Customer Reviews for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
This product is no longer available. Continue shopping at Best Buy.
HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Model: EX470
SKU: 8601505
UPC: 883585222636
Enjoy your digital files almost anywhere with this home server that features remote access to files, auto PC backup, media streaming, HP Photo Webshare and virtually limitless storage expandability. Take a product tour. Experience AMD LIVE! Smarter Digital Entertainment.
Average Customer Rating:
4.3
out of 5
(15 Reviews) 15
Rating Snapshot 15 reviews
5 stars
8
4 stars
5
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
1
93% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
14 out of
15)
Customer Reviews for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Review 1 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Terrific Server
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: hoike
from Hawaii
on 12/20/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
4.0
I have purchased the above product as a clearance item...i mean really cheap. The system drive was missing. I thought i would have a problem getting it started . It prove me wrong. I started with the Installation disc., but with no luck. I used the server recovery disc and it worked flawlessly. I downloaded updates (HP & Windows) with ease without any problem. Everything went smoothly until the server didn't recognize the hdrive @ first...i downloaded updates right after another. I am upgr my server to 2GB rams, and a 2.6 mhz cpu. By doing so, i know it will void my warranty, which i don't care since i purchased the product really cheap. I'll get another one. i currently have 7TBs on my server. Talk about huge storage. I almost forget. I have cloned my system drive, which will be alot easier to replace the system drive in the future. I've cloned all of my computer(s).
What's great about it: Everything about it! Not a flaw so far
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
-2points
0out of 2found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 2 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Great Device / Horrible Service
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Bidqwest
from Colorado
on 11/12/2008
I received my server and went throught the setup process which is pretty straight forward. I ran into issues with getting the router set up however. It would not properly configure it and it ended up creating a loop the blocked access to the internet from any computer in my house.
The first technician basically ignore all my issues and after 2 hours of messing around simply siad oh well I guess well have to do a factory reset! I complied after much more discussion, after all he never addressed the issues that were outlined on the setup page for the router. I was still blocked from the net during this reset.
Luckily I called back and got a slightly more intelligent technician who had me reset my router which unloked it and allow access to the net again. After going through the reset process all night it fail. I had do do yet another one and it took over 3 hours (it says UP TO 60min, not so).
After the reset I began the setup process again and this time I call at the point it sets up the networking and router. Yet again I was locked from the net and the same loop was being created by the server. The 3rd technician was very good and helpful. He however had no idea how to rectify the issue. I went therought another router reset and unplugged the server from the network as whatever the issue the server was creating it with the router. After 2 days and tons of my own research and NO HELP from HP I was able to resolve the isse myself.
As it turns out my router need a firmware update as it was several years old. Once I completed the update it set up perfectly and has worked brilliantly ever since. I called HP and told them what I had done and figured out so they could add it to their database for fixing in the future. They were appologetic for the first 2 techs and said a factory reset was NEVER needed and they werent sure why they directed me taht way.
Also, I did upgrade the internal memory from 512 to 2gig and it makes a huge difference. It takes about 20 min.
After the set up issues were resolved I have been extremely satisifed with the product and would reccomend it.
The first technician basically ignore all my issues and after 2 hours of messing around simply siad oh well I guess well have to do a factory reset! I complied after much more discussion, after all he never addressed the issues that were outlined on the setup page for the router. I was still blocked from the net during this reset.
Luckily I called back and got a slightly more intelligent technician who had me reset my router which unloked it and allow access to the net again. After going through the reset process all night it fail. I had do do yet another one and it took over 3 hours (it says UP TO 60min, not so).
After the reset I began the setup process again and this time I call at the point it sets up the networking and router. Yet again I was locked from the net and the same loop was being created by the server. The 3rd technician was very good and helpful. He however had no idea how to rectify the issue. I went therought another router reset and unplugged the server from the network as whatever the issue the server was creating it with the router. After 2 days and tons of my own research and NO HELP from HP I was able to resolve the isse myself.
As it turns out my router need a firmware update as it was several years old. Once I completed the update it set up perfectly and has worked brilliantly ever since. I called HP and told them what I had done and figured out so they could add it to their database for fixing in the future. They were appologetic for the first 2 techs and said a factory reset was NEVER needed and they werent sure why they directed me taht way.
Also, I did upgrade the internal memory from 512 to 2gig and it makes a huge difference. It takes about 20 min.
