my hdd was damaged lately, i am still using usb enclosure.
so i am looking for a NAS. but this box is quite expensive.
before i go ahead, i wanna make sure what i will get.

1. how fast is file transfer through lan?
2. can i install software on the ex485, such as utorrent, powershell, etc?
3. is hardware upgrade easy?
4. is remote desktop possible?
5. do they have a version with HDMI output? (it's fantastic for a dvd player replacement.
6. does the bundle software support cannon raw?
7. is it possilbe to precisely set the permission of a folder
that A can only write and read but not delete, while B has full access?
8. is it possible installing other version of windows server, let say 2008?

I'll answer as many questions as I can but, admittedly, several of these questions have already been answered in the forums if you were to do a search.

1. Depends. If on gigabit, typically 20-30 Mbps/sec but it varies.
2. Yes. Windows Home Server has its roots from Windows Server 2003. It's not a desktop computer so approach it as a server environment.
3. Upgrading memory is a 15 minutes or less job. You can upgrade the CPU as well. Search the forums for more details.
4. Yes
5. No. Not in the Mediasmart. Not sure if this can be done in a DIY configuration.
6. Short answer is No but support for RAW comes out of 3rd party apps like from Canon, Adobe, etc. This is not a WHS limitation and applies to all OS's.
7. WHS supports "share level" permissions and not "file level" permissions for the end-user to manipulate.
8. Some folks here have explored this - even Linux. Perform a search on these forums.

I hope I've been accurate with my responses. I'm sure folks may jump in to answer or comment.

_________________
Richard

My gadget blog: http://www.gadgetinsane.com

Thanks.
20-30Mbps?
it's even slower than a usb connection.

Even though USB 2 is rated at 480 Mbps, real-world is around 40-50 Mbps.

As for the 20-30 Mbps, some have gotten more but, yes, it will be slower than USB and will be the bottleneck between the two.

_________________
Richard

My gadget blog: http://www.gadgetinsane.com

The LAN speed limitations are really no different for the MSS than they will be in your network for any other network device such as a NAS.

_________________
....JBick

EX475, 2 GB, LE-1640
PC1: Vista-->W7 Ultimate/32, (D-Drive RAID-5 Array)
PC2: Lenovo Laptop, Win XP Home SP3
2xLinksys WRT54G v1.1 and 2xNetGear GS105 Gbit switch