Microsoft Says Home Server Bug Fix Due In June
Microsoft's Windows Home Server team is now testing the fix internally, a process that should take several weeks due to the fact that the issue lies deep within the innards of Windows Server 2003, upon which the software is based, according to a Monday post to the Home Server team blog.
"We understand the issue really well at this point -- it is at an extremely low level of the operating system and it requires thorough testing to ensure that the fix addresses the issue," according to the team's blog post.
If no further complications arise, Microsoft will release the fix to public beta testers in the next few months and roll out the final version in June, although that date isn't set in stone, the Home Server team noted in the blog post.
The Home Server bug originally surfaced in December, when Microsoft warned customers and partners that using Vista Photo Gallery, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Office OneNote 2007, Office OneNote 2003, Office Outlook 2007, Money 2007, and SyncToy 2.0 Beta to save files to Home Server could result in their files being corrupted.
In February, Microsoft revealed that 14 additional applications could trigger the bug, including Excel, Windows Media Player 11, Zune Software, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple iTunes, Mozilla Thunderbird, uTorrent, and WinAmp.
But in the Monday blog post, the Home Server team pointed out that some of the instances that were initially attributed to the bug "ended up being something else, such as a faulty network card/driver, old routers with outdated firmware, or people incorrectly testing the limits of their home servers."
In an updated Knowledge Base article, Microsoft -- as it has done since the bug was unearthed -- downplayed the impact of the problem. "We are aware of only a very small percentage of users with confirmed instances of this issue, and we believe that most people are unlikely to be affected," according to article.
As a precautionary measure, Microsoft advised Home Server users to use Windows Explorer or a command-line tool to copy files to and from the Windows Home Server-based computer.
"Do not use applications to directly edit or change files that are stored on the Windows Home Server-based computer," Microsoft warned in the article.