Should i use server home 2011 or free nas?

[booger68]

Hi all,

I have been doing a little reading up on the server and i have an old motherboard and some parts i may want to make up a server.

Should i go with freenas or windows home server 2011?

My current computers are 2 home built desktops and 1 dell laptop all are running windows 7 i will be consolidating all of my files on the server if i go that route.

Would a server setup save on hardrive space as i have the same info on both desktops and an external hardrive for the laptop?

thanks
booger

[glc]

WHS is easier to set up for people who are familiar with Windows, but freenas will do the job very well too.

If all you want is a file server to be a repository for all your files, any version of Windows will work fine in workgroup mode.

[booger68]

Thanks GLC,

So i can just run all my files on 1 computer then just leave the os going on the others? I figured that things would run smoother if i set up a server?
Shows how much i know!!

Thanks
booger

[glc]

It will be smoother if you dedicate one computer to file serving and use it minimally as a workstation. If they are all Windows 7, you can use Homegroup for real easy configuration.