d9a-4506-8be2-fbcc4e195415&displaylang=en
@troy - yes, thanks for adding that
link
has anyone seen this in live update yet??
@ Justin:
nope. can't find it anywhere...
It just went live via updates
I just downloaded it, the server is rebooting right now...
So far, so good.
Ummm... I updated, it said it installed updates, but it's still Power Pack 1. Has this happened to anyone else?
I have noticed that MP4 have a greater playback compatibility via the 360 via the dashboard. Also seems to stream content much quicker than before. Not sure if Diskeeper has anything to do with it, but overall the content streaming is much snappier via the 360. Have not messed with the Media Center Connector yet.
@alex
can you see the recorded tv folder on the 360?
I cant access it via the share on any computer but the server itself nor can I see anything that I put on it through the 360.
I dont use the MCE either.
@ Regelos
If you use the Add-In Media Connect Controller it shows that by default the Recorded TV folder is not shared to any device. To have it be seen in MCE you need to install the Windows Media Center Connector that is newly added to your workstation's(your computer) program folder. Only then can you share this folder to the 360 via Media Center.
Only downfall is that you still need to have a separate computer from your WHS to have Media Center running to connect your 360 to, which would then connect to the server.
Hoping that in WHS v2 they make it so you can have Media Center connect directly to a WHS.
A couple of helpful tidbits regarding the MCE support. I am currently setting up VMC and will add MCEs to my network now that they can connect directly to the WHS.
1) you may need to perform a registry hack to change the TV recording location in VMC from your local public folder to record the TV Directly to your WHS.
Click Start and type regedit.exe into the search box and hit enter.
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Expand SOFTWARE
Expand Microsoft
Expand Windows
Expand Current Version
Expand Media Center
Expand Service
Click on Recording
---edit registry at your own risk---
2) Make sure you have installed FFDSHOW on you VMC machines or accessing the videos folder may crash your MediaCenter. - has nothing really to do with WHS, but would have saved me much frustration.
They really, really need to make it possible to import your outlook contacts into the webshare and user accounts. After starting to add all my friends and family members to share my newborn's photos, I realized it's easier to add my friends in Facebook for free than my $450 home server which should easily be able to communicate with microsoft outlook since it's based on microsoft OS!
Hmm, It's now March 27th and no automatic update and manual update shows no updates available... It did do a media connector update lately, but nothing else...
my server has not been updated yet whats the deal its even on auto update
PenSteel7 and Joshua,
Make sure you have the release version of PowerPack 1 installed (not a pre-release or beta). I uninstalled my pre-release version, reinstalled PowerPack 1, and then the PowerPack 2 update showed up.
Hi All!
Very good report on power pack 2 but wonder if anyone else ran into an issue where I will not see neither the Windows Media Center Connector? I remote desktop connect onto my EX475 but don't seem to have it. I also have a HP Desktop which has a Media center installed and running. I wonder if that has anything to do with not being available in my Ex475?
I also rub into error when I try to upgrade my Home server connector-anyone else in the same boat?
Thanks!
Thanks, it was the pre-release version of Power Pack 1 that was fouling me up. I had to check the "show updates" box in add/remove programs to find it.
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