Review of the HP Easy USB Transfer Add-In For Windows Home Server

HP have released an add-in for Windows Home Server that makes it easy to transfer files to and from external USB drives – but it is only for HP Windows Home Servers. Here is our review.

Here is what HP say about the Easy USB Transfer Add-In:

HP Easy USB Transfer is a free add-in that allows you to copy or move files easily between a USB drive and the HP MediaSmart Server or the HP Data Vault.  Transfer files to or from the USB drives – either way.

Simply plug your USB hard drive or flash drive directly into any USB port on the HP MediaSmart Server or the HP Data Vault.  Click on the HP MediaSmart Server or HP Data Vault icon on your desktop to open the Web site (User interface), and then click on the Easy USB Transfer icon located at the right.

From the Easy USB Transfer interface, drag a single or multiple folders or files from the USB drive to any folder on the Server, or from Server folder to the USB drive to initiate the Copy.  Hold the shift key to Move the file or folder.  You can also right click on a file or folder and Cut/Copy, Paste.

Once the transfer is initiated, no connection through your computer is required – you can disconnect or turn off your computer and the transfer will complete without a computer connected.

HP Easy USB Transfer is an HP written add-in for the HP MediaSmart Server or HP Data Vault. Easy USB Transfer works with 3.0 software from HP, including the EX490, EX495, X300, and X500 series.

INSTALLING THE ADD-IN

Copy the msi file to the add-ins folder on your Windows Home Server.

Just install the add-in as you would usually do. If you are not sure how, just check out our How To guide here: How to install or remove an Add-in for Windows Home Server

You also get a little pop up telling you that the add-in was installed successfully.

USING THE ADD-IN

Unlike most add-ins, this one doesn’t add anything to the Windows Home Server Console. Instead you have to visit the Home Server webpage for your box (you can double click the icon on your desktop).

You will notice there is a new icon on the far right – just click it.

This opens up the Easy USB Transfer screen. The top part of the screen is a status pane, the left pane is the USB drive and the pane on the right is your Windows Home Server.

Connect a USB device to your Windows Home Server and you can see what is on it.

Just drag and drop the files and folders to the right hand side to the folder where you want to copy the files and just wait.

You can watch the progress in the status pane.

You will also then see a job report at the end of the copy so that you can check it all worked as expected.

Copy files to the USB device is exactly the same process, but in reverse.

Should you lose the connection with your home server at anytime, such as if you power it off, you will see this message on webpage:

FINAL THOUGHTS

The add-in was easy to install, and easy to use. And best of all it was free.

If you want to be able to easily copy files to and from your Windows Home Server and external USB drives then this is an add-in for you.

My only real criticism is that you have to have Remote Access running on your server in order for this add-in to work. Now that is fine if you have remote access enabled, but some people don’t want that function, and so it’s just something else that needs to be enabled before coping can commence.

Customers can get access to Easy USB Transfer through the HP MediaSmart Server and HP Data Vault Add Software page at http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/mediasmartserver/index.html .

The Add Software page is also accessible through the WHS Console on EX49X series products.

And don’t forget, this add-in only works on HP MediaSmart and Data Vault servers.