Best File Serving OS - Free

[Pepp77]

Was going to install an old OEM copy of XP I had onto a build, but the licence is no longer activating so need to have a rethink.

I can buy Win 7 OEM for about £72, or use something else that's free.

Suggestions please people (I have £200 extra this month (and every month since my payrise) so paying for win 7 isnt a major stumbling block, so the suggestions would have to be very easy to use :).

Will want to be able to do the following.

Share the hard drives, so the files can be read by the other Windows PCs in the house (4 total)
Run uTorrent
Run programs like Nandub, convertx and imgburn etc
Have drivers for both my PCI Sata card and PCI combo card (USB, eSata and Sata), as well as the motherboard (onboard intel graphics).

I've never used any forum of Linux etc, so might be willing to give one of those a try I spose.

[Toonshorty]

Give Ubuntu 10.10 a try.

If you dislike it then look at other options.

You can't really make a decision before you've tried them all hands on.

[Pepp77]

Give Ubuntu 10.10 a try.

If you dislike it then look at other options.

You can't really make a decision before you've tried them all hands on.

Will give it a go. Might download both the server and desktop versions.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

The server version has no GUI so unless you're good with the linux command line you may struggle.

[Pepp77]

The server version has no GUI so unless you're good with the linux command line you may struggle.

Desktop one it is then :D

[sibeer]

Use Amahi, it is designed as a home server OS:

http://www.amahi.org/

Almost as good as WHS with the likes of Greyhole and plenty of easy to configure plugins.

If you decide to spend your cash and stick with MS then it is WHS all the way for fileserving. Why bodge it with anything else ;)