Microsoft: Windows Home Server Should Work with Windows 7

With Windows 7 having hit Beta stage and being available for download to the general public, users will get the chance to try first-hand the next iteration of the Windows client. One critical aspect to the success of Win7 will be the level of compatibility that existing software solutions will deliver when it comes down to this particular software solution. Microsoft promised that, because it was an evolution of Windows Vista, Windows 7 would be compatible with the same software as its predecessor, virtually out of the box. The integration between Windows Home Server and Windows 7 offers an illustrative example of this, even though the home server identifies Win 7 with Windows Vista.

“The Windows Home Server automated image-based backup and restore solution works with PCs running Windows XP and Windows Vista today, and should also work with Windows 7. Please download the Windows 7 beta and try it out. [...] Let us know if you have any issues. If you don't have a home server yet, now might be a good time to get going,” Todd Headrick, the product planner for the Microsoft Windows, revealed.

And indeed, users of Windows Home Server will be able to install the Windows Home Server Connector software on Windows 7 Beta without any issues. At the same time, Windows Home Server will back-up Win 7 Beta, just as it would previous releases of Windows. Headrick advised users to backup their machine to Windows Home Server before deploying Windows 7 Beta. In this manner, WHS will offer an easy way of turning back the clock by restoring the image created by the home server, ahead of installing Windows 7.

“If you run into a bug with using the Windows Home Server Connector on the beta release of Windows 7, please let the home server team know through our Connect site. A few people have notified us that we incorrectly display 'Windows Vista...' for the operating system name in the Windows Home Server Console and the Windows Home Server Remote Access page – we already have a fix in the works for those bugs,” Headrick added.

Windows 7 Beta is available for download here.