I need a *very* small server to provide two services: 1) act as a LAN fileserver for our small QuickBooks database (~150 MB) 2) provide remote access (RemoteApp would be great) for a grand total of two offsite users I am trying to do this on a small budget, Server Standard with User and RDC CALs is simply way beyond our budget. So that gives me two possibilities... SBS appears to be a non-starter because it lacks RDC support. Adding RDC support to SBS basically entails buying a separate copy of Server Standard and running that on another machine. The cost is the same as just buying a Standard, so why this is even offered is a mystery to me. Server Foundation is another possibility, with an even lower base price. I could add the RDC CALs and stay within budget, although I would lose a few other features I did like in SBS. C'est la vie. But I have been told by MS pre-sales support that "Windows Home Premium machines cannot connect to Server 2008, including Foundation". What *exactly* does this mean? If I put up Foundation as a file server, Windows Home machine cannot connect to that share? If RDC is running on it, it will reject connections from Windows Home clients? Or does this limitation really refer to something different and more technical? Like connecting to the Domain controller? If so, will this actually impact the use cases above.

But I have been told by MS pre-sales support that "Windows Home Premium machines cannot connect to Server 2008, including Foundation". What *exactly* does this mean? According to MS article linked below: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Remote-Desktop-Connection-frequently-asked-questions Which editions of Windows 7 include Remote Desktop Connection? All editions of Windows 7 include Remote Desktop Connection. You can use Remote Desktop to initiate a connection from any edition of Windows 7. You can connect to computers running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7Ultimate, or Windows 7 Enterprise. You can't use Remote Desktop Connection to connect to computers runningWindows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, or Windows 7 Home Premium. I do not represent the organisation I work for, all the opinions expressed here are my own. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees and confers no rights. - .... .- -. -.- ... --..-- ... .- -. - --- ... ....

Which editions of Windows 7 include Remote Desktop Connection? All editions of Windows 7 include Remote Desktop Connection. You can use Remote Desktop to initiate a connection from any edition of Windows 7. You can connect to computers running Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7Ultimate, or Windows 7 Enterprise. You can't use Remote Desktop Connection to connect to computers runningWindows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, or Windows 7 Home Premium. Thank you for the reply Santosh, but this addresses connections from one client machine to another client machine. I am asking about connections from a client machine to a server machine. Your reply also speaks only about RDC, I am

All editions of Windows 7 include Remote Desktop Connection. You can use Remote Desktop to initiate a connection from any edition of Windows 7 to Server. Following discussions might be of your interest as well Does Windows 7 Home Premium Support Remote Desktop Access http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itpronetworking/thread/f7c7a4a6-74d3-4261-8467-6f67809aebb3 Will Windows 7 Home Premium access company domain? http://superuser.com/questions/403994/will-windows-7-home-premium-access-company-domain I do not represent the organisation I work for, all the opinions expressed here are my own. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees and confers no rights. - .... .- -. -.- ... --..-- ... .- -. - --- ... ....

This is precisely what I am asking about... Do I need to join a domain to connect to a shared folder? I know I do *not* have to join a domain in order to use RDC. What does joining a domain "do for me"?

Hi Maury, You can access the shared folder without adding the workstation to domain, if sufficient share and NTFS permissions are provided. You can also access the share with domain user credentials. The principal benefit of joining a workstation to a domain is central authentication. With a single login, you can access different services and resources without logging into each one. Another benefit is that settings in a computer's operating system can be changed or controlled by the network. Thus, if a computer needs a certain configuration to function fully on the network, computers belonging to the domain can receive that configuration automatically. Regards, Rafic If you found this post helpful, please give it a "Helpful" vote. If it answered your question, remember to mark it as an "Answer". This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights! Always test ANY suggestion in a test environment before implementing!

Agree with Rafic. Please be informed that, Home Premium machines can not be joined to the domain.I do not represent the organisation I work for, all the opinions expressed here are my own. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees and confers no rights. - .... .- -. -.- ... --..-- ... .- -. - --- ... ....

Thank's Rafic, I think this may be the answer... But if you don't mind, is that first part difficult? The part about "if sufficient share and NTFS permissions are provided" My network consists of about 8 Home Premium machines, all with local logins. What is the process needed to let them log in to the NTFS share? Simply define those users within the file share itself? Or is this something that AD can do, and then present a login to the user even if they are not connected to AD?

Hi Maury, Its a simple configuration. You can configure you shares according to your needs. As you cannot add your machines to domain, users will be prompted for user name and password when connecting to the shares. You can also allow anonymous access to shares, but that is not recommended. For ex: yon can create a common share in your file server and set access permissions. and let the users access through unc path or you can just map the folder to the users and let them access from the my computer.Regards, Rafic If you found this post helpful, please give it a "Helpful" vote. If it answered your question, remember to mark it as an "Answer". This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights! Always test ANY suggestion in a test environment before implementing!

Ok, I was hoping this would be true, and it is. Thank you so much!