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Beyond any applicable Newegg return policy, this item is warranted independently by the product's Manufacturer. Below is a summary provided for convenience only and may not be accurate or current.
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Manufacturer Limited Warranty period (parts): 1 year
Manufacturer Limited Warranty period (labor): 1 year
HP takes aim at the top of the home server market and hits it spot on with the MediaSmart series. This compact box is more than just a drive controller and some connectors. It's powered by an extremely energy efficient Intel Celeron 2.0GHz 64-bit processor with 2GB of DDR2 memory. Windows Home Server operating system helps you easily store, access, share and protecting your digital files.
The EX485 features 4 hard drive bays for easy expandability. It already includes a large 750GB SATA drive for great storage, and you can add additional hard drives without tools. If that isn't enough, there are 4 external USB 2.0 ports for external storage devices, printers and wireless networking. Or, if you want to go wired, there's a Gigabit Ethernet port. An e-SATA port is provided for high-speed external drives. This gives you redundancy or the ability to attach networked devices.
Automatically manage files, back up multiple computers and deliver security protection. You can even set up a personal web address to be used for remote access and by visitors. Enjoy the functionality home server system with HP MediaSmart EX485!
Pros: I installed a WD HDD and now I have no problems, can’t stress enough how highly recommend you get rid of the Seagate drives that come with these units! When paired with good hard drives the EX485 goes beyond my expectation and works flawless! The boys and girls at HP do need to product test more effectively before shipping off to customers, I do think considering that this is simply a revision product they should have done a better job.
Cons: These ship with Seagate 7200.11 drives and the firmware as we all know, well it doesn't work and the new firmware to fix these issues is just as bad! HP Tech support spent well over 20 hours with me before anyone said “hey maybe it's the firmware”! They really really don't want to replace these drives and do everything in there power to drag out the process. I think both HP and Seagate know they have a major problem and they are not sure yet how to fix this issues. I am glad to see most people have not experienced this problem, just be aware it is out there and when it does happen it makes you loose everything on your server! I lost everything twice before I told HP no more and switched to a WD drive. Basically I bought software and a Box to hold a drive, HP was not willing to send me anything other than a Seagate drive and I just can’t afford to loose my information for a third time!
Other Thoughts: Before you buy the EX485 just beware that there is a firmware problem with the hard drives in these units the 750GB Seagate drives that HP has used do have a firmware bug! Also be aware that green power drives are not recommended to be used in these servers and they also say Spinpoint drives have had problems as well as RE3 drives and any drives specifically used for a RAID setup! HP recommends using a non power saving SATA model not specifically designed for a RAID setup! If you have any questions call HP Tech support they will confirm this information. I find it a shame HP shipped these servers knowing there were firmware issues, this could be such a great product, but it has been marginalized by using Seagate drives. I understand that HP has a contract with Seagate and they are going to stick with them, bad move especially since a lot customers are not buying in this market environment! BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE
64 out of 97 people found this review helpful.
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Excellent Tech Support for a Great Product
Reviewed By: Feynmanfan on 3/4/2009
Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
Pros: I based my decision to buy this product upon the many glowing reviews out there on the web, however it was only after I installed that I discovered the most compelling reason to choose this over any other WHS option – HP’s excellent technical support.
While the setup process is extremely simple, I still managed to come up against several snags during the first week of use that prompted me to call tech support. In each instance I was connected in less than two minutes to a courteous and knowledgeable support rep who patiently worked with me to resolve my issue.
In this age where outsourcing and customer-no-service is becoming seemingly more prevalent, I couldn’t be more delighted with treatment I received.
Way to go HP ! ! !
Cons: Much to the chagrin of my darling wife, the HP MSS has not quenched my thirst for electronic gadgetry. Indeed, it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities that I am only now beginning to discover. First on my list is to explore home-theater equipment including a wireless network media player, HDTV, and a new surround-sound system.
