Windows Home Server - patch for data loss problem not available until June

For Microsoft, the bug in Windows Home Server is just a number, for users, however, the bug described in Knowledge Base article 946676 is much more – they run the risk of losing data when directly editing a file in a shared folder.

Advertisement

But rather than producing a solution for this serious problem, which they have been aware of since December, as quickly as possible and releasing a patch, Microsoft is putting more effort into placating the 'small number of affected users'. According to a Technet blog entry, Microsoft has now discerned the nature of the problem, fixing it is top priority, they are making good progress and have already coded part of the fix. The blog notes, however, that the bug is at an extremely low level of the system and it will take several more weeks to complete internal testing. A reliable patch is not expected to be available until June.

Until then, the Microsoft product can hardly be called a file server. The programs known to cause problems include Microsoft applications such as Windows Media Player 11, Windows Vista Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007/2003 and Outlook 2007, as well as Adobe Photoshop Elements and Lightroom, Apple iTunes, Intuit Quicken and Quickbooks, ACDSee and WinAmp.

Since this bug only kicks in when the server contains two or more hard drives, it suggests that the bug is in the data storage redundancy function - Drive Extender. The server's backup function should be unaffected.

(trk)