Advantages of WHS 2011 over Windows 7/8

The major advantage is a centralized/automated backup location for all your house's PCs. Plus, with a server there are less concerns about size/noise as you would otherwise have in a dedicated HTPC.

If you decided to setup a WHS2011 system, I'd recommend using the automatic recorded TV backup feature that'll be installed in Media Center to push your recordings over to the server. Then you'd have all your HTPCs point at the server instead of each other.

The automated backup is a nice feature, and it is fast. However, it does not appear, on the surface, to be an incremental backup? I am already eating up HDD space on my OS drive for my server. I have pared it down to necessary systems, but WHS tells me this may inhibit a full restore, in the case of a catastrophic crash.
I am also toying with no backup whatsoever. I have been running for a number of years without, and am unsure if it is even necessary. (Of course, if i have a crash, I would feel otherwise...)

Except for the centralized backup feature, I didn't see any other advantages of WHS2k11 over Win7. I use Acronis True Image 2k13 for doing incremental backups and it works REALLY well, much better than the built-in Windows solution. You can mount the backup images as a virtual drive and move files over if you needed to. For a media/file server, it really doesn't matter which OS you use. It will come down to the apps you will need run in your server and if they will be compatible with the OS.

WHS2011 backup works best when backing up more than one PC. It uses de-duplication so it only uses extra storage on what is different on the additional PCs, i.e. it will only need to save Windows and Office once. It provides access to the daily backups for individual file restores as well as full bare metal image restore. You either access the file restore using the Connector Dashboard or you create a boot disc to do an image restore over the network to the client PC.

Windows Home Server 2011 is, I believe, based on Microsoft's Small Business Server 2008 product, and it carries many of the same kinds of server optimization and management tools that you'd expect to find in a dedicated server OS. Depending on which flavor of Windows 7 you're comparing it to, those tools may or may not be available to you. The backup feature of WHS2011 has been problematic for me. I have one HTPC that will not back up no matter what form of persuasion I apply, and I've never had to do a restore yet, so I don't know what is involved in that. My server also hosts shared directories for all of our content (documents, movies, music, recorded TV, etc..). I also host a network printer and my InfiniTV card (which provides HD tuners over the network to the HTPC's).

In the end, WHS is cheaper than 7 and has the features that make it useful for the media applications that I use it for. You could use 7 for all these things, but configuring it might be more of a headache. WHS2011 is "turn key".. install, configure, connect PC's and you're off and running.

Main reasons IMO are:
1. Automated backup of Windows machines with de-duplication
2. Add-in for WMC that automatically copies your recordings to the server where all of your machines can access them (unless they're copy once)
3. Inexpensive

It does incremental and de-dup too. But the back up is image based, not file based. So, it has to back up the entire volume (with some folders excluded). A 2 TB HDD is more than enough to back up half dozen PCs.

How about cost ?? WHS is cheaper

how does WHS beat the $15 or $40 for Windows 8?

show me a $15 or $40 full version of win8 and I will tell you why

Those deals a long gone.

WHS 2011 does not backup newest computers with UEFI bios and GPT partitions. Kind of makes it worthless for newer PC's . I'm no expert, but what use would you have for WHS 2011 without the ability to auto backup client PC's ?

Most only back up SSD drives or OS drives.... The data is actually on the server.

I back up all drives on my connected PCs (except for RecordedTV folder on the HTPC). But I've got Windows Server 2012 Essentials so this limitation no longer applies.

It backs up perfectly Win 8 Asus P8Z68V-PRO (UEFI bios).

WHS2011 does backup UEFI bios and GPT partition PC's.

David
Edited by DavidT99 - 4/20/13 at 2:57pm

Yes, but only after a recent hotfix.

Well, it still backs up UEFI/GPT devices then. Just apply the hotfix!

Honestly, WHS2011 is a full server O/S rather than a desktop O/S doing server duties. That's not to say a desktop can't do a lot of things a server can, but there are coded limitations. I'm very happy with WHS2011 (although I had to add 3rd party drive pooling software). It still feels modern, and is bulletproof reliable. I considered WS2012Essentials, but was put off by some things, but mainly the price!

If you want a device to do server duties, then get a server grade O/S.

WHS 2011 is a server OS where Windows 7/8 are desktop OSes. DNS, DHCP, IIS, VPN, remote desktop among other things are available without using crippled or 3rd party software.