HP has your computer's back and then some
- Download the latest driver, firmware, and software for your HP EX495 MediaSmart Server.This is HP's official website to download drivers free of cost for your HP.
- You can install the client software through a web browser or you can use the Software Installation Disc to install the HP MediaSmart Server client software.
By Michael Antonoff
Hp Mediasmart Server 30 Download Free
Hp mediasmart free download - HP MediaSmart Music Application Update, HP Webcam, HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, and many more programs.
Even if you have a home network with broadband access, you may not recognize the benefits that you and household members can enjoy with the addition of a home server. The network-attached storage device provides a variety of functions, but its primary task is to back up the files on all the computers in your home, providing an extra measure of protection in case a computer goes down or a notebook or netbook is lost. It also makes it easy to transfer files when you replace or add a computer. The server's corollary mission is to empower users with the ability to retrieve whatever documents, photos, videos, or songs that are stored on it from any room in the house or any Internet-connected computer on Earth.
Recognizing that my home network lacked a server, I auditioned three members of HP's MediaSmart Server family: the trapezoidal LX195 (seen in a corner of my living room above) with 640 Gigabytes of storage and the rectangular EX485 and EX487 models. The former comes with 750GB; the latter, 1.5 Terabytes. Though all leverage the Windows Home Server software for Windows-based computers, each MediaSmart server is compatible with Macs running OS 10.5 or above and can be used as a Time Machine backup drive.
Setup is straightforward. You plug the MediaSmart Server into your router with the included Ethernet cable and then run the installation software on a computer attached to the same network. The first time you install the software, you'll be prompted to backup content on the computer to the server. Backup can be subsequently done automatically at timed intervals. Your computer needs to be using the NTFS file system for auto backup. If the drive is partitioned using the older FAT32 system, you'll have to perform backups manually.
After the first install is completed, you can add other computers on your network. Though the MediaSmart Server must be wired to your router, your computers and even a TV-attached media receiver (such as an Xbox 360 with a wireless adapter) can wirelessly access the server using your router's Wi-Fi capabilities.
You can add new users to the MediaSmart Server with each having their own passwords and remote access to it. HP will even set up a URL for you. I called mine Mikestuff.hpshare.net.
One of the included programs is the HP Media Collector. If you're a Windows user, you've likely already put your photos in the My Pictures folder; songs in My Music, and videos in My Videos on your computer. The HP Media Collector will automatically scan the folders and copy newly added content to the MediaSmart Server.
Once content is copied to the server, using the MediaSmart Server Control Center (above) from a computer on your home network is the easiest way to browse and experience all the digital media in your home. You can launch a slide show, play music, or watch videos. Clicking the Photos icon, for example, brings up the recognizable Windows Explorer interface. I had filled a folder that I called Museum Pixs with photographs shot in and around the roof garden atop New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Upon selecting it, thumbnails appeared (see below), and I was a click away from viewing the slideshow. Going back to the Control Center (above), you can use the HP Photo Publisher option to publish your photos on Snapfish, Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa Web Albums.
The same familiar Windows interface shows up whether you're drilling into your music or video directories. By default, the Windows Media Player loads when you click on one of these types of files. However, you can easily assign other players. For a stack of B&H podcasts, I linked the Quicktime player. For a decades-old Super 8 movie I recently digitized and copied to the server, I assigned the popular VLC media player, an open source program.
One of the cool things you can do outside the realm of productivity is to dim or brighten the LEDs on the server using the slider in the server settings on your computer screen. (See below.) You could, for example, manually thrum a beat while listening to a rock riff, though I wish HP would automate the light show for me.
