question for Windows Home Server users..

[vvulture]

I am curious to know :

1 - How long will WHS Beta 2 last for once activated ?
2 - What happens at the end of the trial ?
3 - Can you retrieve your data off your hard drives if you cannot get into WHS ?
4 - If, for example, you re-install WHS and use the 14 days grace period to retrieve your data ( i know it can't be activated twice ), will the drives be once again formated ?
5 - Can you add a hard drive to the " pool " which already has data on it without formating it ?


thanks.

[bcjenkins]

1 - Don't install beta 2. RC 1 is due out soon and there isn't an upgrade path.
2 - There will be an upgrade path to RTM from RC1, but you must purchase OEM copy. If you don't the OS will expire and become unusable
3 - Don't know
4 - Don't know
5 - No, it wants to format.

hih

[vvulture]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

1 - Don't install beta 2. RC 1 is due out soon and there isn't an upgrade path.
2 - There will be an upgrade path to RTM from RC1, but you must purchase OEM copy. If you don't the OS will expire and become unusable
3 - Don't know
4 - Don't know
5 - No, it wants to format.

hih

cool.. thanks for the reply.
How soon is soon ?? Days, weeks or months ?

cheers

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by vvulture

cool.. thanks for the reply.
How soon is soon ?? Days, weeks or months ?

cheers

RC1 is out.


Dirk

[rschiffman]

Originally Posted by vvulture

I am curious to know :

1 - How long will WHS Beta 2 last for once activated ?
2 - What happens at the end of the trial ?
3 - Can you retrieve your data off your hard drives if you cannot get into WHS ?
4 - If, for example, you re-install WHS and use the 14 days grace period to retrieve your data ( i know it can't be activated twice ), will the drives be once again formated ?
5 - Can you add a hard drive to the " pool " which already has data on it without formating it ?


thanks.

I don't get why anyone wouldn't activate it. If there's a problem, you just get another key. I'm also wondering why this forum would be the place to worry about #2. Wouldn't the Microsoft Connect forums be the place? It's certainly been covered there a lot.

#1. I believe all the versions last for a year.
#2. Nobody knows. There's ideas see MSoft Connect.
#3. Yes. Every file is saved in a hidden subdirectory. I no longer remember the name, but it was easy to find. I had problems with a Beta upgrade path and had to remove everything by hand and do a rebuild.
#4. Yes.
#5. No. When you add a drive, it is formatted, it does not recognize there's already WHS formatted data on it.

Excuse me for being so blunt, but every question here is written from the viewpoint of a person not having access to a valid key. The Beta program allows you to retrive up to 10 new keys. It would be nearly impossible to run out of them. Most everything here is related to how to handle things when WHS is not activated. Hmmmm. If I'm wrong, my apologies. Go get new keys and ask questions on the Beta forum. You'll get better answers there.