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When someone tells you something is usually only available OEM, you need to read between the lines.
I was told this recently by one of the guys at Microsoft. I've been looking to get a copy of Windows Home Server ever since I heard about it in January, 2007. When the software, which allows you to centralise your media files on a home network, was released last year, I began scanning the shelves looking for a copy.
Finally, I asked Desmond Nair, one Microsoft's server gurus here in Dubai, where I could get a copy. This is when he told me the software was only available OEM in the region. That means you can't buy the software separately, you can only buy it pre-installed on a machine. Now, Desmond's a nice guy, so I didn't tell him I thought the move was colossally stupid.
The thing is, it isn't stupid. I wasn't reading between the lines. What Desmond was saying, I think, was you'd have to be barking mad to install this software on just any computer. You need to know what you're doing, which is why Microsoft puts this software out on nice, shiny new machines.
Bah. Instead, thinking that the OEM availability was just another ruse to get me to buy yet another computer, I charged ahead. The guys at Microsoft, perhaps out of morbid curiosity, got me a copy of Home Server.
I went home and pulled out an old Dell that's approaching the four-year mark. I thought this would be a great machine to turn into my Home Server. The installation went fine, but when I tried to get online, I discovered that a few drivers were incompatible with the new OS. Not just any drivers, either; my network adaptor, my USB ports, my wireless card and my Ethernet port all needed to be upgraded. It slowly dawned on me what that meant. I couldn't access the internet, and the only way to put anything on the computer was via the DVD drive. I spent four hours playing hunt-the-driver on my other computer's internet connection, and then, after finding some blanks under a pile of paperwork on my desk, burning those to a CD. I finally got everything working.
New problem
Now it was time to set up the home network. This is when I discovered another problem. Home Server requires that your ADSL router, the box that brings the internet into your home, be UPnP compatible. I'd like to pretend that I know what that means, but I don't have a clue. The router that etisalat provided wasn't - that I did figure out. Kudos to the Sharif DG salesperson, who did know what UPnP-compatible means and knew which brand of router is. I was so happy that I justified buying a new set of speakers for my iPod on the way out.
However, I now have to figure out how to get the new router to work. Several hours and multiple password/username combinations later and it still won't work. A call to the etisalat help line is probably in my future, despite my belief that this is a DIY job.
So check back next week folks, and I'll hopefully let you know if Home Server is worth the 20-plus hour, albeit self-inflicted, install. Man, I hope it is.
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