Play .MKV’s in Windows Media Center (WMC)

For a long time I had resisted converting my DVD and Blu-Ray disks into any other format because I didn’t want to lose any quality.  I had lived by this rule for a long time, and thankfully companies like QNAP and Thecus came to my storage rescue.  However, the day has come where the cost of storing all the extra garbage that comes along with these movies has opened my eyes to benefits conversions.  With that, I have began converting my movie collection to a format that allows me to lose all the excess fat, but keep my movie loss-less. Read More…

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There are more uses for your WHS then you can shake a stick at; whatever that may mean.  The latest endeavor is using your Windows Home Server as an Internet Proxy.  I personally use my Windows Home Server as a proxy to be able to view sites that my company blocks access to.  Setting up a proxy can also allow you to control web content served in your home.  If you have a child, you can block sites or even keywords to keep pages from being served. (more...)

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People like to customize things.  With that said, I ran across an individual that had an issue with his WHS.  He imaged his existing hard drive to a larger hard drive, but was left with the original disk name in the Windows Home Server Console.  This poses no problems, but is more of an annoyance than anything.  If you want to change the name, you can.

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I recently ran into a situation where I was having some issues with the Windows Firewall on my Windows Home Server, so I did what I though would help me solve my issues.  If you open the options for the Windows Firewall on your Windows Home Server, there is an advanced tab with an option to "Restore Defaults."  I figured this would restore the Firewall to the state it ships with Windows Home Server.  Unfortunately, this isn't the case; it restores the Firewall to a BLANK state, losing all the necessary exceptions for WHS to function properly. (more...)

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Creating an FTP server on your Windows Home Server can prove to be very advantageous.  There are many times when using the web interface just doesn't seem practical.  Also, you are no longer limited to how many people have the ability to upload and download from your WHS. (more...)

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Setting up your Windows Home Server as an Email Server is fast, easy, and best of all; it is totally FREE!  The best part about is that you can use your Microsoft given WHS hostname as your email address (yourname@xxxx.homeserver.com). (more...)

Joe's Thoughts

In my travels through the retail/service world, I have come to realize that a great reform is needed. I have begun to realize that Customer Service is almost extinct. This is true of almost every aspect of my world (New Jersey/Florida). My theory is that a lot of these people that work or own these businesses feel that my money isn't important and they don't need my business.

It is time that these business owners and their employees start to reconsider their practices. I am a big proponent of customer service and too many places are forgetting this. I have repeatedly stated and abide by my saying, "I will PAY more for good customer service." (more...)

To start your slipstream of Windows XP with SP2 you have to be able to access the DOS command line. Don't be afraid of the command line; just remember that the command line is a "geek's" friend.

To access the command line from Windows XP simply click on the "Start" button. Click on "Run" and when the Dialogue box pops open, type "cmd" without the quotes and then "OK". (more...)

Some people think that setting up a network in their home is a painstaking, agonizing, troublesome, technical task that they would rather not partake in. This simply is not the case anymore.

There are many reasons why a person would like to setup a basic network. These reasons range from sharing multimedia, playing games, sharing a single printer, or most commonly, sharing a high speed internet connection. (more...)

Every day, I go through the same routine. I wake up, tumble off of couch (I sleep on the couch), do my thing in the bathroom, let the dog out, go to work, come home, get the mail, throw most of it away, then sit at my computer and work. This is what I have come to expect of the majority of my days. Well, sometimes I start to think, however rare it is, it happens; that's when I start causing trouble.

When I grab my mail, I primarily get 3 different types: junk mail, bills, and the occasional letter. The first two I can't stand, unfortunately they make up 99% of the mail I get throughout the year. The first one, junk mail, is not only the most annoying, but it is the most out of control. This is where it gets interesting. Let's call junk mail SPAM, because that's what it is. SPAM is email junk mail. (more...)

As I make my rounds through the normal barrage of review sites on my daily list, I become increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of content I come across. There seems to be a problem with the state of this industry and this doesn't imply lack of content. I'm referring to the "jacked up egos" of reviewers and the general lack of respect for one another that review sites exhibit.

I understand that reviewers are doing the general consumer a great service by providing their opinions and observations, but let's not forget about other peoples opinions as well. I have found in my travels through the forums of various sites that these "jacked up egos" are killing most of the positive aspects of the review industry. (more...)