Windows Home Server - can it be used like a normal PC?

[JonB]

Can I install Windows Home Server and use that PC for non-server tasks like surfing the net? How similar to a regular PC would it appear to a non-admin person?

Here is my scenario: I have a friend who runs a small bookstore. Her point of sale software runs on a WinXP Home computer as the "master" inventory database and then two Cash Register computers connect to it via a 100mbps Ethernet LAN. After the system has been running for days or weeks, an error will pop up on one of the registers saying that it cannot "connect." This is due primarily to XP's limit of 10 remote file connections not keeping updated since the max files needed per register is only two files.

I think Home Server would fix the "files" problem but the store workers also use that computer to place internet book orders. Will this work?
For sure? or most likely would? or probably not?

Thanks.

 

[WT]

It is a headless setup, so you won't be attaching any display to it. The connection to it is managed via any other networked PC and a small try app that allows you to connect to it. You can also use RDC to actually 'work' on the server, but I wouldn't recommend that as there are very few antivirus solutions available for it currently. Why Live OneCare doesn't work with it is anyone's guess at this point. Anyhoo, you wouldn't want to be randomly surfing with a PC that doesn't have some third party stuff filtering out any garbage that you might pick up from a malware attack.

 

[bsobel]

It can be its highly recommended not to, its easy to screw up the extender technology if you start mucking on the server box itself.

 

[XBoxLPU]

WT, a home built WHS isn't headless and there is avast whs.

If you could make the WHS as secure as possible and only visit the online book order I wouldn't see a problem with it. The problem lies with co-workers murking around in OS that could break the server.

 

[WT]

DoH !! XB, I read this one over lunch and made my quick reply without reading the fact that OP was using the WHS OS, and NOT the WHS server itself. My bad, and I stand corrected.

Edit: I ran Avast on mine, but 60 days goes by in quite a hurry too (trial version).