Introduction

This post was originally published on June 15th, 2018.

Using Windows 10 as a home server has a few perks. First of all, you might have been eligible for the free upgrade. Even if you weren't, Windows 10 is far cheaper than legal editions of Windows Server (especially if you buy an OEM version). Besides, Windows 10 is Microsoft's vision for the future, for better or worse. The company has become less focused on consumer versions of Windows as a cash generator, so they aren't trying to sell us the latest and greatest OS every three years anymore. What that does mean, though, is that Windows 10 is updated often and should be around for a long time. This is a win for the consumer.

Another benefit is using an operating system you're already familiar with. You don't have to learn complicated server software. Even WHS 2011, which was designed from the ground up to be an "easy-to-use-at-home" server, had a fairly steep learning curve. I had to learn about Server Manager, Remote Apps, and how to configure ports so I could access the Remote Web Access page. Windows 10 doesn't come with any of that shiny server stuff.

With all that said, Windows 10 is not server software. It is not intended to be used as a server OS. It cannot natively do the things that servers can. But, with a little help from 3rd party software, it does a pretty good job. I highly recommend the Pro version of Windows 10.

After I decided to rebuild my home server, I was faced with the bitter reality that WHS 2011 was now an unsupported operating system. I didn't want to spend countless hours learning Linux, and I wasn't sure if Amahi would deliver for my needs. I'm one of the few people in my neck of the woods that actually likes Windows 10, but I wanted to keep the features of WHS 2011 that I actually used:

  • File server for my LAN
  • Remote access to my files
  • Media streaming (local and remote)
  • Automatic client backups

Also note, this article is written with the intent of using Windows 10 Pro as the OS of choice, not Windows 10 Home. With that said, let's get started setting up Windows 10 as a home server!

Windows 10 as a File Server

This sounds pretty easy. We'll just set up a HomeGroup, and uh, what's that? HomeGroup has been discontinued as of the latest version of Windows (build 1803)?  Well I wouldn't have recommended HomeGroup anyway. In WHS 2011 we created users,  then those users were assigned permissions that allowed access to our shared folders. This is pretty much what we're going to do, we just won't have the nice Dashboard interface that WHS 2011 gave us. We'll do it manually.

First, create any users that you want to have access to the shared folders. For a home server, this will probably be just a handful of people. The larger your user group is, the more time you will spend managing file access. First, create your users- these can be either Microsoft accounts or local accounts.

Slideshow- Tap or click to view

Click + Add someone else to this PC.

You use a Microsoft account if you want, but I'm going to add a local account instead. Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.

Enter a username, password, and fill in the security questions. Then click Next. Follow the prompts to add the new user.

Next, make sure you're happy with the structure of your hard drives. You probably already did this during OS installation, but make sure your partitions are how you want them to be forever. I like to use different drives to separate my entertainment from my important files. So I'll put my documents, photos, and programs on one hard drive, and movies, TV shows, and music on another. A little planning now might save you a lot of headache later.

Finally, we'll create the folders that we're going to share:

Slideshow- Tap or click to view

Click on Disk Management.

Verify the structure of your partitions before you start adding shared folders. This will make it easier in the long run.

In File Explorer, navigate to the hard drive or partition where you want to add a shared folder.

Right-click and select New Folder. You can rename it to whatever you want.

Right-click on the newly created folder, then click Properties.

Choose the Sharing tab. Click Advanced Sharing.

Check the box that says Share this folder.

Give your shared folder a name. This is what will show up in File Explorer, not the actual folder name. Click Permissions.

Remove the user Everyone. You certainly DO NOT want everyone to have access to your files.

Click Add.

You can only add users that have an account on this computer. It can be a Microsoft account or a local account. Click Check Names to verify the account. If everything is good, click OK.

The default permission is read only. Change means users can also add/modify/delete the contents of the shared folder. Full Control means the user can also modify permissions.

Choose your allowed permissions then click OK.

Click OK again to close out the window.

Finally, click Close.

Now, navigate to the shared folder. Notice it DOES NOT say "New Folder", but rather the share name is shown in File Explorer. Congrats, that's all there is to adding user permissions to a shared folder. Repeat this procedure for each user.

Windows 10 as a Remote File Server

This is one area where I will greatly miss Windows Home Server. WHS 2011 let you set up Remote Web Access, which was pretty much a web site you logged into to access your files when you were away from home. So we're going to use the next best thing- a VPN. VPN stands for virtual private network, and provides end-to-end encryption to keep your files secure.

