Yes. An old Windows PC can serve media folders over your home network using SMB, while Plex and Jellyfin read those files from a stable path. The practical question is whether the machine’s Windows version, hardware, storage condition and service permissions support the setup you want. This is a conversion guide, not a claim that a particular server was tested.
What “dumb NAS” means in this setup
Here, “dumb NAS” is shorthand for a Windows machine that stores files and shares selected folders over your local network. It is not a formal Windows product category. Microsoft describes SMB as “a network file sharing protocol,” and Windows can share folders with specific people on a network: Microsoft’s Windows file-sharing guide and SMB overview.
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The media server can run on that same Windows machine or on another computer. If Plex or Jellyfin runs elsewhere, that computer must be able to reach the share and the application process must have permission to read it. Plex Media Server can run on a compatible computer or NAS, but compatibility and performance depend on the hardware and intended use; see Plex Media Server requirements.
Check the old server before changing it
Identify its Windows release and hardware
“Windows Home Server” does not identify which Windows release is installed, nor the server’s CPU, memory, filesystem or drive condition. Check those details before choosing where to run a media server. Do not assume a current Plex or Jellyfin release supports the original Windows Home Server operating system.
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For Jellyfin, the project’s current hardware-selection guidance says x86 CPUs must support SSE4.1 starting with Jellyfin 10.11. Check the requirements for the exact release you plan to install, along with the supported operating systems.
Check Windows support status
Windows 10 stopped receiving free Windows Update software updates, technical assistance and security fixes after October 14, 2025, according to Microsoft’s current file-sharing guidance. That date applies to Windows 10; it should not be taken as a lifecycle statement about every Windows Home Server release. Confirm the installed edition and its support status before leaving an old machine connected to your network.
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Share only the media folders you intend to use
Use Windows’ current folder-sharing controls to share the selected media directories with specific people or accounts on your trusted home LAN. Microsoft’s guide covers Windows 10 and Windows 11 sharing. Avoid following instructions that depend on HomeGroup: Microsoft notes that HomeGroup was removed in Windows 10.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →For the network itself, Microsoft’s small-network setup guidance recommends connecting devices to a router or hub with Ethernet. A wired connection is a practical option for a server when the network layout allows it; the existing machine and network determine whether it is needed.
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Make the share visible to Plex or Jellyfin
| Media server | Network path approach | Important operating detail |
|---|---|---|
| Plex on Windows | Use a mapped drive or a Windows UNC path to the share, as described in Plex’s installation guidance. | The share must be available whenever Plex Media Server is active. A mapped drive created for an interactive user may not be visible to a service running under another identity; verify the path in the actual Plex process context. |
| Jellyfin | Mount Samba or NFS network storage directly into the host operating system, following Jellyfin’s storage guidance. | Keep the Jellyfin database local, not on the network storage device. Make sure the mount is available for startup tasks and scheduled jobs. |
If Jellyfin runs as a Windows service
Jellyfin’s Windows service guide recommends the Network Service account and instructs administrators to grant that account read and execute access to the media folder. That local-folder ACL instruction is not, by itself, a complete recipe for authenticating to a remote SMB share. If the media is remote, verify that the configured service identity can actually access the share using the credentials and permissions in your setup.
Account for scans and unavailable shares
Plex may not notice every network change automatically
Plex says filesystem change notifications may not work for content mounted over a network. If newly added files are not detected, use a manual scan or configure periodic library scans as described in Plex’s library-scanning guidance.
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Keep Jellyfin’s mount available when jobs run
Jellyfin warns that scheduled tasks can affect library content when network storage is unavailable. Ensure the share is mounted before Jellyfin starts tasks that depend on the library, and keep its database on local storage as its storage documentation specifies.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsChoose where the media server should run
Running the media server on the storage machine avoids a separate network mount between two computers, but it makes that older computer responsible for both file access and media-server work. Running Plex or Jellyfin on a separate computer can keep storage and playback roles distinct, but introduces a dependency on the LAN mount and its authentication. Neither arrangement is universally better.
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- Assess whether the old CPU can handle the transcoding your household expects; the available requirements information does not establish performance for your particular hardware.
- Check that shares or mounts authenticate and remain available after boot, not just during an interactive login.
- Verify compatibility for the installed operating system and the exact Plex or Jellyfin release.
- Consider permissions and maintenance: which account runs the service, who can change the shared folders, and how outages or updates will be handled.
- Measure power use, noise and drive condition on the actual machine if those factors affect your decision; no figures can be inferred from the Windows Home Server label.
A practical order of operations
- Record the installed Windows edition, CPU capabilities and drive health; compare them with the current application requirements.
- Choose whether Plex or Jellyfin will run on the storage machine or a separate computer.
- Create a share for only the intended media folders and set access for the accounts that need it.
- Configure a stable SMB path for Plex or an OS-level network mount for Jellyfin.
- Check the share or mount under the identity used by the actual media-server process, including after a reboot.
- Add the media location in the application and confirm it can read files; configure periodic or manual scans if Plex misses network changes.
- Keep Jellyfin’s database local and ensure its network media mount is available when scheduled work runs.
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