Chapter 3. Building a Windows Home Server
You're handy with a screwdriver. You've installed new hard drives and video cards into your PCs before. Maybe you've even put together PCs from parts. You're not alone — self-assembled computers are quite popular, and building your own is a surefire way of knowing exactly what components are going into it.
The build-your-own option is terrific for creating a Windows Home Server machine. While it is not always as economical as buying a complete system, you do have the opportunity to choose exactly the hardware you want, with the features you need.
Perhaps you even have an old desktop or laptop computer stashed away in the basement or in a closet, with specs that meet or almost meet Windows Home Server's fairly modest requirements. Why not reuse it as your Home Server machine? Sure, it may not have the cool, updated looks and sleek design of some of the dedicated Windows Home Server systems available, but for only the price of the operating system itself and perhaps a hard drive or two, you can have a machine that is just as capable as its flashier commercial brethren.
Choosing Components
Building a server from component parts lets you choose exactly what you want. Do you want a compact server that you can hide away somewhere? Or do you want a large tower machine that you can cram full of hard drives? Perhaps you would be happy ...
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