After the set up issues were resolved I have been extremely satisifed with the product and would reccomend it.
What's great about it: It's versatility
What's not so great: setup issues
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 3 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Microsoft should be proud of their work ..
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
First, I am programmer that works from home, with some expertise in setting up a usable home network. This little box allows me to remote in when i am on the road, replace a few NAS drives, simplify backup, AND share music and photos. There's only one REAL BIG complaint that I have, and that's working with 64 bit systems. I will go into that...
I added 3 1TB drives to this in minutes without shutting the system down. The drive sleds are very innovative, as they require no tools to use. You just need to lift a handle, pull out the sled, and place the new HD in using pins that flex to hold the HD in place. You then just put the drive back in its bay and lock the lever/handle in place. Visually, there is a light for each drive that will show you it is ready for use. You must use the WHS console to add the drives to your existing storage, and the light goes from purple to blue - and is ready to use. What is cool here is that your users don't see 4 different drives, but just 1 with all the space as if the existing drive automatically grew. If you want to replace a drive with larger capacity, it is simple as well. You use the console to remove the drive. When you remove a drive, WHS will copy the data off of that drive to the others (if they have room to do so) and then tell you when it is safe to dismount it.
Before this, I was using 4 seats of gotomypc professional for just under $600. I got the pro level because I wanted to administer all of the boxes centrally. I am keeping 1 account of gotomypc active, because you cannot remote into a 64 bit OS from the web interface at this time. But the cost savings here almost pay for this alone!
I have three NAS drives, and two of them are going away as obsolete. I mainly used them for backup using Retrospect. I still am keeping Retrospect for my Windows x64 boxes and my linux clients, as the backup doesn't support 64 bit OS's at this time. I am backing up to the WHS through Retrospect, and it is being backed up to the other NAS. The WHS allows you to duplicate shares to multiple drives, so this is in a since like having 3 backups of the data. For the 32 bit Windows clients, this backup is near perfection. It's mindlessly simple to set up, and it keeps multiple backups and automatically disposes of the older ones if you need the space. The mindless backup for 32 bit clients is easily paying for the rest of the cost of this box.
So for 64 bit users, this may not quite be for you just yet. Microsoft has stated that they are working on the 64 bit client for WHS, but gives no release date. As soon as they get this, it will serve my needs much better. Both remoting and backup can be solved for 64bit OSs if you have the know-how, so it's not as terrible as some might make it, but is annoying enough that I deducted 1 star for each.
The sharing functionality for music/video is really nice. Two of the pre-existing shares are called "music", and "video" and if you have a media center extender/XBOX360, it will show up there as a media center with whatever playable content you happen to put there. It won't magically allow you to play iTunes AACs, but any format that your media center could play, it will work. If you do have iTunes - it may add more value because you can have the system create a music database from ALL of the iTunes user's machines. I use iTunes and so does my wife, but this won't work for us because I'd like to be able to use the music directory directly available to iTunes for each of us, so that we both share the same song list, and if she buys a song, then it shows up in my iTunes library and I can make a playlist with that song in it. This is *almost* how it works with the iTunes sharing here. I can see a shared system named "HP MediaSmart Server" but you can't copy the songs locally, and you can't edit the playlists it contains. Kind of a bummer, but it may work for you.
The photosharing web application is a nice idea. You can make albums using photos from your machine - but surprisingly you can't just pick from the "photos" share on the drive. So if you want to do that - you must map a drive to the "photos" share and choose them that way. Not very efficient to copy from the network instead of directly from the disk! You can then create a list of people to share the album with, and send out a message to look at your album. You can choose existing users you've set up for remote access, or create a visitor profile. This allows you send it to Grandma and not have to create a "Grandma" user on the server itself. Very nicely done.
Another small caveat is if you use TZO for Dynamic DNS currently. You need to call TZO to get your existing account setup correctly on the box.
I've had the EX470 for 4 months now, I had some issues with this server which all have been fixed once I've installed the Power Pack 1. This issues were:
There is still no connector to Vista Ultimate 64bit. I have not used the photo sharing application because there are just much better options on the internet. I do stream to my XBOX 360 and PS3 - but you can't stream MP4 based video - so this means no M4Vs, no DivX/Xvid. It has no problems streaming MPEG movies, so this is a limitation of both the PS3 and 360.
