Does Windows Home Server Support Advanced Format Hard Disks?
Our friend Andrew over at Using Windows Home Server website has written an article that both exposes and also answers some of the nagging questions surrounding the support of the newer Hard Drives coming out called “Advanced Format Hard Drives” within the Windows Home Server environment.
Manufacturers are now shifting to this new technology which requires that the hard disk be formatted and aligned in 4k sectors instead of the older 512 byte sectors currently used by most software. Microsoft has submitted a KB (Knowledge Base) article about Windows Home Server’s compatibility with these new drives, which Andrew covers in depth here.
The answer to the question as to whether WHS supports Advanced Format disks in a nutshell:
Windows Home Server v1: No, do not use Advance Format disks in your Windows Home Server v1 machine.
Windows Home Server “Vail”: The forthcoming Windows Home Server v2 codenamed “Vail” will support Advanced Format disks.
Thanks Andrew for keeping us up to speed! Remember to catch Andrews article with full details on Microsoft’s KB article here.
Tom
[via usingwindowshomeserver.com]