The drawback is that you will need access to a VPN server on your network. Higher-end consumer routers like Netgear Orbi have built-in VPN servers. Personally, I've been using pfSense with OpenVPN for years without a hitch (pfSense is free router software!). You can even use Windows 10 Pro as your VPN server and forward the ports from your router. There are many different ways to achieve this, but that goes beyond the scope of this article.

Once you have a working VPN connection, it's just like being on your network while at home:

Slideshow- Tap or click to view

Open up File Explorer. Type in the UNC path name (i.e., \\yourservername\).

You will now have access to your server's shared folders!

Windows 10 as a Media Server

One of the advantages of WHS 2011 was the ability to stream movies, shows, and music over the internet. This was done through the Remote Web Access page. I used this feature right up until I discovered Plex. Plex is a streaming service and content organizer all rolled into one package. The interface is phenomenal- Plex will automatically download metadata to keep your library up-to-date. Apps are available for all major platforms. Plex is free, but there's a paid option that allows to you to create more users, gives you access to the latest content, and create premium libraries.

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For more information on Plex, see this article here.

Windows 10 as a Backup Server

A popular feature of WHS 2011 was the ability to perform automatic backups so you could "bare-metal" restore your PC quickly. This worked OK until Windows started shipping with UEFI Secure Boot. This made it almost impossible for me to restore from the recovery disc. This didn't make the backup feature worthless though, because each backup was stored as an archive that I could browse kind of like opening File Explorer. This saved me a number of times, as I could easily recover files I had deleted.

You won't find this capability in Windows 10. However, you can get pretty close by using Acronis True Image. Here's a link to their pricing options. Depending on the number of PCs you need to back up, this could really add to the cost of your server, so make sure you price everything out ahead of time. Acronis will allow you to perform automated backups to a network device. The backups are stored as archives, similar to WHS 2011, and even open in File Explorer for easy access.

To set up a network location in Acronis True Home Image, follow the slideshow below:

Slideshow- Tap or click to view

Next click Browse.

If you don't see your server under Network, type the UNC path into the box above (i.e., \\yourservername\). Press Enter.

Enter your login credentials if necessary. Then click the Test connection button.

If everything goes smoothly, you'll see a confirmation message. Press Connect to proceed.

Double-click to expand your server.

You'll see all of your server's shared folders.

You can choose an existing folder or add a new one. Once you're done, click the OK button.

You can either wait until the next backup time or click Back up now. I'd recommend backing up now to make sure it actually works.

Other Benefits of Windows 10 as a Home Server

I run Blue Iris on my server so I can record my security cameras to a hard drive. Thus, my home server also acts as an NVR. I use ViceVersa Pro software to automatically backup folders to my NAS. My server's monitor is a 50″ HDTV, so I also use it as a gaming console. I run NxFilter on it so I can monitor my kids' internet activity. I even use a video capture card that can record TV. Basically, what you get with Windows is an extensive library of utilities and programs that can harness a wide range of hardware.

One of the more contentious aspects of Windows 10 is automatic updates. A lot of people hate this feature, but I love it. I love knowing that my PC is constantly being patched to protect it. I don't visit many sketchy places on the internet, but still, I haven't had a problem with malware since I installed Windows 10. All I use is the native Windows Defender. I've never had my computer restart while I'm using it. Microsoft does allow you to set active hours, giving you further protection against a rogue restart. Overall, automatic updates are a welcome feature that help make Windows 10 a stable platform.

Conclusion

If you do a quick Google search of "Windows 10 as a home server", you will get a ton of opinions that lean toward "get a real server." People that work in IT sometimes suggest a Windows-based server. This is the most expensive option, and you probably wouldn't use many of the features you paid for, such as a domain controller. Power users might recommend Ubuntu Server, or some other flavor of Linux. The Linux options are usually free, but can be a pain if you don't already know Linux. Other options include QNAP, Amahi, or FreeNAS.

I'm going to go against the grain and recommend Windows 10 Pro. It's a popular OS that you probably already use anyway. Or at least know how to use it. It's a widely supported desktop OS. It's stable. There's minimal configuration to get you up and going. Automatic updates help protect your PC. It supports Remote Desktop.

Really, the only drawback is that the software you might need doesn't come baked into the OS. So you'll need to shell out some extra cash for software, as well as install and configure it on your own. If you can live with that, then you'll probably be OK using Windows 10 as a home server!

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