Windows is the most popular operating system and everybody is used to it. But when it comes converting it to something else like Linux operating system can do, it would seem to be a little bit difficult. For example, Linux can use as a Web server, Media server, Homer servers, NAS ( Network Attached Storage), file server software and so on by using some commands. The same thing would be a little bit tricky to performed with Windows. Like if you want to use popular open source NAS software such as FreeNAS, Openvault, Amahi Home Server then you need to either do fresh installation on your PC or install theses Linux NAS operating system on a virtual machine running on your Windows PC. But don’t be disappoint there are some home server software’s those can work as NAS software on your Windows PC.
Sep 12, 2019 Possibly the most popular media server software out there, Plex offers an easy setup and a highly flexible system for managing your media. Plex can be set up on any hard drive, ideally a NAS. 'NAS' means “Network-Attached Storage”. XigmaNAS is the simplest and fastest way to create a centralized and easily-accessible server for all kinds of data easily accessed with all kinds of network protocols and from any network.
Opensource NAS software cannot be run on Windows natively but these Home server software which we are going to show can be and gives you the almost complete file share and media solution for your home and small offices.
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Best Free Media server cum NAS Software for Windows
If you don’t want to go through the whole article, then here is a quick view of NAS Windows Software list.
ALLMediaServer is free and still under development. It can setup easily and use yo store your media content such as music, videos, or photos. After installing the AllMediaserver you can use it to watch movies, view images or listen to music on tablets, smartphone, TVs supports DLNA or Samsung ALlshare. The system on which you are going got to install the AllMediaServer must be connected to local Ethernet or Wifi.
Plex is highly flexible and easy to setup media server software and can be setup on any hard drive. It is good if you use NAS drives for setting up Plex server if you are planning to use it 24×7. You can easily download the software for desktop and app for your smartphone to access your data. It can be used with smart Tv, web browser, Xbox One, Apple Tv or Playstation. The free version comes with some limitations.
It is an Opensource software and best part is its free with full media solution. It is little bit complex than Plex but we can accept that as it gives all pro features free of cost. The Universal Media server can be set up as NAS for software for windows.
It is packed with Podcast receiver, Chromecast, Sonos, jukebox mode, on-the-fly downsampling and conversion, multiple frontends, highly customizable, full support for tags, lyrics, and album art, DLNA, open REST API.
DivX is a free video player, video converter and media server for Windows or Mac. It allows you to play, create or stream your favorite videos up to 4K. Dream aquarium screensaver full version.
The Firefly is an open Source server works seamlessly with SoundBridge & SoundBridge radio. The Firefly Media Server supports the new Roku Server Protocol (RSP) and offers a richer experience than currently available with standard servers
Home Media Center is a server software for UPnP / DLNA enabled gadgets.This NAS Software for Windows helps in streaming and transcoding media documents, home windowscomputing device and video from webcams. This software is evolved in C#, C++ and uses DirectShow, Media Foundation.
LXI Media Center is a DLNA compatible, fully transcoding, media server designed for streaming movies, TV shows, music, photos to DLNA supported televisions and media players such as PS3 and XBox 360. The subtitles and audio language selection are also supported.
MiniDLNA is now known as a ReadyMedia. It is a simple media server software that fully supports DLNA/UPnP-AV clients. It is developed by a NETGEAR employee for the ReadyNAS product line.
Multicast2Unicast is a handy and reliable application designed for converting UDP multicast streams into an HTTP unicast.
TVble is connected to multiple sources such as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, NY Times and more. Each source provides a number of title lists: Top Rental DVDs, Most favorites last 90 days, Top comedies etc.
NAS stands for “Network-Attached Storage.” Basically, it’s a way to attach a hard drive to your network and make it accessible to all your devices for centralized file-sharing and backups.
You could also use your NAS to make your files available to you over the Internet, using it as a remote file server you can access from anywhere.
Dedicated NAS Devices
The most obvious — though not necessarily best — way to get a NAS is just to buy a pre-made, ready-to-use NAS device. Head to a website like Amazon and perform a search for “NAS” and you’ll find a bunch of devices marketed as a home file or media servers. Essentially, these devices have built-in hard drives and some basic server software that can connect to your Wi-Fi or wired network and provide a NAS file server. They’re all-in-one solutions so you can just grab a box, plug it in, and start using it.
Generally, such devices can be controlled via a web interface, like your router can be. You can then access the files using a variety of different applications and even run different bits of software on the NAS itself, such as media-server solutions for streaming media and BitTorrent clients for downloading directly on the device. Many types of back-up software can back up directly to the network storage.