In terms of add-ins - I have tried a lot of them, but kept 2 - Jungle Disk and LobsterTunes. Jungle Disk uses the Amazon S3 SOAP APIs to back up your home server's share files online. It is slow, but it works and is very cheap to use. It does not backup the WHS OS or local files - just the shares. LobsterTunes exposes my music collection to my smart phone. It does not stream them, but makes a local copy on the device - so make sure you have an unlimited and fast data plan for this. I've used it to pull up obscure music for a friend to sample, and it's a keeper. I have also installed Raxco's PerfectDisk software to keep the drives from becoming overly fragmented.
I have upgraded the memory to two gigabytes as well. This should be the standard in these servers. It made a HUGE difference in throughput and response times from the WHS OS. I have also installed my own SSL certificate because I was sick and tired of seeing the bad certificate message everytime I used the web interface. Most people won't get this problem because they are using the standard windowshomeserver.com domain. Those that use custom domains will know what I mean.
The slippage occurred because of a nasty bug in WHS ( google for KB #946676). This bug causes files to get corrupted if you attempt to modify the files directly on the home server. It will only affect WHS boxes that have multiple hard drives for storage. Now, all storage drives on the OS will show as one drive, with WHS constantly monitoring and moving the files around to "balance" the amount of space used on each drive. The problem is that in order to show the shares as a single drive, their contents are mapped and cached in memory. It's basically like a switchboard operator that knows where your files are supposed to be. Most of the time, there is no problems, but the mechanism to update the switchboard operator's lookup is not keeping up with the balancing when there is a lot going on. So instead of getting Klondike 5-3226, now your getting mostly that, but maybe a bit of Klondike 5-3227.
Again this issues have been fixed once I've installed the Power Pack 1 patch ..
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 4 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Best addition yet to home network
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: lampt
from Grand Rapids, MI
on 09/12/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
Super easy to setup for people who want the ability but don want the fuss of Remote access to their files, building and managing a server, and setting up automatic backups of multiple PCs. However, configurable and open enough to keep the most avid tinker busy for weeks. Has the ability for cool "add-ins" to increase the functionality even more.
Great product!
Great product!
What's great about it: Really Easy to setup with huge functionality
What's not so great: Main functions will turn off if you connect it to a domain (will work alongside a domain)
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 5 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Great Purchase
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: TreoGuy
from Salt Lake City, UT
on 05/03/2008
This is a great little server for automating backups and centralizing storage of media files on your home network. It is compatible with newer Media Extender devices so you can play your favorite movies or photos from the server without the need for your PC to be on.
The server is highly expandable by allowing you to put in 3 additional SATA hard drives (no screws or tools required!). It also features an eSATA port and USB 2.0 ports that allow you to even further expand storage.
I love the Add-ins that are becoming available that help you further enhance the capabilities of this server. (Note: HP does NOT support some of these .. use caution.)
You can also remotely access your pictures and media/files from the internet by a domain you can either purchase or choose a free one at yourdomain.homeserver.com.
My only gripe with this is that it does not allow you to use the remote access feature on PC's with Vista Home Premium or Vista Home Basic as the "Remote Desktop Feature" is not supported in those versions. For those looking to use this feature, you'll have to upgrade to Vista Ultimate on the PC you wish to access remotely to enable this feature.
Overall, this little server may "seem" a bit expensive, however, it truly is a great value for the money because of it's expandability and features. My only disappointment is the lack of remote access on "ALL" Vista versions.
The server is highly expandable by allowing you to put in 3 additional SATA hard drives (no screws or tools required!). It also features an eSATA port and USB 2.0 ports that allow you to even further expand storage.
I love the Add-ins that are becoming available that help you further enhance the capabilities of this server. (Note: HP does NOT support some of these .. use caution.)
You can also remotely access your pictures and media/files from the internet by a domain you can either purchase or choose a free one at yourdomain.homeserver.com.
My only gripe with this is that it does not allow you to use the remote access feature on PC's with Vista Home Premium or Vista Home Basic as the "Remote Desktop Feature" is not supported in those versions. For those looking to use this feature, you'll have to upgrade to Vista Ultimate on the PC you wish to access remotely to enable this feature.
Overall, this little server may "seem" a bit expensive, however, it truly is a great value for the money because of it's expandability and features. My only disappointment is the lack of remote access on "ALL" Vista versions.
