Jason Dunn
03-07-2008, 01:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://forums.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2964041&SiteID=50&mode=1' target='_blank'>http://forums.microsoft.com/Windows...iteID=50&mode=1</a><br /><br /></div>I've been running Windows Home Server for a while now, being one of the early beta testers, and for the most part I was quite impressed with the beta and RC1 versions of the software. When I got the final version and installed it though, things didn't work so well. My biggest problem was with the Connector software - the piece of software that you install on each PC, and that serves as the control point for your server, enables the back-up of that PC, etc. Well, the problem was that I simply couldn't get it installed on several of my PCs. I detailed the problem in this <a target="_blank" href="http://forums.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2964041&SiteID=50&mode=1">Windows Home Server Forum thread</a>, but the short version was that I kept seeing this error message when trying to install the software:<br /><br /><em> An Error Occurred<br />This operation cannot be completed at this time.<br />Please try again later. If the problem persists, please contact window home server support</em><br /><br />An error occurred? What kind of a useless haiku is that? No specifics, no details - who programmed that error dialogue, an Apple OS X developer? I'd put in my password for the server, and get that error - no other details were given about what was going wrong.<MORE /><br /><br />At any rate, I fought with that error for nearly five months - even working with a developer on the WHS team who tried valiantly to assist me - and nothing worked...until I tried an off-hand suggestion that the developer suggested I could try. It seemed like a silly suggestion: disconnect the router from the cable modem and try again. So here's what I did:<br /><br />1) Pulled power plug from router<br />2) Pulled power plug from cable modem (in my case a Motorola modem on the SHAW network)<br />3) Re-connected power to the router<br />4) Ran the WHS Connector software on all three of the machines it wouldn't install on previously...and it worked!<br />5) Pulled power plug from router<br />6) Re-connected power to the cable modem<br />7) Re-connected power to the router<br /><br />And, incredibly, things have been solid and stable since then. I don't know how or why this worked - it's something related to DNS resolution - but I'm much happier knowing that all my systems are now being backed up.