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Thinking about migrating my HTPC from WHS 2011 to Windows 10


CGar

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Hi there!  I wanted to inquire about the process about potentially upgrading/migrating my server from Windows Home Server 2011 to Windows 10.

 

I'm very happy with how the StableBit products have been working with WHS2011, it has been a great Steam Mirror/Plex/File backup server for me and all of my files are protected!  However with the home server product line being discontinued and as I look towards the future, I think I may want to be proactive rather than reactive about keeping my HTPC updated and secure.  Also now that the server edition prices are much higher, I feel like I don't really use the server features all that much, so a standard home edition would be fine (mainly media streaming and file storage).

 

From all the reading I've done it seems like the Windows 10 support is fairly good, although I do see some bugs popping up here and there, and I guess I just wanted to get some confirmation before I did anything drastic.

  • I know it's been stated a few times, but as of today, is the latest DrivePool beta stable enough to store pictures/videos/movies/tv shows etc. on Windows 10?
  • Same question for the Scanner product, is it working well in Windows 10?
  • Is this the correct upgrade process?
    • Un-register the DrivePool / Scanner licenses on the current server
    • Install Windows 10 on the HTPC with a full wipe & clean install on the SSD hard drive (not the data HDDs)
    • Install DrivePool/Scanner on the new Windows 10 installation, the attached drives should be automatically recognized and rebuilt.
  • By "downgrading" from a server edition to a home edition, am I losing any functionality with DrivePool / Scanner?
  • Am I overlooking anything not mentioned here?

Thanks in advance for the help!

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I know it's been stated a few times, but as of today, is the latest DrivePool beta stable enough to store pictures/videos/movies/tv shows etc. on Windows 10?

 

Yes.  Most of the betas are very stable. The latest internal betas may have issues right now, due to the fact that Alex basically rewrote the ENTIRE removal code to be incredibly flexible (the new code allows the pool to stay "online" aka not read only while removing the disk!)

 

But the public beta is very stable. 

 

 

Same question for the Scanner product, is it working well in Windows 10?

 

 

Yup.  Though, I would recommend the internal beta builds.  There are a number of significant fixes, especially with some newer drives.  

 

 

Is this the correct upgrade process?

  1. Un-register the DrivePool / Scanner licenses on the current server
  2. Install Windows 10 on the HTPC with a full wipe & clean install on the SSD hard drive (not the data HDDs)
  3. Install DrivePool/Scanner on the new Windows 10 installation, the attached drives should be automatically recognized and rebuilt.

 

Yup, spot on.  Once the drives are connected and the software installed, it will automatically rebuild the pool with the attached drives. 

 

 

By "downgrading" from a server edition to a home edition, am I losing any functionality with DrivePool / Scanner?

 

Nope. 

 

Well, if you're using the 1.X version of StableBit DrivePool, the 2.X version is very different. And it loses the "pie chart" stuff showing how much of each type of data is on the pool.  

 

Aside from that, there is no loss in functionality. 

 

 

Am I overlooking anything not mentioned here?

 

You're missing out on the WHS code. 

Windows Server Essentials uses that code, but the OS is .... NOT CHEAP (At $400-600 for the license). 

 

Additionally, I would recommend the "Pro" version of Windows 10, rather than the home.  As Spider mentioned, you lose out on Remote Desktop (which is fantastic). 

Also, Pro gets you "HyperV" if you want. And better management of the system and shares.

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Thank you Spider99 and Drashna for your feedback, that was extremely helpful! =)

 

Also thank you for the heads up about the lack of Remote Desktop in the Home version, I probably would have gotten screwed by that, I will definitely be going Win 10 Pro!

 

You are very welcome! 

 

And worst case here.... you could have upgraded "in place".  But it would have been more money overall to do so. 

That and VNC/TeamViewer/et cetera would have allowed for the same/similar functionality. 

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