What's great about it: Easy to use, expandable, access from anywhere
What's not so great: Remote Access does NOT work with any versions of Vista below the Ultimate Edition
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 6 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
HP home server experience
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Michigan
on 02/10/2008
I have a fairly extensive network at home and had been using a 1U server for backups but the noise level and complexity of it was more than needed for a home user.
The HP unit is small (for holding 4 drives in it) very quiet, almost silent, to set it up it was as easy as plug in the power and network cable, turn it on and install a small application on the PC's in the house, within minutes it was ready to back up the computers.
I loaded music on the unit and all the computers in the house can play it through iTunes (even my Apples). streaming different music to 3 or 4 different places at once is no problem.
I installed the Tivo Add-in so I can see photo's play music and things through the Tivo's in the house, not as simple as I'd like to see for adding add-ins (Plug-ins) as I'd like for it to be, for the basic functions this this is awesome and super simple, being as it runs Windows 2003 Server as its heart with some creativeness you can do many things with it but its not for the faint of heart, requiring logging into it using remote desktop and things. I read up a little on the folder duplication and it sure seems like the next generation of RAID, a Microsoft server team member said RAID was for bugs not computers...lol..
A couple things I wish were include (and I'm sure will be) are the ability to plug a printer in via USB, two network interfaces and the ability to use it as the router in the house.
But overall I rank this product with a 4 star rating, the hardware is beautiful, the setup is simple. I feel for a first run at it the people at HP and Microsoft are bringing something to home users that more need, how many times have you heard the story of someone losing all their data (family pictures and things) due to not backing up, this unit with just a few clicks takes care of that. Apple is also getting on the backup bandwagon, so people start backing up now it will save you grief later
The HP unit is small (for holding 4 drives in it) very quiet, almost silent, to set it up it was as easy as plug in the power and network cable, turn it on and install a small application on the PC's in the house, within minutes it was ready to back up the computers.
I loaded music on the unit and all the computers in the house can play it through iTunes (even my Apples). streaming different music to 3 or 4 different places at once is no problem.
I installed the Tivo Add-in so I can see photo's play music and things through the Tivo's in the house, not as simple as I'd like to see for adding add-ins (Plug-ins) as I'd like for it to be, for the basic functions this this is awesome and super simple, being as it runs Windows 2003 Server as its heart with some creativeness you can do many things with it but its not for the faint of heart, requiring logging into it using remote desktop and things. I read up a little on the folder duplication and it sure seems like the next generation of RAID, a Microsoft server team member said RAID was for bugs not computers...lol..
A couple things I wish were include (and I'm sure will be) are the ability to plug a printer in via USB, two network interfaces and the ability to use it as the router in the house.
But overall I rank this product with a 4 star rating, the hardware is beautiful, the setup is simple. I feel for a first run at it the people at HP and Microsoft are bringing something to home users that more need, how many times have you heard the story of someone losing all their data (family pictures and things) due to not backing up, this unit with just a few clicks takes care of that. Apple is also getting on the backup bandwagon, so people start backing up now it will save you grief later
What's great about it: very simple setup; Quiet; small; expandable
What's not so great: simple setup makes for simple features
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 7 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Works as advertised
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: r6vr6
from IN
on 02/10/2008
I have my unit all setup and going. The unit was very easy to install to the network with the provided disk. I have also setup the remote access function and checked its operation from work. I added a friend to the webshare feature and he was able to view my pictures from his house via the website that was created for my machine.
One thing that should be improved is print server function. HP doesn't advertise it as a print server but it can be used as one. It took me a while to add mine but I finally did it after many hours of trials.(hp should add printer driver to the unit at least for thier printers)
Overall I think this is a great value for general use at home. Is it a geek -turbo fast-kill all other servers machine- no. Is it advertised to be -no . I would definitely buy it again.
Best buy - you should stock these at the store so your customers don't have to pay shipping and tax. The only reason I bought it from you was all the gift card I had.
One thing that should be improved is print server function. HP doesn't advertise it as a print server but it can be used as one. It took me a while to add mine but I finally did it after many hours of trials.(hp should add printer driver to the unit at least for thier printers)
Overall I think this is a great value for general use at home. Is it a geek -turbo fast-kill all other servers machine- no. Is it advertised to be -no . I would definitely buy it again.
Best buy - you should stock these at the store so your customers don't have to pay shipping and tax. The only reason I bought it from you was all the gift card I had.
