Building a Home Server With Windows 8.1

With the amount of data being created and consumed in the home rising exponentially each year, there's never been a better time to think about a home server - a central hub to store, share and protect your important documents, photos, videos, music and more.

But which platform is right for you? Do you need an expensive, business-class server? A complicated network attached storage device? Or could the humble Windows 8.1 PC provide the features and functions you need from a home server device?

The answer, detailed in this comprehensive guide to building and running a Windows 8.1 home server, is a resounding YES!

Written by Microsoft MVP and We Got Served Editor Terry Walsh, Building a Home Server With Windows 8.1 is your one-stop guide to creating a powerful home server setup that won't break the bank. With hundreds of detailed, full-colour screenshots, this 630 page step by step guide walks you through the steps needed for a first-class home server setup, using the operating system and a PC you may already own.

From selecting and assembling the right hardware for your home server PC, through installation, set-up and usage, Building a Home Server with Windows 8.1 is a detailed but friendly guide to the new and improved features in Microsoft's latest operating system.

Detailed walkthroughs include guides to media streaming at home and on the move, configuring and protecting family user accounts and shared folders across multiple PCs as well as how to access your home server desktop and data remotely from any location.  

We also deep dive into storage management, with a look at Windows Storage Spaces, RAID Array management and third-party pooling applications like StableBit DrivePool.

Vital topics such as managing data security and family safety are covered in depth, showing how features already built into Windows 8.1 can be configured to protect the things that matter most.

For existing Windows 8 home server users, in the two years since release, Microsoft has launched a number of significant enhancements to the platform, providing smoother integration between the Modern and Desktop Windows experiences.

Building a Home Server With Windows 8.1 updates and significantly extends our previous guide, Building a Windows 8 Home Server, outlining the improvements that make running a Windows 8.1 Home Server easier than ever and offering additional tips, tricks and walkthroughs to optimise and enhance your setup. 

 

Chapters

Introduction
Windows Home Server Hardware
Building Your Windows 8.1 Home Server
Configure Your UEFI Motherboard
Installing Windows 8.1
Intel Rapid Start and Smart Connect
The Windows 8.1 Start Screen and Desktop Experience
Windows 8.1 Storage and Storage Spaces
Storage Pooling With StableBit DrivePool
Create a RAID Storage Array
Managing User Accounts and Family Safety
Windows Homegroups and Shared Folders
File History, Backup and Data Recovery
Securing Your Data With BitLocker Drive Encryption
Access Your Home Server Remotely
OneDrive and the Microsoft Cloud
Windows 8.1 Media Streaming