Welcome to Windows Home Server 2011 – Step by Step and for many of you, to the Windows Home Server platform itself. If you’re new to WHS, I hope this book will help you quickly discover how easy it is to install, configure and use Windows Home Server, and how useful its features are in both the home and small business environments. Whether you’re interested in streaming music, video and photos around your home and beyond, seeking an easy way to share files with friends and colleagues, or simply looking for an easy way to protect your PCs and Macs, you’ll learn that Windows Home Server can play an essential role at the heart of your network.

For the “old timers” amongst you who own or have used Windows Home Server v1, the aim of this book is to bring to life the many improvements Microsoft’s latest release has over its predecessor, refresh your memory on some of the features you may have forgotten about, as well as show you a few new tricks you may not have realised were possible with your home server. We’ll also discuss some elements of the platform that were, well, a little better in the previous version.

Whilst I’ve called the book Windows Home Server 2011 – Step by Step, the plan is to do much more than cover the basics. Our journey together will start with an overview of what a home server is (and isn’t), and then dive into the platform itself, where we’ll talk through building and buying a home server, setting up your network, installing, configuring and working with Windows Home Server on a day to day basis, both in the home and remotely.

A server, whether in the home, small business or a large corporation is pretty useless without clients (devices that connect to the server, such as PCs, Printers and Digital Media Receivers) so we’ll also be spending time looking at how Windows Home Server works with applications like Windows Media Center for TV Recording, as well as streaming music, video and photos around the home, games consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and a host of other devices including printers, digital cameras, smartphones and more. Home Servers rock, but they rock a lot harder when they meet the rest of your devices in the home.

Who Is This Book For?

When starting out on a project like this, it’s useful to envision who will be reading, and why. My assumption is that you’ll have at least heard of Windows Home Server, or in more general terms, home servers or network attached storage devices and are interested in finding out more. You may have tried storing your growing collection of files on an external hard drive, but find it difficult to share files around the home. That hard drive is filling up, and you’re wondering what to do with your data. You may own or work for a small business with up to 10 PCs being used around the office, and have heard that Windows Home Server can backup and protect your vital data with ease, and allow centralised file sharing, user account management and remote access.

You may know a lot about computers, you may know just a little but I’m going to assume that just like me back in 2006, you own more than one PC, have a growing library of music, video, photos and other data to look after and you’re interested to learn why Windows Home Server is right for you.

My job is to help you get started with Windows Home Server, but more importantly, prepare you with the knowledge you need to begin your own adventures with the platform, at home, at work or on the road.

Who Am I to be Talking About This Stuff Anyway?

You know how sometimes you meet someone new, and you launch into a conversation without introducing yourself? I just did that. So, let me pause and tell you a little about who I am and why I’m writing this book. I’m Terry, and I love digital stuff. That’s almost it. I’m not an IT Professor or Professional, and I don’t have a list of thirty other books I’ve written before this one. I’m a regular guy with a growing collection of music, videos and photos, a few PCs around the house and a broadband internet connection – in short, along with my We Got Served collaborator Jim Clark whose written this book with me, I’m exactly the guy that Microsoft invented Windows Home Server for.

The story of how I was introduced to Windows Home Server may be similar to your situation…..

More: Continue Reading Windows Home Server 2011 Step by Step

Following the release in December of our popular Using OS X Lion Server at Home eBook, we were asked a question, “Why haven’t you done a guide to Windows Home Server”? We couldn’t think of a smart enough answer, so got to work writing one over Christmas…. and it’s ready for release! Authored by Microsoft Windows Home Server MVPs Terry Walsh and Jim Clark, Windows Home Server 2011 Step by Step is WGS’ comprehensive guide to Microsoft’s home server platform, covering hardware, software, add-ins, apps, tips, tricks, advice, support and a whole lot more.

Here’s what you can expect:

• 22 Chapters Covering the World of Windows Home Server 2011, With More On the Way
  Get over 500 pages of home server walkthroughs, covering a wide range of topics for beginners and experts alike. We’ll discuss why you need a home server in your digital home, the benefits of Windows Home Server vs other storage platforms and walk you through your first few days of life with your home server. From there, we move on to more advanced topics, covering Apple Mac integration, remote access and media streaming before kicking off a series of advanced projects to help you make the most of your home server.