What's great about it: Simple package ready to go
What's not so great: Printers are not supported but you can get around that
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 8 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
GReat product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: GREATHP
on 02/02/2008
The product is as cheap as a normal hard drive. I bought the 1TB versus from HP for $799. Very simple to use and works great.
What's great about it: Cheap and easy to use
What's not so great: Not super fast
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 9 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Not designed for power users
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: CrazyLand1
on 01/19/2008
I bought mine and ran it and found it was not for me, so i sold it to a friend of mine who is a simple computer users.
It is a perfect system for him and his family, him, his wife and son who are not power users and they love it and still thank me for selling it to them.
It is a perfect system for him and his family, him, his wife and son who are not power users and they love it and still thank me for selling it to them.
(Reason why i sold it) like the person from New York said its Extremly slow for what i wanted it for, but people have to remember this is a simple home server. Its not a Computer for high end stuff just ment for backing up and storing your info on instead of keeping it all on your computers you have.
So i decide that the best thing for me to do a power user is i did an up-grade on my wifes system and mine at the same time, i have a AMD 4400+ system i up-graded to a AMD 5600 and moved my AMD 4400+ to my old 3.2 system and took the 3.2 ht motherboard,cpu and 3gig of ram and bought 3 500gig hdds and dropped them into a case along with a Nvidia 7600 GT video card and ordered the Windows 2008 Home Server Software from Microsoft and installed it....
Now im happy with my server and the way it runs, for a power users....
Would i recommend this to a friend, if they are a non-power user yes i would, if they are a power user like i am no i would not.
I find that this system is perfect for non-power users to bring home plug in and set up and be done with it unless they need more space or want more ram
So i decide that the best thing for me to do a power user is i did an up-grade on my wifes system and mine at the same time, i have a AMD 4400+ system i up-graded to a AMD 5600 and moved my AMD 4400+ to my old 3.2 system and took the 3.2 ht motherboard,cpu and 3gig of ram and bought 3 500gig hdds and dropped them into a case along with a Nvidia 7600 GT video card and ordered the Windows 2008 Home Server Software from Microsoft and installed it....
Now im happy with my server and the way it runs, for a power users....
Would i recommend this to a friend, if they are a non-power user yes i would, if they are a power user like i am no i would not.
I find that this system is perfect for non-power users to bring home plug in and set up and be done with it unless they need more space or want more ram
What's great about it: simple home server for non power users
What's not so great: Power users will not like it
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
3out of 7found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 10 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Home Server
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: BinaryZero
on 01/09/2008
Home sever is great it will back up any Windows XP or Vista based PC or Laptop, and work as a central repository for your files and data. It can also stream video and audio to remote media plays and extenders (Xbox 360 and others), but unlike what others my think, it is not an extender itself it does not connect to your TV. There is no need for sound card, super high speed CPUs or high grade video cards, as that is not what this product is meant to do, it is a file server, back up sever, and web server. At CES they announced Power Pack 1 for windows home server which adds support for 64 bit OSs and the ability to back up the WHS (Windows Home Sever) itself to an external drive. HP also announced several updates of it's own. This is one slick server build on what I consider the missing link for a missing link for multi computer homes, Windows Home Server.
What's great about it: great for the non-computer family
What's not so great: n/a
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 11 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Best product for 2007!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: COPC
from CA
on 12/19/2007
Ok I read some of these reviews before me and can't figure out why they wrote what they did for the most part?
This is a basic home server
Low power usage
auto backup of pc's
Photo sharing
Media Streaming
and more.....
Low power usage
auto backup of pc's
Photo sharing
Media Streaming
and more.....
HP did not add a high power processor or video card as it is a low power unit to be green on power usage.
You can add more ram if you like, I have 2gb in mine and it runs smooth.
There are all kinds of sites/add-ins popping up to expand this unit even further than HP wanted.
I think this is the best piece of equipment I have purchased in awhile and look forward to learning new things about it everyday.
This is not a full blown server that east kilowatts of power, you can leave it on 24/7 and it quite as can be.
Again buy it and use it for what it was designed for. If you want tos spend $$$ get a big server.
Props to HP and MS for hitting this one out of the park!
What's great about it: Ease of use
What's not so great: None so far!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
8out of 9found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 12 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Very Cool
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: TheJump45Guy
from Houston, Tx
on 12/13/2007
I got my EX470 about 3 weeks ago. I immediately added 3 500 GB SATA drives. (Extremely simple process) So now I have 2 TB of space (1.5 TB of usable space..the system needs some of it) It was very easy to set up and is very compact. The instructions for physically setting it up are self explanatory. Setup CD is greatness.
