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Clients comes up as 'unsupported operating system', but it is listed as supported...

Question
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Hi,
I am setting up a Windows Home Server 2011 on a Proliant N36L. Two clients have connected fine, one running XP Professional and one Windows 7.
However my netbook with XP home, SP3, is coming up as 'unsupported operating system'. I'm not sure what to do about it. WHS 2011 says XP Home SP3 is a supported operating system. I have tried updating the netbook with all the updates I can find, rebooting etc., and it still says 'unsupported operating system'.
I'd appreciate some suggestions. The whole point of the setup was to enable reliable backups of my computers, but it isn't going to be much use if it doesn't do them all.
Thanks,
Dave
Thursday, August 11, 2011 12:54 PM
Answers
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You need a Pro or above version of the OS to allow Remote Access (which is why you are seeing "Unsupported Operating System")- this is a limitation of the operating system not WHS. To install the Connector software and perform backups etc XP Home SP3 is fine.
Phil P.S. If you find my comment helpful or if it answers your question, please mark it as such.- Proposed as answer by Phil Harrison Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:04 PM
- Marked as answer by Theo van ElsbergModerator Sunday, August 14, 2011 9:23 PM
Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:01 PM
All replies
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You need a Pro or above version of the OS to allow Remote Access (which is why you are seeing "Unsupported Operating System")- this is a limitation of the operating system not WHS. To install the Connector software and perform backups etc XP Home SP3 is fine.
Phil P.S. If you find my comment helpful or if it answers your question, please mark it as such.- Proposed as answer by Phil Harrison Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:04 PM
- Marked as answer by Theo van ElsbergModerator Sunday, August 14, 2011 9:23 PM
Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:01 PM -
What netbook is it? Does the manufaturer say anything about the version of Windows XP on it?
I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:02 PMModerator -
It is definitely XP Home, SP3 - I checked the installed OS on the computer. It is a Samsung NC 10.
The argument that you need Pro or above is inconsistent with Microsoft's own documentation - see http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-gb/windowshomeserver2011/supported-os-2.aspx.
No distinction is made as to the level of support - it says they are all supported, and clearly states XP Home SP3.
I'll be pretty pissed off if I have purchased software on the basis of Microsoft's own information, only to discover that it is incorrect.
David
Thursday, August 11, 2011 10:21 PM -
I'll be pretty pissed off if I have purchased software on the basis of Microsoft's own information, only to discover that it is incorrect.
What I have told you is correct so I guess you are P**ed off. This is, as I have said, not a WHS issue - Microsoft differentiates different versions of its PC operating systems by supplying more functionality for paying more. In this case you have a Home version of XP which does not have remote desktop functionality.
Phil P.S. If you find my comment helpful or if it answers your question, please mark it as such.Thursday, August 11, 2011 10:42 PM -
On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:21:44 +0000, Elephantoplasty wrote:
It is definitely XP Home, SP3 - I checked the installed OS on the computer. It is a Samsung NC 10.
The argument that you need Pro or above is inconsistent with Microsoft's own documentation - see http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-gb/windowshomeserver2011/supported-os-2.aspx.
No distinction is made as to the level of support - it says they are all supported, and clearly states XP Home SP3.I think the subtlety is that XP Home SP3 supports Windows Home Server Connector and
backups, but not Remote Access. So the web page you site is technically correct, but
misleading.
I'll be pretty pissed off if I have purchased software on the basis of Microsoft's own information, only to discover that it is incorrect.I may quibble over "incorrect" vs "misleading, but can understand why you're unhappy
either way.
DavidSaturday, August 13, 2011 2:00 PM -
Thanks for your reply, but I don't agree with letting MS get off that lightly.
For a product pitched at the home user, that is a subtlety that should be spelled out. For the normal home user, supported operating system means 'everything works', not 'the main bits work, but limitations in the operating system mean some bits don't, but if you don't know, we're not going to tell you'. If only some of the functionality works with one of the O/S's, they should spell that out.
Frankly, I think the choice is different from 'misleading' or 'incorrect'.
I think the options are more along the lines of 'deliberate misrepresentation', +/- 'incompetence'.
Yes, I am pissed off - before I purchased their product I read MS's own product documentation to make sure their product would suit my purposes, only to discover it doesn't, because they misrepresent it's compatibility. I needed to be able to manage my server from my netbook, and can't without paying more money to MS to upgrade the O/S, all because of their misrepresentation.
Unfortunately, MS living down to my (very low) expectations as usual.
David
Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:13 PM -
... that is a subtlety that should be spelled out. ...
It is, quite clearly. You just didn't see it, or didn't bother to read it if you did see it. See e.g. here, where it says:
To connect to one of your home computers via Remote Access, your home computer needs to be properly configured and running one of the following operating systems:- Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 (SP3)
- Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Enterprise
- Windows 7 Professional and above
This is part of the marketing literature, and I don't think it can be more clearly stated than that. So while I agree that Microsoft should find a way to make this work for home users, it being very difficult to explain to a consumer that "(Microsoft) WHS can't add this capability to your (Microsoft) desktop OS", I disagree strongly with your terminology: "misleading", "deliberate misrepresentation", etc. are inappropriate at best.
The requirement for certain SKUs, by the way, is out of the hands of the Home and Small Business Server team. It's seen as a home/business differentiator by the desktop OS group, so if you want someone to complain to, the folks who actually control which features are active in which version of your Windows OS are the right ones.
I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:35 PMModerator -
David
Can I just ask that you understand what is being said? You state "I needed to be able to manage my server from my netbook, and can't without paying more money to MS to upgrade the O/S" - that is not the case. You can manage your Server with your Netbook without problem, you just can't manage other clients (which don't have an OS with Remote Desktop capability) connected to the Server, or indeed even if you were not using WHS and trying to do so directly. Just wanted to make sure we were all talking about the same thing.
Phil P.S. If you find my comment helpful or if it answers your question, please mark it as such.Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:36 PM -
OK Ken, so I didn't see that bit. Thanks.
But I would expect that you would put that in the section specifically addressing what O/S's WHS is compatible with. And it is certainly not on the link I posted earlier, which is specifically addressing that question.
Re. Phil's reply - thanks for that. Maybe I haven't got it set up correctly then, because I can't manage the server from my netbook (XP Home, SP3). I'll have another look at it.
Thanks for your help - maybe I can get it working to the extent I need. It works great with my other PC's, but the most important one is my netbook, as that is my travel PC.
Cheers,
David
Sunday, August 14, 2011 11:45 PM -
Okay, so lets go back to your issue.
What exactly is the problem? What doesn't work? Please be specific, and realize that if you say "I can't connect to my netbook using the Remote Access web site" we're going to say it's working as designed. :)
I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)Sunday, August 14, 2011 11:53 PMModerator -
Hi Ken,
I'll have to get the netbook out and have another crack at it. I couldn't connect to the Dashboard or Launchpad, and it sounds like they should connect. If they do, then that is probably going to be sufficient for me.
When I tried, it said something along the lines of server is unavailable or offline and did I want to connect offline. I figured in the context of the server saying 'unsupported operating system', that was the reason for the offline message.
I'll have another go at it and see if I can get those items going. They work fine on the XP Pro and Windows 7 Pro machines, bu tthe same setup doesn't seem to work on the netbook thus far.
I'll have another crack at it.
Cheers,
David
Monday, August 15, 2011 1:37 AM