• Simple, Straightforward Advice and Support
  Each chapter is crafted in We Got Served’s usual style – expect step by step advice and hundreds of lovingly captured screenshots to make working with Windows Home Server 2011 easy as pie – no matter if we’re talking basics, or advanced moves.

• Advanced Bonus Chapters Released Regularly
  Pick up the eBook, join the mailing list and over time you’ll receive a steady stream of updates for Windows Home Server 2011 Step by Step with new projects to help you do more with your home server. The first two projects, Install WordPress on Windows Home Server and Install a Photo & Video Gallery on Windows Home Server are included and future projects will include running photo galleries, wikis, file downloaders, managing metadata, sharing printers, managing the server via your smartphone, and more!

• Exclusive Content, Not Available on the Website
  Windows Home Server 2011 Step by Step includes tips, tricks, guides and walkthroughs not published at We Got Served, ensuring it’s our most comprehensive guide to owning Windows Home Server available.

• Follow Each Chapter On PC, Mac, Tablet, Kindle, Smartphone and more
  Your download includes both ePub and PDF versions of the book, which can be read on thousands of devices. Far more convenient than switching back and forth to the website as you work through each guide.

• Links to Online Discussion at WGS for Peer to Peer Support
  No need to miss out on the conversation online! Each chapter will be serialised and summarised on WGS where you can ask the community questions, share knowledge and solve problems together.

Chapter List

1. What is a Home Server?
2. Building Your Home Server
3. Should I Upgrade to Windows Home Server 2011?
4. Windows Home Server 2011 Hardware Requirements
5. Installing Windows Home Server 2011
6. Connecting Client Computers to the Server
7. The Launchpad
8. Managing Your Server With the Dashboard
9. Backing Up Your PCs
10. Restoring Files, Folders and PCs
11. Managing Users
12. Home Server Storage
13. Accessing Your Server Remotely
14. Doing More With Add-ins
15. Backing Up Your Server
16. Recovering Your Server
17. Windows Home Server and Apple Macs
18. Managing TV Recordings With Windows Media Center
19. Streaming Music, Videos and Photos
20. Install a WordPress Blog
21. Install a Photo and Video Gallery on Your Home Server
22. Share Your Printer With Devices On the Network

All subsequent project chapters in the coming weeks will be available for free to purchasers, just as we’re doing for the OS X Lion Server book. We’ve priced the eBook at a (hopefully reasonable) £12.99/$19.99/EUR 15.49 (exchange rate may vary the numbers by a few pennies) which is cheaper than other Windows Home Server 2011 titles on the market (by around 35% at the moment, looking around), and of course, the value will keep growing as we release more and more bonus chapters (we have quite a few in plan!). Jim and I have put in a serious amount of work on the project over the last couple of months, so hopefully that’s paid off in the shape of a valuable resource for WHS 2011.

Whether you’re new to Windows Home Server 2011, or you’ve mastered the basics and now want to do more to make your connected home completely awesome, you’ll find some great ideas, hints and tips in the book. (If there’s areas you want adding in the future, shout!)

More: Get Windows Home Server 2011 Step by Step

Our Using OS X Lion Server at Home series and eBook has been surprisingly popular – it seems that many WGS readers are planning, or have bought and are configuring Apple’s OS X Lion Server for use as a home server. With a paucity of information out there on working through Lion Server’s (sometimes quirky) configuration and setup, I hope the guide has been useful to everyone whose taken a look at it so far.

For those who haven’t checked it out, and are thinking about a switch then this weekend, we’re running a special 20% discount on all sales of the Using OS X Lion Server at Home eBook!

To take advantage, simply visit the WGS store, add the eBook to your cart, view the cart and you’ll find a Discount coupon field. Enter JANSALE20 to get 20% off and join the hundreds who have already downloaded the eBook in the first few weeks of release. The usual price of £9.99 has been discounted to just £7.99 (€9.16 EUR/$10.61)

What do you get?

15 Chapters Covering Basics and Advanced Topics, With New Chapters Available Each Week

250 pages of straightforward, no nonsense advice on using OS X Lion Server with PCs, Macs and Mobile devices at home, illustrated with full colour screenshots. Buy now and receive new exclusive chapters over the coming weeks, covering Secure Remote Access via VPN, iCloud Server Integration, Hosting Client Updates on the Server and much more.

Exclusive Content, Not Available on the Website

The Using OS X Server at Home eBook will include tips, tricks, guides and walkthroughs not published at We Got Served, ensuring it’s the most comprehensive guide to creating a Mac Home Server available.

