The Previous Versions functionality for files on Windows Home Server shared folders may not function correctly

The initial release of Windows Home Server uses Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) to support Previous Versions functionality for files that are stored in shared folders on the home server. Windows Home Server triggers a snapshot every 12 hours. This behavior lets you use the Previous Versions functionality to access previous versions of files that are stored in shared folders. (The Previous Versions functionality is available in some Windows client operating systems.)

Note The initial release of the OEM version of Windows Home Server does not use VSS.

However, in some conditions, the Previous Versions functionality for files on Windows Home Server shared folders may not function correctly.

Note This issue affects only the initial release of Windows Home Server. By default, if you install Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, VSS is disabled. This issue does not affect any other versions of Windows-based server systems or any versions of Windows Small Business Server.

When you try to access previous versions of files and folders in Windows Home Server shared folders, you may receive an error message. This issue occurs if you are using one of the following configurations.

Configuration 1

• The home server has more than one hard disk drive in the server storage.
• The file is in a shared folder that does not have the Folder Duplication feature enabled.

Configuration 2

• The home server has three or more disks in the server storage.
• The file or folder has no shadow copies on the primary hard disk.
• Windows Home Server was restarted since the latest snapshot was taken.
• The latest snapshot is the snapshot that is being accessed.

In these configurations, the following issues may occur when you use Windows Explorer on a home computer to access previous versions of the shared folders on a home server.

Issue 1

When you try to view a previous version of a file, you receive a "file not found" error message. Windows tries to open the file by using the default program for that file type. Therefore, the specific text of the error depends on the software that is used to view the previous version of the file. For example, WordPad displays the following error message:When you try to view a .doc file, you can view a previous version of the folder in which the file resides. However, if the files in the folder meet the conditions that are described in this section, you still receive an error message.

Issue 2

When you try to copy a previous version of a file or a folder, you receive the following error message:
Issue 3

When you try to restore a previous version of a file or a folder, you receive the following error message:

To turn off and remove the current previous versions of files and folders in Windows Home Server shared folders, follow these steps:

1. Download Windows Home Server Toolkit v1.1 on your home computer. To do this, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:
   
   Windows Home Server Toolkit v1.1 (32-Bit)
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=71ef4793-5f81-4ef7-8c7d-fe905094ab13&DisplayLang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=71ef4793-5f81-4ef7-8c7d-fe905094ab13&DisplayLang=en)
   Windows Home Server Toolkit v1.1 (64-Bit)
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8c536513-e0bc-4594-86b2-e65c6ed809b6&DisplayLang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8c536513-e0bc-4594-86b2-e65c6ed809b6&DisplayLang=en)
2. Download the Windows Home Server Toolkit User Manual, and then follow the instructions to install the toolkit and the add-in on your home server. To download this manual, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=D6B60E67-4CC8-49F0-BEFF-A2556881E4BF&displaylang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=D6B60E67-4CC8-49F0-BEFF-A2556881E4BF&displaylang=en)
3. On your home computer, double-click the Windows Home Server icon in the notification area to open the console.
4. Click Settings to open the Windows Home Server Settings page.
5. Click Support Toolkit.
6. Click the Command Prompt button.
7. At the command prompt, type Disablevss.exe, and then press ENTER.

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post more information in this article when the information becomes available.
Until this problem is resolved, you should not rely on the Previous Versions functionality for the shared folders to roll back files and folders to previous states or to restore deleted files and folders from the shared folders on a home server.