I’ve tried to explain to my beloved that these purchases aren’t driven by hedonism, but rather a deep sense of patriotism. I am willing to do my part by making financial sacrifices in order to stimulate the country's ailing economy. Unfortunately, she's not buying any of it, which means, I suppose, neither am I. :-(
Other Thoughts: Even though this slick piece of hardware has only been gracing the corner of my desk for couple weeks, I can’t dream of going back to the days of trying to manually manage data on all the computers and laptops in our home.
With the MSS I can not only access my files easily from any computer on our home network, but I can also do so when traveling via a web browser. This feature alone has been worth the price of admission to me. While I could have built my own server with spare parts I have accumulated over the years, I chose to spend the extra bucks on the MSS to take advantage of its integrated features such as easily swappable drives, low power consumption, and classy form factor.
This baby blows away any NAS device due to its broad functionality and expandability that will allow it to grow according to your needs in the months and years to come.
Sure it's pricey, but you deserve it. Take the plunge into the future of home computing!
48 out of 59 people found this review helpful.
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Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
This user purchased this item from Newegg
Pros: unit is nice and small, you can call it plug and play and extra drive instalition is easy it works great with all pc's
Cons: does not work with mac's running leopard,or snow leopard not sure about other mac os's hp states this will be fixed with next upgrade which was to be this month, after wating several months so far but i still do not have a server that works with my mac with 15000 photos and counting. they are running out of time before i send it back.
Other Thoughts: i purchased this server because it was recomended for mac and pc I have one mac and 2 pc and 2 laptops that i need to bakup at the time of purchase i also got 4 1tb drives for the server setting up the server was a snap untill it came to the mac, mine is an 24" imac running leopard the software installed fine but that was it it just does not work I spent hours then days on the phone with hp tech support support with no results. it has been a few months now and it still does not work with my mac and hp's answer is it will be resolved with the next upgrade.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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3 WHS servers running
Reviewed By: Rob the Elder on 10/29/2009
Tech Level: high - Ownership: more than 1 year
Pros: Works. Provides great support for a home network or business network. I ordered my first HP WHS before release. I guess I am an early adopter. I have had one running since release and its still running. I loaded it with 4 .5TB drives and filled it up. Then went to 4 external USB .5TB drives and filled it up. So I went to 1TB drives and am keeping an eye on it as I fill it up. Currently that first WHS has the .5TB drive with the OS running that it was delivered with and 3 internal 1TB drives plus 4 external 1TB drives. All are WD Green. I maintain my ITUNES library there, 6000+ tunes, 400 TV shows, 900+ movies streaming via a Win XP home host to 4 Apple TVs. Got so much data there that I bought a second HP WHS a year ago, and grew it to back up the ITUNES library + MPEG4 copies of movies. That got full so I built my own WHS on a refurburished Dell Inspiron and use that to back up critical data and as scratch storage. LOVE THEM
Cons: the first gen HP WHS are relatively slow. They do the job and are as reliable as a boat anchor but it can take 5-10 seconds to bring up a streaming movie. Because they are so convenient and easy to use, you can easily get tons of data on them. Then if you have for example 900 movies in a folder, you have to back that up. Cloning on the same server is ok but you get nervous about the hundreds of hours you have into that irriplacable data. So you get a second WHS to back it up. Then you have to learn that each of your 12 home computers will only associate with ONE of the servers. So if you want ot manage the WHS you have to learn how to reassociate a computer with one of the WHS boxes. No instructions. No support. But I figured it out. :-) Have rebuilt 3 computers from their backup files on WHS successfully. Only challenge is you have to have the drivers for network cards for a box on a USB drive so you can get the computer to talk with the WHS. Pre planning is good.
