An update on KB #946676

The Windows Home Server team has been heads down working on the data corruption issue since we first posted the Knowledge Base (KB) article in late December 2007. An update to the KB article was posted today that provides more information regarding symptoms, cause, status and guidance. You can read the KB at https://support.microsoft.com/kb/946676/en-us.

One question that is getting asked is, “Will I be affected”? 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. In the KB article we offer up some precautionary measures that people can take. Some of the instances that were initially attributed to this issue ended up being something else, such as a faulty network card/driver, old routers with outdated firmware, or people incorrectly testing the limits of their home servers.

From the outside looking in, some people would say “Why is this taking so long?” Fixing this issue is the Windows Home Server team’s top priority and the team is making good progress on the fix. 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. We have coded a part of the fix which is currently being tested internally. Internal testing is expected to continue for at least several more weeks.

Once the patch has passed internal quality bars, external participants will be asked to help test the fix. Our current plan is to release beta test versions of a fix over the next few months, with a final version currently estimated for June 2008, although that date could change as testing progresses. Thorough testing of the fix is critical and will take time.

If you believe you have evidence that you are experiencing the issue, please send a detailed email of your circumstances to whsforum@microsoft.com, so we can attempt to validate the cause and provide specific guidance. Thanks for your continued support.

 

The Windows Home Server team