14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 was released to manufacturing on July 21, 2008, and the gold bits are heading straight for the end users' machines. Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server is the equivalent of a service pack for any other Windows client or server operating system and Microsoft is ready to kick-start the distribution of the final version via its Windows Update infrastructure. Windows Home Server PP1 will be served automatically to all the computers with the AU option enabled.
"That's right folks, our RTM code of Power Pack 1 is in the process of being currently pushed out to existing customers via Windows Update - in all 4 of our in-market languages (English, French, German and Spanish)," stated a member of the Windows Home Server team.
The Redmond giant had promised following the RTM of PP1 that the final version will start being offered to customers via Windows Update in early July. And it looks like Microsoft is living up to its promise, with not only the English Build of Windows Home Server PP1 but also the French, German and Spanish versions. In this regard, the Chinese and Japanese variants of Windows Home Server PP1 are still in development, but planned for RTM by the end of August 2008.
Unlike Power Pack 1, which is available for download, Windows Home Server is not. Microsoft is however ready to deliver evaluation copies of the product, but will do so only through the mail. And in this regard the free Windows Home Server 120-Day Evaluation Kit will have to be ordered straight from Microsoft.
"For those of you who haven't already downloaded the update via MS Download Center (and plenty have!), now is the time to make sure your Home Server settings have 'auto update' enabled. If it's enabled, the Power Pack 1 update will download in the background, seamlessly... After this, you will see a prompt on each of your client PCs connected to the Home Server to also update their Connector client software (to ensure the Server and Client are in sync). Don't forget: for those of you who have previously downloaded the beta of Power Pack 1, you must first uninstall this (per the release notes of Power Pack 1) before you can install RTM," the Windows Home Server team representative added.
Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 is available for download here.