Follow Each Chapter On PC, Mac, Tablet, Kindle, Smartphone and more

Your download includes both ePub and PDF versions of the book, which can be read on thousands of devices. Far more convenient than switching back and forth to the website as you work through each guide.

Links to Online Discussion at WGS for Peer to Peer Support

No need to miss out on the conversation online! Join the hundreds of readers who have commented on each chapter with links to We Got Served. Ask questions, share knowledge and solve problems together.

Chapter List

1. Introduction
2. Choosing Your Hardware
3. OS X Lion’s Features
4. Installing OS X Lion Server
5. The Server App
6. Storage and Network Configuration
7. Users and Groups
8. Managing OS X Devices With Profile Manager
9. Managing iOS Devices With Profile Manager
10. File and Folder Sharing
11. Create a Shared Family Address Book
12. Create a Shared Family Calendar
13. Setting Up iChat Server
14. Backing Up Your Macs to Lion Server With Time Machine
15. Backing Up Your PCs to Lion Server

Chapter 16, Access Lion Server From Anywhere, published soon. All susbequent chapters in the coming weeks will be available for free to purchasers. Think of it a little like a book club!

Reader Reviews of Using OS X Lion Server at Home

Your series is excellent. I purchased Lion Server without any prior knowledge or understanding of servers but am waiting to roll it out until I’ve been able to read all of your posts.

I would like to say that your series has been a great help to me personally. Thank-you sincerely for the obvious time and effort you have put into these articles.

I really wanted to thank you for a fantastic walk through, personally I’ve found it very supportive.

Superb walk through. Thanks for such a great series on Lion Server. This is by far the best information I have found on the subject.

Great work! This series of articles has been a real life saver.

Really appreciating your no nonsense guide.  Thank you.

Great stuff as usual! My experience is parallel with the series and I can’t wait for the next installment. I have no problem waiting as long as it takes because having a walk-through as beautiful as those you provide make the process “cake”. Thanks again!

Buy Now

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who’s taken time out to read and comment on We Got Served’s OS X Lion Server series, Using OS X Lion Server as a Home Server. It’s been our longest feature series to date (13 parts and still only half way through), and has received hundreds of comments from readers interested in experimenting with a Mac Home Server.

Over the last few months, I’ve had quite a few comments asking for the series to be presented in full in PDF or eBook format – reading through each part of the series is handy for some, but if you want to sit down and work through each guide next to a Mac Server, then there’s no substitute for having everything in the one file or document.

I’m very happy to announce that from today, you’ll be able to download the Using OS X Lion Server as a Home Server series in both eBook (ePub) and PDF formats, for reading on PC, Mac, Tablet and eBook reader. It’s taken a few weeks to research what’s required for eBook publishing and then reformat the content here on the website – imagine copying and pasting around 25,000 words from multiple web pages into a word processing app and then inserting hundreds of images and captions into that text. Sounds like fun? (No, it wasn’t). But it’s done.

I’ve also taken the decision to make the OS X Lion Server eBook a commercial release, at a (very reasonable) price of £9.99. In truth, whilst I’m really enjoying writing the series, it’s been a massive amount of work and when you bring it all together, we basically have all of the content you’d find in a book costing a whole lot more! So, if the series has been useful to you, and you’d like to show a little appreciation for the effort, then I heartily encourage you to pick up a copy of the eBook/PDF edition.

Going forward, the eBook edition will be updated with new chapters, well ahead of any release here on the website, and it’s likely that the eBook will have some exclusive chapters that won’t be released on the site – that’s to say thanks to those donating their hard earned cash. Apologies to all who believe that everything should be free, but I hope you see the work that’s gone into the series so far and value the time and energy that’s gone into creating it, converting it, and writing the rest of it!

For those purchasing, you’ll receive both PDF and ePub versions of the book as a download, and will receive an email announcement of each new chapter as it’s published, including a link for the updated download. Think of it a bit like a book club. There’s a host of additional content waiting in the wings, including walkthroughs on client backup with Time Machine, remote access via VPN, iCloud integration, support for Back to My Mac, OS X Software Update Services and, of course, removing Lion Server from your Mac (if you wish to revert to a standalone client). That’s just for starters! The next chapter, Client Backup via Time Machine, should be released next week, exclusively to eBook purchasers.

So, to support the site and buy Using OS X Lion Server at Home, head over to the WGS store! Please feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues via your favourite social network too!