Routers With Built-in Hard Drives
Rather than getting a dedicated NAS device and tacking it on to all your other devices, you can actually buy higher-end Wi-Fi routers that come with built-in hard drives. These devices function as your typical network router, but they also have all that fancy NAS server software and a built-in hard drive so you can get a NAS without adding yet another device to your household.
For Apple users, Apple’s AirPort Time Capsule is a wireless router with built-in network storage that Macs can easily back up to and use for network file-sharing. This may be the most well-known type of router with a built-in hard drive, but there are many similar routers available to those not interested in Apple products, too.
Editor’s Note: At the How-To Geek office we use (and recommend) the 3TB AirPort Time Capsule to backup our Macs and the 802.11ac Wi-Fi access is blazing fast everywhere. It’s compatible with Windows as well, although you’ll need to download the Airport utility software to manage it or access the hard drive. Because the hard drive is internal, you don’t have to deal with the slow USB 2.0 speeds that you might get connecting an external drive to another router.
Of course, if you’re happy with your existing router, you shouldn’t need to grab an entirely new one. But upgrading can be a smart idea if your router is older and doesn’t support the latest-and-greatest Wi-Fi networking standards and their faster speeds and lower Wi-Fi interference.
Routers With USB Ports
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Many routers don’t include built-in hard drives, but they do offer something almost as good. Quite a few routers — especially higher-end ones — include USB ports. Plug an external hard drive or even a USB flash drive (preferably not a flash drive if you intend on using it heavily) into the USB port. The router has built-in NAS software that can do the rest, exposing it to the network as a NAS. You can enable the NAS server from your router’s web interface and set everything up.
For Apple users, the standard AirPort Extreme wireless router works this way, offering a USB port you can connect external drives to you. Many, many routers — especially the higher-end ones, as the low-end, bottom-of-the-barrel ones don’t want to splurge on USB hardware and the extra software — include USB ports so they can function as a NAS in this way.
This is often a pretty good option, although it may be a bit slow if you’re using USB 2.0 drives — especially compared to internal drives. Crack wep key. You can get much faster speeds if you use a USB 3.0 external drive along with a router with a USB 3.0 port, though. External hard drives can get a much larger speed improvement from USB 3.0 than typical USB flash drives can.
Network-Attached Drive Enclosures
Rather than buying a pre-made NAS or attempting to use your router as a NAS, you can always buy a network-attached drive enclosure. These are dedicated NAS devices with the appropriate server software, designed to be connected to a network. They generally don’t come with any built-in drives. You’ll need to buy an appropriate hard drive (or multiple hard drives) separately and insert them into the NAS to get the storage you’ll need to use it.
These can potentially be cheaper if you can get a decent deal on the hard drives. Or, if you already have some old internal hard drives lying around, you can easily turn them into NAS storage without spending too much. But they’re particularly convenient if you want to insert more than one hard drive into your NAS and get a much larger amount of storage.
Old PCs, Repurposed
RELATED:How to Turn an Old PC Into a Home File Server
Why buy a new device when you can repurpose some old hardware you have lying around? Well, there are definitely some reasons to leave your old PC in the closet — a modern NAS device will consume much less power and be quieter and smaller than that old Pentium 4 you have in the closet.
But, if you’d like to repurpose old hardware you have lying around, you can use a software solution like the popular FreeNAS to turn an old computer into a home file server. This option isn’t for everyone — it’s not even for most people — but this is How-To Geek, and it’s an interesting option for geeks. Heck, you could even turn an old laptop (like that old netbook sitting in a drawer) into a home NAS if you really wanted to!
NAS Devices Built From Scratch
RELATED:How to Turn a Raspberry Pi into a Low-Power Network Storage Device
Better yet, you could even build your own NAS if you’d like to do something geeky. We’ve covered how to turn a low-power Raspberry Pi into a dedicated NAS for your home network. It’s a bit like turning a general-purpose PC into a NAS, but it’s a better option because it’s smaller, quieter, and will use much less power. Raspberry Pi devices are pretty cheap as well, so this could be a good option if you want a little project to take on. You’ll need to provide the storage, of course. But you’ll save money in electricity costs over using an old PC!
Not everyone needs a home NAS. If you don’t feel a need for a centralized home file share or backup location, you don’t need to buy a bunch of hardware.
If you do go this route, be sure to always have backups of your important data so you don’t lose it if your NAS bursts into flames.
Image Credit: Glenn Batuyong on Flickr, Andrew Currie on Flickr, Martin Wehrle on Flickr, Ivan PC on Flickr, Vernon Chan on Flickr
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