Tip – Showing Thumbnails in SBS 2008 / SBS 2011

Each month when we do test restores of client servers, we pick a few files to demonstrate and verify that the files are valid. And typically the files we choose are JPGs because you can ‘see’ that there is content in them, not just some hollow Word or Excel doc that ‘looks’ OK.

Using JPGs works great for SBS 2003. However, Server 2008 doesn’t show thumbnails by default, even if you select the Icon view, like this…

The Large Icons view shows icons, not thumbnails

…you don’t get thumbnails. You get little pointless icons.

But it’s easy to turn those icons into real thumbnails:

In Windows Explorer click Tools | Folder Options | View | uncheck the box that says Always show icons, never thumbnails | click OK.

In Folder Options, uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails

Now you see thumbnails, even though the menu says ‘Icons’:

Look ma, thumbnails!

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Geek Cake

This is one Rubik’s Cube that I *won’t* be able to finish in < 90 seconds:

Rubik's Cube Cake

It’s bigger than it looks.

Rubik's Cube Cake (cut)

Best cake ever! Thanks Melany and Rachel!! Smile

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Video – Using MultiPoint Server 2011 with an iPad

Yes, this is an iPad - get over itOne of the nice things about Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 is that you can use a variety of clients to connect to it and control it. Clients like:

  • Desktop PCs
  • Laptops
  • Netbooks
  • Thin clients
  • USB stations
  • Even iPads (yes, you read that right)

I put together a short two-part video showing how to:

  1. Remote control your iPad from a Windows PC, and
  2. How to control a MultiPoint 2011 server from an iPad.
     

Note: Part 1 of the video shows a jailbroken iPad. You do NOT need to jailbreak the iPad to control the MultiPoint server. I jailbroke it so I could remote into the iPad to shoot the video (and because jailbreaking is fun and lets you do stuff that Apple should have done originally).

You can do Part 2 of the video (controlling the WMS 2011 Server) with an off-the-shelf iPad 1 or iPad 2 and an RDP program from the iTunes App Store – rest assured that your warranty will still be intact.

Controlling Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 with an iPad

Well, it’s kind of short – 12 minutes Winking smile

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Build an 8 TB WHS 2011 Box for Under $750

Is your Windows Home Server v1 getting a bit long in the tooth? Or have you just not gotten around to building your first WHS box?

HP ProLiant MicroserverGood news!

While doing some pricing research online today at the best online stores like shoppok, I saw that the components for my WHS 2011 box have dropped in price. If you’d like to build an identical system that’s super-green and has TONS of storage, here are the specs, prices, and URLs:

Part #

Description

Price

Shipping

N82E16832416443

Microsoft WHS 2011 OEM

$119.99

$0.00

N82E16859105905

HP ProLiant Microserver

$279.99

$0.00

N82E16822136514

Western Digital 2 TB Green HD

$79.99

$0.00

N82E16822136514

Western Digital 2 TB Green HD

$79.99

$0.00

N82E16822136514

Western Digital 2 TB Green HD

$79.99

$0.00

N82E16822136514

Western Digital 2 TB Green HD

$79.99

$0.00

N82E16820148400

Crucial 2 GB 240-Pin DDR3 RAM

$28.99

$0.99

SUBTOTALS

$748.93

$0.99

 

Grand Total: $749.92 delivered from www.newegg.com as of 06/04/2011.

Proof (copy of the shopping cart):

Shopping cart from Newegg.com showing an 8 TB WHS 2011 box delivered for <$750

To do the actual install you’ll need to plug in a keyboard, monitor, mouse, and network cable. You won’t need any of those after the configuration is done (except for the CAT5e cable) so I didn’t include them in the price since they’re only tools used temporarily.

To install the OS (which is on a DVD) I used my laptop to turn the DVD into an ISO (using IMGBurn), then burned that ISO (using the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool) onto a USB flash drive (another temporary tool).

When all is said and done, you’ll have the HP server sitting on a shelf somewhere with only a power cable and CAT5e cable plugged into it.

FINAL SPECS
64-bit processor / 3 GB RAM / 8 TB storage / gigabit / eSATA on the back, built-in video / 5.25” bay for adding an optical drive later / about 47 Watts of power. (That costs < $30 per year in my neck of the woods to leave running 24×7.)

Throw in a USB sound card and you can even do MagicJack for home phone. Winking smile

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SMB MVP Roadshow Windows MultiPoint Server Links

Here are my WMS 2011 Resource Links from the presentation last night:

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