The only challenge I had was with the domain creation. During setup I chose a custom domain name, and purchased it for 2 years.
But the setup process doesn't tell you it may take TZO.com (HP Partner) up to 3 days to set it up. But I got an email from TZO the day after I set up the domain name telling me that. Just wish I would have got the email at the time of purchase...but I am picky.
So if you chose a custom name (very Cool) you will have to wait a few days to be able to access your server remotely or have others view your photos.
But this was ok because it took me 3 days to find and organize all of my photos and stuff. (I wasn't previously very organized)
The server has had an immediate impact in helping me with that. Again Very cool
The Itunes functionailty is pretty cool. I only wish you could listen to your tunes remotely thorugh the same interface you can within your home network.
Maybe there is a way. We'll see.
The photo album process is very cool as well.
I just wish you could have more accounts.
To me the best part is the automatic backup process. It does it without any intervention on part. We have 4 PCs in the house and it backs them all up on schedule.
Pretty Neat.
All in all I am VERY happy with the purchase of my 1st server....
The only challenge I had was with the domain creation. During setup I chose a custom domain name, and purchased it for 2 years.
But the setup process doesn't tell you it may take TZO.com (HP Partner) up to 3 days to set it up. But I got an email from TZO the day after I set up the domain name telling me that. Just wish I would have got the email at the time of purchase...but I am picky.
So if you chose a custom name (very Cool) you will have to wait a few days to be able to access your server remotely or have others view your photos.
But this was ok because it took me 3 days to find and organize all of my photos and stuff. (I wasn't previously very organized)
The server has had an immediate impact in helping me with that. Again Very cool
The Itunes functionailty is pretty cool. I only wish you could listen to your tunes remotely thorugh the same interface you can within your home network.
Maybe there is a way. We'll see.
The photo album process is very cool as well.
I just wish you could have more accounts.
To me the best part is the automatic backup process. It does it without any intervention on part. We have 4 PCs in the house and it backs them all up on schedule.
Pretty Neat.
All in all I am VERY happy with the purchase of my 1st server....
What's great about it: Small, Cool Looking, Easy To Setup, Easy To Maintain
What's not so great: Domain process, Number of available accounts
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
8out of 9found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 13 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
awesome solution for the home
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: justanothertechy
on 12/11/2007
It is worth noting that this 'server' is not your typical server (for all those with a bunch of certifications do not think of this as a server for an office). It is an easy to setup server for the home that will allow you to use it:
as a gateway to all the pc's in your home much like gotomypc
as a centralized file store that automatically can backup the files on it to another drive or locally on the same drive < why two options because you may want to store your backups off site for additional protection
file sharing either with internal pc's or via the a browser on the Internet
it can also backup your pc's to the server and do a FULL restore back should you lose a hard drive for example. No more reinstall of all your applications.
Why the minimal hardware? because for its designed purposes see above, it does not need to be beefy so why make it expensive. All you need are disks, disks and more disks that can be added internally or externaly.
you may also want to consider that developers are already lining up to create add-ons for this server that will expand it's capabilities to home webcams, family information management software, home automation, and other innovations that work with your home server. < ok I took that from Microsoft's site < search "home server"
Anyway this is a great product with an specific purpose in mind: backup, remote access and centralized file sharing and it works easily and reliably - yes I said reliably afterall you will be trusting your digital memories to it and for the first time you can back them up.
Search for "home server" to see other reivews.
as a gateway to all the pc's in your home much like gotomypc
as a centralized file store that automatically can backup the files on it to another drive or locally on the same drive < why two options because you may want to store your backups off site for additional protection
file sharing either with internal pc's or via the a browser on the Internet
it can also backup your pc's to the server and do a FULL restore back should you lose a hard drive for example. No more reinstall of all your applications.
Why the minimal hardware? because for its designed purposes see above, it does not need to be beefy so why make it expensive. All you need are disks, disks and more disks that can be added internally or externaly.
you may also want to consider that developers are already lining up to create add-ons for this server that will expand it's capabilities to home webcams, family information management software, home automation, and other innovations that work with your home server. < ok I took that from Microsoft's site < search "home server"
Anyway this is a great product with an specific purpose in mind: backup, remote access and centralized file sharing and it works easily and reliably - yes I said reliably afterall you will be trusting your digital memories to it and for the first time you can back them up.
