Simplicity. Flexibility. Scalability. Modularity. Unraid empowers you to build the system you’ve always wanted using your preferred hardware, software, and operating systems.
Ease of Use Unraid offers a user-friendly web-based GUI that makes system management straightforward, even for those without extensive technical knowledge.
Extensibility Supports a wide range of plugins and Docker containers, allowing users to customize and extend the functionality of their system easily.
Scalability Allows for easy addition of storage drives to expand capacity without the need for complex setups.
Data Protection Offers robust data protection through parity-based data redundancy, ensuring that data is not lost even if a drive fails.
Virtualization Supports running virtual machines, giving users the ability to run different operating systems and applications in isolated environments.
Resource Allocation Provides advanced options for CPU pinning and RAM allocation to optimize performance for specific applications or virtual machines.
Possible disadvantages
Cost Unraid is not free; it requires a one-time purchase of a license, which can be a drawback for budget-conscious users.
Single Parity Drive Limitation Standard setups typically use a single parity drive, which may not be sufficient for very large arrays or mission-critical applications that require more robust redundancy.
Limited High-Performance Storage Options While Unraid supports SSDs, it is primarily designed for large capacity, slower spinning disks, potentially limiting high-performance storage setups.
Learning Curve for Advanced Features Though the basic setup is user-friendly, leveraging advanced features like Docker and virtual machines may require a steeper learning curve.
No Built-in Backup Solution Unraid does not come with a native backup solution; users must configure third-party tools for backup, adding complexity to the setup.
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Analysis
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.
UnraidShellNewHandler
Overall verdict
Unraid is a robust and versatile network-attached storage (NAS) solution that is highly regarded by both beginners and advanced users. Its flexibility in storage configuration and strong community support make it a good choice for many use cases.
Why this product is good
Unraid is appreciated for its flexible storage management, allowing users to mix and match drives of different sizes and types. It provides a user-friendly interface suitable for beginners, while also offering advanced features for experienced users. Unraid supports virtualization, making it possible to run multiple virtual machines on the same hardware, and has a strong community support system with numerous plugins and Docker container options available.
Recommended for
Home media servers
Small business data storage
Tech enthusiasts looking for customizable solutions
Users needing virtualization capabilities
People interested in maximizing storage capacity efficiently
Overall verdict
ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.
Why this product is good
Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access
Recommended for
Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates
You can use the free 30-day trial version to see if Unraid is suitable for your hardware. You will experience full functionality in the trial version without any storage device limit. However, you will require an...
unRaid is software made to transform any computer into a NAS server. An easy to use processor clocked at 1GHz with 512MB RAM does all the tricks. In simple terms, the motherboard must provide the possibility to boot...
Really: I've got a Synology 10-disk unit in JBOD mode (each drive independent, but see SnapRaid) containing backup of backups and recent set of 4x 14TB unopened drives. I'm working at building a new UnRaid system to contain...
Source:
almost 4 years ago
Build upgrade - OS advice
As an example, I have qemu+kvm host running my VMs (NAS, plex, Nextcloud etc.). As for NAS OS, TrueNAS is a great options. With different drive size you can consider UnRAID. It allows to pool drives of a different size....
Source:
about 4 years ago
my first NAS. need some input on what to buy. synology?
You can turn a PC case into a NAS with NAS OS like openmediavault (https://www.openmediavault.org/), unraid (https://unraid.net/product), or TrueNAS Core (https://www.truenas.com/docs/core/gettingstarted/corehardwareguide/). They require...
Source:
over 4 years ago
I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu.
Source:
about 4 years ago
This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible.
Source:
over 5 years ago
Alternatives to Unraid and ShellNewHandler
When comparing Unraid and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.
StorPool is designed from the ground up to provide cloud builders, shared hosting providers and MSPs with the most resource efficient storage software on the market.
XigmaNAS
PetaSAN
Open-E Data Storage Software SOHO
ReadyNAS
TrueNAS Core
StorPool
SvSAN