As many users know, Mac OS X Lion will no longer backup to a Windows (SMB/CIFS) shared folder when using Time Machine. Only HFS+J formatted USB drives and AFP shares will work. Luckily, an open source package exists that provides support for AFP and Bonjour on Windows Home Server, called Netatalk. Though it was originally developed for Unix systems, it is possible to load a very small Linux virtual machine (<384MB of space) which will host Netatalk, and be configured to run at startup like a service. Follow this guide and you’ll be able to backup your Mac once again to Windows Home Server.

Requirements

To use this solution, you need about 512MB of free space (for good measure), and a Windows Home Server with at least 1GB of RAM. A decent processor (at least a Pentium) is also necessary, though users have reported success when backing up using a Celeron. You will need to acquire the following software:

• 7zip (or another program for bz2 and 7z files)
• coLinux
• Netatalk 2.2.1-3 package
• Toporesize package
• 64MiB swap file
• fixarch.sh (see forum thread)
• colinux.bat (see forum thread)

Preparation

To get ready for installation, make sure your WHS has enough space left to host the backups, and that there is no folder called “TimeMachine” on the root of the D: drive.

Installation

In this stage we install two programs, and move files into place.

1. Install 7zip, following the program’s instructions. You may wish to make the installation as small as possible, and remove almost all file associations. Another option after installation is to uncheck “Integrate 7-Zip to shell…” under Tools > Options > 7-Zip.

 

2. Install coLinux to c:\colinux, choosing only “FLTK”, “NDIS”, and “Root Filesystem”, then choosing “Archlinux” when prompted for a filesystem.

 

4. Expand the swap file to c:\colinux and rename it arch.swap

In the last part of our series, we looked at File and Folder Sharing - one of the foundation elements of a server platform. In the next few parts, we’ll be looking more at the applications which are bundled with OS X Lion Server. First off, it’s the turn of Lion Server’s Address Book, a central repository of contacts which can be searched and accessed by users and devices across your home network. The utility of such an application should be reasonably obvious. One day, we may all settle on a cloud service that intelligently holds and de-duplicates our family’s lists of contacts, sharing them across multiple devices of various flavours. But, unless you have too much time on your hands, I’m betting that right now, your contacts are most likely a bit of a mess. Sure, your mobile phone’s contact list may be in reasonable shape – after all, it’s where you need those contacts most. But are they synced with your computers? De-duplicated? Stored securely and backed up? For all family members? Whilst Lion Server’s Shared Address Book service was originally designed to support businesses with their internal/external contact list (and still fulfills that role in many organisations) it can most definitely do a job for us at home. Let’s take a look.

Configuring OS X Lion Server’s Address Book

On the Server side, configuring Lion Server’s Address book is very simple indeed. Open up the Server App and click on the Address Book entry in the left hand pane. You’ll discover one of those big Apple switches for starting the Address Book service, alongside an option to include your directory users’ information in any search results. Select that option, and throw the switch. Down at the bottom of the panel, you’ll see messages stating that the Address Book Server is starting (good), and a second message about Writing Profile Manager settings. Remember, each time you enable a new service in the Server app, you’ll switch on additional configuration settings in Profile Manager for your network devices. That’s why, if you click briefly on Profile Manager in the left hand pane, you’ll see an Address Book icon now appears next to Include configuration for services. The new configuration settings in Profile Manager will allow you to push your shared Address Book configuration (also known as the CardDAV configuration) down to your network devices. But we’ll configure a client manually next to dig into the detail.

Configuring Your Clients to Use the Address Book Server

With the Server configured, we now need to ensure that our Mac clients on the network can take advantage of it. To do so, on your Mac go to System Preferences > Mail, Contacts & Calendars.  Select Other, and check the radio button to Add a Mac OS X server account.   With any luck, your server will pop up in the resulting panel automatically (as shown here), otherwise, drop in your server’s address where requested. You have two choices at this point, depending on how you wish to configure your shared contacts list. You can choose to allow each user to create a personal address book on the server, that will be shared across the network on multiple devices, but is only accessible by their individual user account. Or, you can create a single shared address book for the family that everyone can use. I think most households will prefer the latter, but we’ll walk through configuring both types.

In Part 4 of our Using Apple OS X Lion Server as a Home Server series, we installed the server software on to our nominated Apple Mac – in our case, a 21.5″ iMac with an Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB RAM (see our hardware guide for minimum specifications). Once installation has finished, you’re left with a Server control panel or app, which is available in your Applications folder. This is where you’ll configure and manage all of your server’s settings – well, almost.