Search for "home server" to see other reivews.
What's great about it: remote access gateway to all home pc's, backup server, central file store, internet accessible file sharing, easy setup
What's not so great: not many
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
7out of 8found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 14 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Not designed for power users
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Occidius
on 12/07/2007
To address the previous reviewer's concerns, this product is not designed for people with a proficient level of experience in networking and/or building new systems. This was designed to operate like an appliance i.e. plug in and forget, not as an all-in-one server for power users who need the ability to back up via DVD or to operate as a complete system (This is possible, just not in the configuration offered by HP).
No server I have ever used, business, government, or personal, has had a need for 7.1 audio card or a high end video card. The streaming offered via Windows Home Server is designed to be to a Media Center Compliant device, not from the server directly to the viewing source so these items referenced are never needed. Remember, this is not to be used as a personal computer, rather it is to be used as a server which you access from another PC. In that regard, you're biggest concern is HDD space and the bandwidth from your network. HP also offers a 1TB system from slightly more. Keep in mind that the drives are hot swappable, so it may be less expensive to order the cheaper system and install your own HDD.
Overall, the system performs adequately for a first generation.
No server I have ever used, business, government, or personal, has had a need for 7.1 audio card or a high end video card. The streaming offered via Windows Home Server is designed to be to a Media Center Compliant device, not from the server directly to the viewing source so these items referenced are never needed. Remember, this is not to be used as a personal computer, rather it is to be used as a server which you access from another PC. In that regard, you're biggest concern is HDD space and the bandwidth from your network. HP also offers a 1TB system from slightly more. Keep in mind that the drives are hot swappable, so it may be less expensive to order the cheaper system and install your own HDD.
Overall, the system performs adequately for a first generation.
What's great about it: Good first attempt at a new product
What's not so great: Broad appeal not designed for power users
I would recommend this to a friend!
+9points
10out of 11found this review helpful.
Share this review:
Review 15 for HP 500GB MediaSmart Server
Disappointed With HP
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from New York, NY.
on 12/05/2007
Ok lets start off with the most annoying thing first.
THE PROCESSOR !!
We all know that AMD has recently released their brand new
Processor called "Spider" which is a Quad-Core CPU.
The processor of AMD Spider is Extremely fast and would hardly break any sweat at all when even using it with heavy 3D graphic games, let alone multi-processing and tasking.
ok, we all know this is a server, but still - if the heart of a central unit is not fast then then the rest of the operation will also be slow, such as connections and usage.
Question is - Why would HP sell and give you a 6 year old processor at this time and age of 2008.?
When they are trying to sell you a brand new 2008 Home server ?
If the processor is only 1.8Ghz you would know that it is NOT even a dual-core because dual-cores are not available on 1.8Ghz processors, let alone it being a 64bit.
Also, the thing is if you wanted to upgrade the CPU processor, you will be in for a HUGE disappointment.
I will explain, you need to also purchase a brand new motherboard.
because the current motherboard supporting this slow processor of 1.8Ghz is only Socket 2 motherboard and
NOT a 939 or the new 940 socket motherboard that supports the new Dual-Core and Quad-core Processors.
So be prepared for spending additional large amount of cash
to upgrade to the new current computing hardwares of today if your planing on upgrading this HP Server.
Now for the second most annoying thing:
The the memory -
for the price of 599 plus tax, Why would HP only give you 512mb of DDR2 memory ?
XP-SP2 and Vista and now Server 2008 requires at least 512mb of memory to run at a intelligent proper speeds.
A minimum of 1Gig DDR3 should of been installed with this product.
Also, there is a new memory out now released on October 2007 which is DDR3 Dual Double Data Ram memory which comes in 2 flavors at 1080Mhz and 1600Mhz Speed and also comes in 2 gig each stick now.
Kingston aka OCZ now sells 2 x 2gig sticks for 169.00....... which gives you 4 gigs of DDR3 memory to play with.
SPEED SPEED SPEED......
We are trying to go forward - not backwards !!
3rd most annoying thing:
This Server does not come with Blue-Ray Disk Drives or not even a DVD burner to back up your data on DVD Disk if a customer chooses to do so.
Total Disappointment on that prospective.
