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Hi Guys,

Have a big question here, which I don’t know much about, but would love to learn.

Currently I have 2 computers in my house, one XP Pro and one Vista Home Premium. I then have a 3rd machine running XP Pro which acts as a very basic server. I have created 4 folder for the four family members, then made 4 accounts on each computer and then located their ‘My Documents’ folder on their folder on the ‘Server’

This sort of works but for things like email and contacts it doesn’t. I want to be able to login on either of the computers with my login and password and access contacts, email, program like word excel and Internet with firefox (with synchronized bookmark which I use foxmarks for).

I have briefly heard about using windows home server but know hardly anything about it. So I need some help on how to get this up and running. The computer that I use as a ‘Server’ is a Dell something with a 500gb hard drive and dual core Intel running at something like 3.2gb (I cant be bothered to hook up a monitor at the moment) and has 2Gb of RAM.

The thing that may be a problem is that the Vista PC uses Windows contacts and Windows Mail, whereas the XP Pro one uses Windows Office Outlook. They are both extensively used so there can be NO errors or loss of data. (I will be backing up EVERYONE'S DATA!)
Also, is there an option to use Linux as the server? I have used Linux a few times before for a desktop OS but not familiar with the insides of it.

Lastly, I use a MacBook so would like to be able to access my files at least on the other computers, but would need to be able to take them with me. This is not essential but would be useful.

Oh Yeah and here is some other info that you might want:
Using a NETGEAR DG834GT which is wireless b+g
‘server’ is hardwired to the router
XP Pro uses a wireless PCI Card
VISTA PC is hardwired too.
MacBook uses Wifi

Hope somebody can at least give me some hints!

Tom

Hello and welcome to PCHelpForum.

We have a great Tech Team and great technicaly minded members who will help you with your issues.

I have marked your thread as "Open" in readyness for you to get the help you seek.

JB.

Ok, let me help you here
for the Firefox book mark use this
How to synchronize bookmarks between computers and browsers
Should sort the Emails and contacts out as well.
and to synic the Mac to the PC's and all the changes use this

SugarSync - An All in One Syncing Tool

if you dont want to pay for the above link (bookmark/Emails free), there are lotsd of freeware apps to do this as well.

hi thanks for all that.

I am kind of looking for something bigger and better than that. I was round my aunts and she got a laptop from home and when you turn it on it shows a login screen and then you select the domain from a menu and then when you login all of your settings, documents and everything is there! I can do simple synchronization but I would like to experiment with something bigger and better.

As I said I have one fast Dell machine to play about and after looking around since I have another machine! I just can find any information about this kind of thing as I dont know what it is called!

Thanks

Tom

Ah, you're looking for something like Novel
Novell NetWare Client for Windows XP/2000: Overview

I'm 99.9% sure thats what you want?

Yep that looks pretty close, I have sorted out the Mac situation as well by using microsofts foldershare beta program.

Im not sure whether it is free or not. It has lots of links to buy the product, but never mentions the price, but also when you go to the download section, you can download the whole thing i think.

Do you have a Novell Netware Server at home?