Users that have installed any pre-release versions of Windows Home Server Power Packs will need to take actions to prepare for Power Pack 3. The prerequisite for successful download and installation of Power Pack 3 is to be running the correct version of Windows Home Server with Power Pack 2. If you have a beta version or a release candidate version of a Power Pack installed, you must uninstall these preliminary versions before you install this final version of Power Pack 3.

First, you’ll need to Remote Desktop into your Windows Home Server. Below are the instructions on how to complete this step for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Access the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop

How to connect to the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop from any home computer running Windows XP

1. On your home computer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then point to Accessories.
2. In the Accessories menu, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop Connection.
3. In the Computer box, type the name of your home server.

4. Click Connect.

5. When the Log On to Windows dialog box appears, type “Administrator” as the user name and use your Windows Home Server Console password as the password, and then click OK. This will begin your Remote Desktop session.

How to connect your Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop from any home computer running Windows Vista and Windows 7

1. On your home computer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then point to Accessories.
2. In the Accessories menu click Remote Desktop Connection.
3. In the Computer box, type the name of your home server.
4. Click Connect.
5. When the Log On to Windows dialog box appears, type “Administrator” as the user name and use your Windows Home Server Console password as the password, and then click OK.

For pre-release versions of Power Pack 3:

1. Access the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop using the Remote Desktop instructions from above.
2. Navigate to the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta folder at Start > My Computer > D:  > Shares > Software > Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta.
3. Run the Uninstall.cmd file to un-install Power Pack 3 Beta. After reboot, your Home Server will revert back to your previous version.

For pre-release versions of Power Pack 1 & Power Pack 2:

1. Access the Windows Home Server Administrator’s Desktop using the Remote Desktop instructions from above.
2. Navigate to the Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 Beta folder at Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs

1. Verify ‘Show updates’ is checked and scroll through the list to verify there are no PRERELEASE software installed.
2. If PRERELEASE software is found, select the latest Power Pack version and click Remove, working your uninstall from Power Pack 3, to Power Pack 2, to Power Pack 1 and rebooting after each uninstall.
3. After completing the uninstall of all PRERELEASE Power Pack versions, open the Windows Home Server Console > Click Settings > General Page > Windows Update

Power Pack 3 will automatically install as part of Windows Update if Automatic Updates is enabled on the home server.  A notification appears in the Windows Home Server Console, telling you that Power Pack 3 is ready to install. Click Install to start the installation.

After installation has completed, you can verify that the most current version of Windows Home Server by checking in the Windows Home Server console. You should see version 6.0.2423.0.

1. 1. Open the Windows Home Server Console
2. 2. Click Settings
3. 3. Click Resources

If you are still having issues and your version numbers are not the same as above, please visit our support forums where the community can assist you.

http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/WindowsHomeServer/

The Windows Home Server Team is pleased to announce that Power Pack 3 will be available in all shipping languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish) on November 24^th, 2009. Power Pack 3 will be made available to existing users via Windows Update. Users need to have Windows Home Server with Power Pack 2 already installed on their home server. Power Pack 3 will automatically install as part of Windows Update if Automatic Updates is enabled on the home server.

As we’ve communicated in a past post, Power Pack 3 improves the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by providing new features like: backup and restore of computers running Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries integration, enhancements for Windows Media Center, and better support for netbook computers. Power Pack 3 will enable the most optimal experience for Windows 7 users on a Windows Home Server network.

“If you've recently upgraded to Windows 7, Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 is an essential download providing enhanced integration between the two platforms and a number of cool new features. Combine library support with enhanced features for Windows Media Center, and we're really starting to see Microsoft bring together the Windows Home Server and Windows 7 client experience so that your media can be stored on your home server and enjoyed seamlessly on TV, PC and Mobile devices with little effort from the user. The bad old days of copy, paste, convert and transcode may well be behind us,” says Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) Terry Walsh of We Got Served.

Microsoft MVP Alex Kuretz of MediaSmartServer.net says “Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 makes storing and accessing your media easier by bringing all the content contained on your Home Server smoothly into your Windows 7 libraries. TV Archive is also a very nice feature that has allowed me to record TV shows and move them to my Home Server to be watched at a later time.”

Here are some details on what’s new:

Windows 7 Libraries integration

When you install the Windows Home Server Connector and log on a computer running Windows 7, you can access the Windows Home Server shared folders from the Windows 7 libraries.

Windows 7 Action Center backup warning suppression

After you install the Windows Home Server Connector to enable the home server backup for your computer running Windows 7, you can suppress the Action Center warning reminding you that Windows Backup has not been set up.

Windows 7 power settings

You can configure your computer running Windows 7 to wake up at a scheduled backup time and then go back to sleep after the backup finishes.

? Console support for Windows 7

Windows 7 is properly displayed as the operating system shown in the Computers & Backup tab.

Windows Search

Windows Search 4 is included to improve query search times, indexing times, and reliability. Extended Remote Discovery increases the efficiency of searching across all your libraries running Windows Search 4. Files encrypted with EFS are now supported.

TV archive

Windows Home Server can automatically archive recorded TV by moving your recordings from a Windows Media Center computer to your home server in the format of your choice. This enables playback in the correct format for your home computers and/or portable devices.

Console view

You can view information about your home server’s storage space, hard drives, backup status, and more from Windows Media Center.

Complete details are available in the Power Pack 3 Release Documentation.

We want to thank our community for all of their testing and feedback over these past months with the Power Pack 3 Beta. You validated that Power Pack 3 was ready for release. We like to think that we are building this product together – as a passionate community.

- The Windows Home Server Team

CJ Saretto, Senior Program Manager provides an overview of Power Pack 3 features including how it will improve the Windows Home Server experience with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center. Fan Zhang, Development Lead on the Windows Home Server team in China also gave his input on several new features including Backup Warning Suppression, and Windows Search 4. (Keep in mind that Windows 7 is compatible with the current version of Windows Home Server, but Power Pack 3 will offer additional enhancements).

It has been just over 1 month since the Power Pack 3 BETA was made available to the public and we have seen great participation. We have received helpful user feedback and the work toward a final release in the end of October is looking good.

The video is posted here.

If you are still interested in trying out the Power Pack 3 BETA and becoming a participant, you can sign up on Microsoft Connect: https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer.

-Nicole