Trying to get Home Server working
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lithium630
- Posts: 633
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:00 am
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Trying to get Home Server working
I had the bright idea to install WHS using VirtualBox having never used either. After some playing around I finally got WHS to install but unfortunately it won't recognize the NIC. I've tried manually installing the driver but it keeps saying that the NIC failed to start. Any ideas?
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Venom51
- Posts: 568
- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:12 pm
- Location: Cumming,GA
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HTPC Specs:
Are you on a Win7 machine? If so I recommend you looking at using the Windows Virtual PC for you fisrt attempt at running VM's. It can be found at the link below.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtua ... nload.aspx
Vmware Server is also an option that is well supported and free.
http://www.vmware.com/products/server/landing.html
If the NIC driver is installed in the host OS than Virtualbox should only be creating a software based NIC in your WHS installation. It should not require the installation of a driver if you installed the VBoxNetworkFlt and VBoxNetworkAdp modules when you installed VirtualBox on the host operatin system..
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtua ... nload.aspx
Vmware Server is also an option that is well supported and free.
http://www.vmware.com/products/server/landing.html
If the NIC driver is installed in the host OS than Virtualbox should only be creating a software based NIC in your WHS installation. It should not require the installation of a driver if you installed the VBoxNetworkFlt and VBoxNetworkAdp modules when you installed VirtualBox on the host operatin system..
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lithium630
- Posts: 633
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I appreciate the help. I'll give Windows Virtual PC a try tonight. I figure I better start backing up my OS drives before I regret it. 
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lithium630
- Posts: 633
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I installed Windows Virtual PC but for some reason it won't let me install Windows Home Server. The ISO loads but then I get an error says that my CPU doesn't support 64 bit software. I'm running 64 bit Windows on it.
*Edit* Looks like Windows Virtual PC does not work with 64 bit software. Looks like I'll try VMware.
*Edit* Looks like Windows Virtual PC does not work with 64 bit software. Looks like I'll try VMware.
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Venom51
- Posts: 568
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Are you trying to install WHS 2011. If so that's the case. However WHS V1 should be fine.
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bob_p
- Posts: 268
- Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 4:47 pm
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Virtual PC is 32-bit - and won't support WHS 2011.
I installed Windows Server 2008 R2 and then put WHS 2011 into a Hyper-V machine. I also had a WHS V1 machine that I converted to Hyper-V and can still boot up my old WHS V1 server, if I need to get access to any of those backups. And I'm running a Windows 8 Developers Preview in a 3rd Hyper-V machine.
The only major problem I've encountered with this configuration is a flaw in the design of WHS 2011. I wasn't able to create a bootable USB recovery drive - because it requires have a USB thumb drive available on the WHS server - and Hyper-V doesn't support USB passthrough - so I ended up downloading the recovery ISO from Microsoft's website and burned it onto an optical disk.
I installed Windows Server 2008 R2 and then put WHS 2011 into a Hyper-V machine. I also had a WHS V1 machine that I converted to Hyper-V and can still boot up my old WHS V1 server, if I need to get access to any of those backups. And I'm running a Windows 8 Developers Preview in a 3rd Hyper-V machine.
The only major problem I've encountered with this configuration is a flaw in the design of WHS 2011. I wasn't able to create a bootable USB recovery drive - because it requires have a USB thumb drive available on the WHS server - and Hyper-V doesn't support USB passthrough - so I ended up downloading the recovery ISO from Microsoft's website and burned it onto an optical disk.