Microsoft Announces WHS Power Pack 3 Beta

Just a few months after Microsoft announced Windows Home Server Power Pack 2, the company has announced the beta program for the third version, which, not surprisingly, is oriented around Windows 7. Users can sign up for Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 on the Microsoft site.

WHS has always featured the ability to save images of Windows, specifically Windows Vista and XP. With WHS PP3, Microsoft said, users will be able to create image-based backups for Windows XP SP2, Vista, and Windows 7 machines.

Interestingly, that also includes netbooks. Microsoft is pitching WHS as an ideal backup solution for memory-restricted netbooks. Windows 7 also features the ability to transcode video for playback on a number of devices, and WHS will support this feature as well, according to Microsoft. For example, video recorded on the TV can be trnascodes to 320 x 240 resolution for palyback on a Windows Mobile smartphone, or to 640 x 480 for playback on the Zune. Music, Videos and other folders on the Home Server will also be added to the Windows 7 libraries.

Power Pack 2 included the capability to add Media Center Extenders, such as the Xbox. Power Pack 3 will build on that, according to Microsoft.

"Last March, Power Pack 2 added functionality that allowed Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders to easily access the content on a home server. Power Pack 3 Beta builds on this functionality," Microsoft wrote in a blog post. "When the Windows Home Server Connector software is installed or updated on a Windows Media Center computer, the next time a user starts Windows Media Center they will be prompted to install the Windows Media Center Connector. Users will notice a new Home Server selection in Windows Media Center menu."

Microsoft also said that there would be improvements to search, and an improved console view will allow users to monitor the health and status of WHS as it performs backup and other tasks.