You see, OS X Lion Server is a transitional product, with a number of significant differences to it’s predecessor, Snow Leopard Server. From the outside looking in, it’s clear that Apple are on a mission to simplify their server platform – not to make it less powerful, oh no – but to make it easier to install, configure and manage. Gone is the requirement to install OS X Server on a desktop machine – if you want it on a laptop, go right ahead. New is the ease of purchase with a direct purchase and install from the App Store. Most significantly, new too is the greatly reduced price – and new to Lion is the Server app we’ve just opened. But there’s a little problem.

Whether it’s by design, or whether the developers simply ran out of time before release (by guess is the latter), not all of the administrative features of OS X Lion Server are available in the new Server app. The app is designed to expose the major features of OS X Lion Server, with simple, intuitive, friendly controls – like Windows Home Server’s Dashboard/Console.  But if you’re an experienced server guy or gal that’s looking for more advanced, granular control over your server, then you’ll need to download and install an additional suite of software from Apple, called Server Admin Tools. This includes a variety of applets, including:

Odds are, as it’s not included in the OS X Lion Server download, Server Admin Tools is considered to be peripheral, and/or is on its way out, with the remaining features to be bundled into the Lion Server app at some point in the future. But there may be some useful bits in there for us to take a look at later in the series. We’ll discuss both the Server app and Server Admin Tools as we go, so if you don’t have the latter on board right now, grab and install the download.

With both apps on board, let’s get back to basics – and by that, I’m referring to Lion’s new Server app. If it’s not already open, run it from your Applications folder and let’s take a look at what it can do.

The app is presented in a single window, split into three panes. On the left hand side, you can see a list of elements which can be configured with the app. At high level, these elements are split into Accounts, Status, Services and Hardware. Click down the list to view the various settings and controls for each element, which will be presented in the right hand pane. To provide some further guidance on what’s required to configure the Server, Apple has included a “Next Steps” pane at the bottom of the window which provides shortcuts to important tasks, providing a little commentary as you go along. So, no flashy graphics, animations or transitions – this is a server, remember? The Server app provides a simple control panel experience for configuring the machine – and others on the network.

Accounts
Users

No prizes for guessing that the Accounts options focus on the creation and management of user accounts and user groups. There are few surprises here, and that’s fine. User accounts can be created both for the local server (the machine itself) and for accounts to be used on all Macs on the network. There’s a variety of information requested for a new user, including full name, account name, email address and, of course, a password. A checkbox allows you to very simply define a user as an administrator and feel free to drop in a photo so you can remember what the kids look like (all this time playing with home servers… could be handy).

This is where you’ll amend any incorrect or changed account information – for example, resetting a password, and should you need to delete an account, you can do so here.

Control+Click a user, then select Edit Access to Services, and you’ll have granular access to limit the services available to each user – you can restrict users access to any services listed in the Server app except Web and Wiki services (which have their own user settings).Other useful settings include the ability to configure the location of a user’s home folder .

Whilst the Aurora Small Business Server beta program has been up an running for over a week now, you may not have had a chance to download and take a look at the features offered. But if you’re keen to learn more before downloading, Microsoft have published a wide range of resources to help you discover what’s new.

Product Overview

A 48 page document highlighting the background to and features of both Windows Server Aurora and the more traditional Windows Small Business Server 7 products. [Download]

Aurora Click-Thru Demo

A downloadable demo of Aurora’s key features, including initial configuration, client join, and remote web access. [Download]

Aurora Demo Video

A 20 minute video showing Aurora in action. [Download]

Windows Server Aurora Brochure

A two page brochure highlighting the key features and benefits of Aurora. [Download]

Following an announcement in July at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, the company have released their first public preview of the new small business server platform. Designed for SMBs with less than 25 employees, Aurora is an enterprise-grade server solution for small business owners who do not have the time, resource or expertise to install Microsoft’s existing Small Business Server or Windows Server 2008 R2 platforms. It achieves this through a philosophy of simplicity shared with Windows Home Server Vail (with which Aurora shares a common code base), extensive use of guided installation and configuration wizards as well as easy integration with cloud services for major line of business applications (such as email and collaboration software).

Note that the first release of Windows Server Aurora Preview is not intended for production environments, but should be installed for evaluation purposes only.