4th most disappointing thing of all:
This server does not come with ATI HD Graphic card.
such as the ATI Radeon™ HD 3800 Series
which is greatly needed if you are using any kind of Hi-Definition Media Streaming like it says in the data info of this product.
5th most annoying thing:
No firewire or IEEE-1394 capabilities
6th most annoying thing:
NO HD 7.1 SOUND CARD !! - Do I need to say more ?
NOTE: in the product info it also mentions that you can view videos on your TV from this server.
Well, here is the annoying and disappointing part of it.
It does not have DMI outputs to plug into your brand new HDTV Sets DMI inputs.
Remember HP, we all now have HDTV-1080p in our homes or
did you forget that part ?
FINAL CONCLUSION:
Just purchase the 3 CD SET of Windows Home Server 2008 and build your own server the way you want to.
you would be better off because you know exactly what your getting and get the correct hardware with proper speeds of this day in age of 2008 computing.
By the way I am a certified:
CCNA = Cisco Certified Network Administrator
CCNP = Cisco Certified Network Professional
MCSE = Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
MCSA = Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
THE PROCESSOR !!
We all know that AMD has recently released their brand new
Processor called "Spider" which is a Quad-Core CPU.
The processor of AMD Spider is Extremely fast and would hardly break any sweat at all when even using it with heavy 3D graphic games, let alone multi-processing and tasking.
ok, we all know this is a server, but still - if the heart of a central unit is not fast then then the rest of the operation will also be slow, such as connections and usage.
Question is - Why would HP sell and give you a 6 year old processor at this time and age of 2008.?
When they are trying to sell you a brand new 2008 Home server ?
If the processor is only 1.8Ghz you would know that it is NOT even a dual-core because dual-cores are not available on 1.8Ghz processors, let alone it being a 64bit.
Also, the thing is if you wanted to upgrade the CPU processor, you will be in for a HUGE disappointment.
I will explain, you need to also purchase a brand new motherboard.
because the current motherboard supporting this slow processor of 1.8Ghz is only Socket 2 motherboard and
NOT a 939 or the new 940 socket motherboard that supports the new Dual-Core and Quad-core Processors.
So be prepared for spending additional large amount of cash
to upgrade to the new current computing hardwares of today if your planing on upgrading this HP Server.
Now for the second most annoying thing:
The the memory -
for the price of 599 plus tax, Why would HP only give you 512mb of DDR2 memory ?
XP-SP2 and Vista and now Server 2008 requires at least 512mb of memory to run at a intelligent proper speeds.
A minimum of 1Gig DDR3 should of been installed with this product.
Also, there is a new memory out now released on October 2007 which is DDR3 Dual Double Data Ram memory which comes in 2 flavors at 1080Mhz and 1600Mhz Speed and also comes in 2 gig each stick now.
Kingston aka OCZ now sells 2 x 2gig sticks for 169.00....... which gives you 4 gigs of DDR3 memory to play with.
SPEED SPEED SPEED......
We are trying to go forward - not backwards !!
3rd most annoying thing:
This Server does not come with Blue-Ray Disk Drives or not even a DVD burner to back up your data on DVD Disk if a customer chooses to do so.
Total Disappointment on that prospective.
4th most disappointing thing of all:
This server does not come with ATI HD Graphic card.
such as the ATI Radeon™ HD 3800 Series
which is greatly needed if you are using any kind of Hi-Definition Media Streaming like it says in the data info of this product.
5th most annoying thing:
No firewire or IEEE-1394 capabilities
6th most annoying thing:
NO HD 7.1 SOUND CARD !! - Do I need to say more ?
NOTE: in the product info it also mentions that you can view videos on your TV from this server.
Well, here is the annoying and disappointing part of it.
It does not have DMI outputs to plug into your brand new HDTV Sets DMI inputs.
Remember HP, we all now have HDTV-1080p in our homes or
did you forget that part ?
FINAL CONCLUSION:
Just purchase the 3 CD SET of Windows Home Server 2008 and build your own server the way you want to.
you would be better off because you know exactly what your getting and get the correct hardware with proper speeds of this day in age of 2008 computing.
By the way I am a certified:
CCNA = Cisco Certified Network Administrator
CCNP = Cisco Certified Network Professional
MCSE = Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
MCSA = Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
What's great about it: Its a Server for the HOME, where families can have a central computer
What's not so great: EXTREMELY SLOW COMPUTER !!.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-74points
10out of 94found this review helpful.
Share this review: