We all know (or should know) that backing up our important photos and data is no longer an option. It's simply a question of how we're going to accomplish it. In the last week I've added a new tool to do this, Microsoft Windows Home Server.

You probably know that I use a couple of different devices to do backups already. In the past I've written about using a Mirra Personal Server (now owned by Seagate) and an Infrant NAS (Network Attached Storage). Both have served me well, and I continue to use them.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Portland, Oregon, teaching a workshop. After a section where I was discussing backup strategies, one of the attendees came up and asked if I knew about Windows Home Server. I'd heard of it, but didn't have any experience with it. Turns out he was Microsoft's project manager for it, and offered me a copy. Great, happy to give it a try. After all, it should at least be good for a blog entry :)

It's software that you install on a networked computer, that can then back up any computers on that network. You can read a lot about the package it you do a little searching on the web. It's a great use for an old Windows box you're no longer using, and easy to set up. Once installed, the computer doesn't need a monitor or keyboard (in fact it's called a "headless" system - boot it and walk away). You manage it from any of the networked computers through the Windows Home Server Console software that you install on them.

According to the documentation, it's not designed to be used on a laptop. However, I've got a four-year-old Dell 8500 laptop collecting dust, so I installed it on that. I had a little trouble finding and installing the correct network driver for it (WHS completely wipes the drive and installs its own system), but other than that, It's working fine. Adding extra storage is easy, and since the Dell laptop only has an 80GB drive, I connected an old 80GB USB 2.0 drive for added capacity. Eventually I'll add more. At this point I've got it backing up my Lenovo T61 and MacBook Pro, both running Vista.

I see one big advantage to using Windows Home Server over the other device I've got. With WHS, I can restore a system volume as well. In other words, not just the files and folders I normally back up, but the entire computer. And if the comptuer won't even boot, WHS comes with a Restore CD that I can put in the damaged computer, which then helps it restore from the server. Cool.

In addition to acting as a Media server (it can stream music, video and photos to other devices) the other feature I plan to set up is its ability to work remotely. In other words, it will let me access the files stored on it, or even the computers on its network, from anywhere in the world. That project will have to wait, though, as there's other, more pressing work right now. When I get it running, though, I'll post a note about my experiences.