Every now and then, you get a product that just plain works. It does exactly what it says it will do, it does it well, and it causes no headaches getting it to work the way it’s supposed to.

So far, that’s my experience with the beta of the Windows Home Server.

The Home Server, due next month in a commercial release, does just what the name suggests. It takes the basic features of a Windows server and lets you run it at home. It handles file storage (and remote access to those files) and backups for every machine to which it’s connected. Here at home, we have five Windows machines that run at various times (my daughter uses a Mac—my discarded MacBook Pro, so she’s skunked.)

I recently got a new office computer. The one I’d been working with was getting long in the tooth, and since I wanted to upgrade to Vista, I needed something with more oomph. So I bought a quad core machine, leaving me with a box that worked fine; it was just not terribly powerful by today’s standards. So I asked the guys at the shop who built my new machine if they could wipe the hard disk clean on the old one and install the Home Server beta.

I got the box home, jacked in an Ethernet cable and plugged it in. It started perfectly. I didn’t need to connect a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Instead, I installed the connector software on my Vista desktop, and it immediately found the server. A few simple configuration steps (presented in a wizard format) and I was all set. I transferred all my photos into the “photo” folder in my directory, then changed my mind and moved them into a common folder my wife and kids could access. (There’s nothing in those photos I’m ashamed of.)

I repeated the exercise on my laptop and Michele’s computer. The next morning, all three computers had been backed up. It’s been a long time since getting something so worthwhile to work was so damned easy.

I’ll add the software to Michele’s laptop and Ben’s PC when I get a chance.

I’ll also definitely plunk down the $200 or whatever it will cost to buy the official release.