Change the Name of Your Windows Home Server

20,000+ Windows Home Server Beta 2 participants looking for a way to modify the name of their server are looking in vain. This because Microsoft has overlooked to introduce this type of functionality in Windows Home Server. At least at this stage, users will not be able to modify the name of their server. Things will change following the feedback for Windows Home Server Beta 2. Todd Headrick, the product planner for the Microsoft Windows Home Server explained that the feature will be introduced in a post Beta 2 build.

“Our goal is to make a simple yet powerful product that people can readily understand from the user interface without having to read a manual or consult the help file. It is easy to add lots of "knobs" and "buttons" and build convoluted user interfaces with 3 or 4 different ways to accomplish the same task,” Headrick stated.

The fact of the matter is that with Windows Home Server, Microsoft has scrapped both knobs and buttons, almost altogether. The product formerly known under codename Quattro or Q is consumer oriented. This means that "technical enthusiasts" will not be able to take advantage of advanced options, of hidden options or anything of that type. This is not to say that Microsoft will not keep a close eye on tester feedback and adapt the server accordingly. The Alpha and Beta 1 stages are illustrative examples in this sense.

“In the Alpha builds and Beta I build of Windows Home Server there was no way to configure the Server Settings from the Windows Home Server Console. We listened to a lot of feedback (both positive and NEGATIVE), we did a lot of usability testing, and we have done a number of surveys. We started adding a "knob" here and a "button" there to deliver the functionality that a lot of people asked for over and over,” Headrick said.