I liked Windows Home Server when I got to try it for a few weeks and have a copy ready to install for everyday use. But I've hesitated because the software has a disturbing flaw: It eats data.
Not a good thing for a program that's pitched as a home backup system. So the questions are: How much and how often? Will I be affected?
Microsoft isn't overly assuring in recent comments, including that "we believe that most people are unlikely to be affected."
But we're talking family photos, financial files, and other crucial data. Over at Daily Tech, Jason Mick makes it sound like a monster on the loose: "The very hungry Windows Home Server continues to whet its appetite on unfortunate users' files as the scope of the problem grows and grows."
Others, however, suggest that it's a rare condition that involves copying files between two PCs under strain from a variety of conditions.
Even if it's rare, we'd all feel better if Microsoft got a fix out. But the company says it will be June before one is ready.
That seems a long time for a critical problem. Apple ran into a similar issue with the release of its new operating system in November. Apple had it fixed within weeks.
Bottom line: It seems easy enough to avoid the conditions that apparently trigger the problem. So it wouldn't keep me from installing Home Server. But I'm in less of a hurry.
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