Differences to Windows Home Server Vail

Whilst sharing a common code base with Windows Home Server Vail (it’s no coincidence that both codenames are towns in Colorado) Aurora is targeted at small business customers rather than consumers. As a result, it offers a number of additional features for small business over Vail, and omits the more consumer oriented features of its close cousin. Here’s a brief comparison of features:

Feature	Aurora	Vail
Image Based Backup & Restore	Yes	Yes
Server Backup Support	Yes	Yes
Dashboard Based Management	Yes	Yes
Users & Clients Supported	25	10
Active Directory Support	Yes (Domain Root Only)	No
Homegroup Support	No	Yes
Launchpad on Client PC	Yes (Auto Logs-in)	Yes
Simplified Storage Management	Yes	Yes
System Health Alerts	Yes	Yes
Media Streaming	Not Included	Enhanced support with Silverlight enabled media player
Windows Media Center Integration	No	Partial (Library Support)
Extensibility	Yes, via SDK	Yes, via SDK
Enterprise Cloud Apps Support	Yes, via Subscription	No
Easy Remote Web Access to Server	Yes	Yes

In theory, a small business owner could utilise either product depending on the size and complexity of their business (indeed, many businesses currently use Windows Home Server v1 for client backup, file sharing and remote access). However, Active Directory support and the upcoming cloud application support for Aurora are compelling features for the workplace, and make it the better choice for small business.

Windows Server Aurora Installation

As we walk through each feature area in Aurora, you’ll notice many similarities in approach to Vail, with a few scattered differences. The principles of easy installation extend across both products, with a clear intent that a small business owner should be able to purchase an Aurora server from a retailer, plug in, install and configure the product without technical assistance in a matter of minutes. It’s an intent that’s delivered well across both platforms. The screenshots below show an installation of Aurora on a new machine – it is likely that the configuration on an OEM server will be even simpler.

The only real difference the user would note over Windows Home Server “Vail” is in the Server personalization screen, where a company name and domain name is requested. Aurora will sit at the root of the domain whereas Windows Home Server cannot be joined to a domain. Administrators must choose an original account name in Aurora, whereas the standard “Administrator” account is automatically configured in Vail.

The Xtreamer digital media player is one of the better DMRs we reviewed last year – just £99 for huge music and video file format support, including high definition playback over an HDMI connection. But as we noted in our review, it has one big drawback – a whining, high pitched fan which sounds like a mosquito buzzing around the room.

Fortunately, you can switch the fan off in the Xtreamer’s settings, but of course that could lead to the receiver overheating. So to solve the issue, Tranquil PC are now shipping the Xtreamer with a factory fitted cooler which passively reduces the heat which will build up when the fan is switched off.

If you’re an existing owner, you can order the cooler separately from Tranquil for around £15. The company sent us one over to fit to our review unit – here’s how it works.

Step 1: Download the fitting instructions.
The instructions are included with the cooler, but if yours hasn’t arrived yet, you can download the instructions from the Tranquil PC website.

Step 2: Remove the Xtreamer’s side panel

The side panel of the Xtreamer is glued in without screws – so simply take a flat-blade screwdriver and insert it between the metal edge of the Xtreamer and the plastic side panel (right hand panel when looking at the rear of the unit). Create a gap and then gently lift off the side panel. It’ll take a little bit of force as the panel is stuck down very well indeed with double sided tape.

Step 3: Remove the inner heat sink

Once the side panel has been removed, you’ll see an inner heat sink, which is silver. Remove this heat sink and then put it and the side panel to one side for later disposal. Your new cooler will act as an integral heat sink and side panel for the Xtreamer.

Step 4: Prepare and fit the new side panel

In your kit you’ll find some thermal paste. Apply a little to the top of the Xtreamer’s processor and remove any surplus sticky tape from the inside of the unit (to ensure the new panel will fit correctly).

Line up the rounded corners of the new side panel to the top of the Xtreamer for positioning, (the rectangular panel on the inside of the panel should fit neatly into the gap at the top of the inside chassis) and then remove the protective film from the panel before pressing it into the Xtreamer’s chassis. After a few hours of use, you should find the heat sink becomes a little warm to the touch – if so, it’s working correctly. If the panel remains cold, then the panel hasn’t been fitted correctly and may need to be repositioned.

And you’re done! Now head over to the Xtreamer’s settings menu and switch off that fan! Ahh… silence.