Ok, I know…it’s a relic right?
Sure, but recently I lost a PC to a virus and was wishing my old Acer H340 Home Server was still alive.
Sadly though, it was been is a state of total disrepair. As is quite common with these servers, the dtabase became corrupted and would never fix itself with the database fix yourself tool. So it limped along acting as a half asses file server for photos and music.
Once the database went south, the daily backup stopped working. It’s that backup feature that had saved my bacon more than once.
Eventually I picked up a Synology DS-214play and recovered most of the files off the Acer.
So tonight I am sitting down to once and for all factory reset this old box to see if it’s still got any usefulness besides just sitting the looking cool.
My first hurdle was to get the Server Recovery program to find in on the network. After some finagling and turning off a d-link router acting as an access point in the back garage, it was found and the recovery procedure proceeded.
1. Insert the Server Recovery CD in a PC on your network. Run the setup. Follow the hardware reset instructions.
2. Using a paperclip, press the reset button, hold it and power up the H340 by pressing the front power button.
3. Hold the reset for about a second longer than the power button then release it.
4. The software will try to locate your server. When found, start the restore.
It is alive?
Once the software recovery process completes, you will get a Windows Home Server Setup window appear.
It will search for your server, but unless it’s all booted up, that won’t happen.
I am watching the post installation indication on the H340 front LED panel.
All the drives are lit purple, meaning not ready.
The network is banging away, but I am curious what it’s really doing?
If this were 5 years ago, I’d say it’s downloading all the patches, but I’m not sure anyone is still supporting Windows Server 2003.
End of life on Widows Server 2003 was July 14 2015. If clearly found something and it still at it a few hours after the install ended.
As of this writing, there is still a page for Windows Server 2003 Downloads at Microsoft.
Drive activity shows an occasional blip followed by pretty heavy drive activity so I’m going to be patient, assume it’s really doing updates and let it run overnight. If memory serves, the initial installation out of the box was lengthy too.
I have 4 drives installed, two 1TB and two 500Gb. Maybe it needs to slow format those too. Patience…this thing doesn’t have a lot of hamster power.