Other Thoughts: The HP WHS has unique code that does a great job of supporting ITUNES. I would buy it just for that in my particular case. Having a home built WHS backing up the two HP WHS has worked out great too. I use a piece of code free from Microsoft that makes a copy of a folder on the HP WHS to the Dell WHS, let it run once a week and I sleep well at night. The connector software does not allow renaming the WHS server so they all look the same. Keeping track is tricky. I generally use shortcuts and have renamed all my WHS uniquely so I can keep them straight. When you look at the two HP boxes, they look the same LOL. I LOVE mine and do not know how I would stay sane without them. The one challenge I have not solved is getting them to connect through my Comcast cable modem. No real tech support from anyone. I need to swap out the Comcast hardware some day . . .
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Fantastic machine
Reviewed By: Mo on 10/20/2009
Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
This user purchased this item from Newegg
Pros: Very easy setup, cheap (with shell shocker), nice disk expandability, easy scheduling for on and off times, solid availability of apps for media streaming. Easy and quick backup utilities for client PC's... so quick in fact that I'm mildly concerned at how well the restoration is going to go. I'll comment further when I have more experience in that area.
Cons: I managed to pick this up as an shell shocker with a combo 750 gig drive for ~$400. I wouldn't purchase this machine for anything over that price. I'd instead spend a little more for one with a faster processor.
All the backup warnings from the HP backup software can get a bit tedious.
Other Thoughts: It would be nice if it made raid configuration easier. Perhaps if they had some options during setup whether you want it to be a raid 5 or a raid 0
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Main
Brand
HP
Series
MediaSmart
Model
EX485
Type
Tower
Processor
CPU Type
Intel Celeron 2.0 Ghz
Memory
Installed Memory Size
2GB
Memory Type
DDR2
Storage
Hard Drive (Installed)
750GB
HDD Interface
SATA
Networking
LAN Ports
1x Ports
Physical Spec
Dimensions
5.5" x 9.8" x 9.2"
Features
Features
Powered by Microsoft Windows Home Server software Network-based backup of Macs using Apple’s Time Machine Photo and video sharing with friends and family Remote access to digital media and files on a variety of devices Media streaming to PCs, the entertainment center and remote devices Automatic digital content organization across all PCs
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts
1 year limited
Labor
1 year limited
Introduction
HP takes aim at the top of the home server market and hits it spot on with the MediaSmart series. This compact box is more than just a drive controller and some connectors. It's powered by an extremely energy efficient Intel Celeron 2.0GHz 64-bit processor with 2GB of DDR2 memory. Windows Home Server operating system helps you easily store, access, share and protecting your digital files.
The EX485 features 4 hard drive bays for easy expandability. It already includes a large 750GB SATA drive for great storage, and you can add additional hard drives without tools. If that isn't enough, there are 4 external USB 2.0 ports for external storage devices, printers and wireless networking. Or, if you want to go wired, there's a Gigabit Ethernet port. An e-SATA port is provided for high-speed external drives. This gives you redundancy or the ability to attach networked devices.
Automatically manage files, back up multiple computers and deliver security protection. You can even set up a personal web address to be used for remote access and by visitors. Enjoy the functionality home server system with HP MediaSmart EX485!
Highlights
High-performance Home Server/NAS Platform The HP MediaSmart EX485 provides a versatile platform for building a home server and Network Attached Storage (NAS) with the combination of a powerful Celeron 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 2GB of DDR2 memory and wide OS support for Windows Home Server, Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista, Linux and Mac OS X.
SATA Hard Drive Support The HP MediaSmart EX485 features a large 750GB hard drive, and supports installation of up to 4 HDDs for storage expansion.
eSATA and USB 2.0 Connectivity The HP MediaSmart EX485 features an eSATA port and four USB 2.0 ports so you can add external hard drives, USB drives, printers and wireless adapters for storage and functionality expansion.
Gigabit Network Connection The HP MediaSmart EX485 features a Gigabit Ethernet port for up to 10X the speed of most 100M network connections and excellent usability for home networks.
Reviewed By: NJ computer guy on 3/25/2009
Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
