Microsoft is kicking the backup repair capabilities of its home server operating system up a notch. On January 27, 2009, the Redmond company released an update capable of making Windows Home Server deliver superior results when dealing with backup abnormalities. Ahead of the update, users of Windows Home Server could come across various problems, from the Windows Home Server Console becoming unresponsive to loss of network connectivity, when the operating system attempted to address issues identified within home computer backups.

“Before this update is installed, some users may experience symptoms, such as the Windows Home Server Console may stop responding, or network connections are lost when you try to run a repair operation. These issues are more likely to occur if the home computer backups contain a hard disk that has more than 150 GB of used space. This happens because the server may need more memory to process the backups than what is available. This update uses the available memory more efficiently in order to complete the task successfully,” Microsoft informed.

In addition to functionalities including storage, backup and remote access, Windows Home Server also regularly checks home computer backups for any problems. In the event that it comes across abnormalities, the operating system will present the following message to end-users: “To troubleshoot and repair backup database problems, click Repair. This should repair problems that cause the backup service to stop running.”

They will need to navigate to the Settings tab in the Home Server Console, then to Backup in the left pane, and hit Repair. Following the installation of the update, Windows Home Server should no longer experience issues when it comes down to resolving abnormalities in home computer backups. According to the Redmond company, this update is designed to integrate on top of Windows Home Server platforms with Power Pack 1.

“The Windows Home Server team is releasing a small update to the product. The update improves the capability of Windows Home Server to repair abnormalities detected in the home computer backup database. The update should be automatically downloaded and installed on your home server over the next several days, if you have Windows Update turned on. You can check if you have Windows Update turned on, by opening the Windows Home Server Console - Settings - General page,” Todd Headrick, the product planner for Windows Home Server, stated.