Static Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) Well I've had the N40L for about a week now and I've installed an extra HDD in the optical bay (with some tips from Joe Miner) using velcro. But as for an OS ... nothing but trouble. First I tried Ubuntu 12.04 Server ... finally got it install ... but too complicated for me (I'm a Mac & Windows guy) Then tried Ubuntu 12.10 Desktop ... easier ... but lots of problems getting iTunes to run (even with PLayonLinux & Wine) So ... I'm thinking of just going back to the super simple stuff - windows. All I want to do is:- 1. run iTunes for my 3 Apple TV's 2. hold heaps of movies, TV programs & music 3. be able to back up the music & video to have multiple copies in case a drive dies 4. Ideally be able to access the unit from my Mac or wifes PC (also on the home network) ... but not a must have ... as I can plug in a screen, keyboard & mouse if I have to I'm thinking about:- a. Windows XP 64 bit (I have an used copy) b. Windows 7 c. Windows 8 d. Windows Home Server 2011 ... I can buy a copy for $42 (Australian) All I want is something easy ... idiot proof basically. As far as storage is concerned the unit will have:- 320gb hdd for the OS 250 gb hdd - for the music 2tb hdd - for TV programs 2tb hdd - for Movies 2tb hdd - for back ups This really is driving me up the wall ... and the wife isn't real impressed ... as I'm using her screen, keyboard, mouse ... and generally making a mess and not doing anything else I'm asked to do. Hasn't been a fun weekend !! Help ... Please !! Edited November 11, 2012 by Static Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle63 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) My knee-jerk reaction is windows home server 2011. It's cheap and will do everything on your list. Regarding iTunes there's a WHS add-on called "iHomeServer" which lets you run iTunes as a service. You wouldn't absolutely need that, however, as you could just leave iTunes running in the foreground - but you would have to remain logged-in. I would also recommend getting the DrivePool add-in. You still need to backup your data, but this add-in lets you combine all your drives into a single "pool" which is convenient and will also give you data redundancy. WHS 2011 can backup itself as well as other windows PC's in your house nightly. Another advantage of WHS 2011 is it's very popular in this forum - if you run into troubles you'll be able to find lots of help. Edited November 11, 2012 by eagle63 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Hmm ... you that was what I was originally going to get ... I shouldn't have listened to some guys in our IT department !! I'll see what other posts come through but I'm guessing that's the idiot proof solution I need. It's interesting ... everyone bags Microsoft ... and I get it that there are much better products ... but for Joe Average Windows is easy. The guys at work assured me I'd be fine with Linux ... I'll be taking to them Monday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cskenney Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I agree with WHS2011. Your IT guys are probably all experienced Linux users so that seems simple to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renny Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) Another vote for WHS2011 or even WHS V1 if you can find it (not sure about iTunes running in V1 though). You just go through the list of things to do on the dashboard home page and your golden. And dont forget a drive for server backup too, which is another plus for 2011 Edited November 11, 2012 by Renny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Miner Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 To do what you want to do WHS-2011 is where I'd suggest. There's a ton of info in the Forums on WHS-2011 including a lot of info on setting it up on MicroServers -- also check out the podcasts for WHS and BYOB. Google a ton of info is out there on WHS-2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Sold ... WHS 2011 ordered !! Thanks All Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle63 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) Hmm ... you that was what I was originally going to get ... I shouldn't have listened to some guys in our IT department !! I'll see what other posts come through but I'm guessing that's the idiot proof solution I need. It's interesting ... everyone bags Microsoft ... and I get it that there are much better products ... but for Joe Average Windows is easy. The guys at work assured me I'd be fine with Linux ... I'll be taking to them Monday morning. I love Linux and for certain things it's great, but for a home NAS windows home server does a nice job without too much complexity. Plus one of your requirements is iTunes which immediately rules out Linux since that's a windows or mac only application. (and in my experience Wine is rarely worth the effort) Good luck! Edited November 11, 2012 by eagle63 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcdoc Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Late to the game but definitely WHS 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Yeah thanks for that ... appreciated. Looking forward to getting it and hopefully a relatively painless install and set up. In any case seems plenty of support here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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