Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS

Article
02/11/2008

Windows Server 2008 is the best OS to be released till date from Microsoft's stable. And the moment I got hold of the RTM build I could not resist installing it on my workstation. Due to the nature of my work I always prefer running a Server OS on my main workstation... I have been running Windows 2003 disguised as XP (with all the themes and stuff) all these days.

So here is my tale of how I went about setting up Windows Server 2008 to look and fell like its desktop counterpart Windows Vista.

1. Enable Hardware Virtualization

My workstation is a x64 machine with hardware virtualization capabilities. This means I can run Hyper-V on my machine. Even if your machine's hardware supports virtualization it is most likely not going to be enabled by default. You have to enable it via your BIOS setup.

2. Install the latest Graphics and Audio drivers

Being a server OS Windows 2008 carries with it basic graphics and audio drivers. To utilize the full strength of your hardware ensure you install the latest drivers for both graphics and audio hardware. Only with the proper graphics drivers will you be able to enable the "Aero" experience on Windows 2008.

3. Desktop Experience Feature

The Desktop Experience Feature enables a bunch of stuff that is by default present on a desktop OS. Most importantly it includes Themes, Windows Media player and the Aero related features. You will have to enable it form the Server Manager. The "Turn Windows features on or off" / "Add remove windows components" has all been rolled into the Server Manager now.

Server Manager > Features > Desktop Experience

Installing the Desktop Experience feature does not enable them. You have to manually set them up.

4. Themes

To enable Themes you will basically have to enable the Themes Service. Again being a server OS it is not enabled by default.

Services.MSC > Themes

Set the start up type to Automatic

Enabling the Aero Theme.

For this go to Control Panel > Personalization >Theme and select Windows Aero

5. Search

Search is also disabled by default on Windows 2008. Searching is important for me as I use it a lot to find my emails. To enable search you will have to add the File Services Role via Server Manager.

Server Manager > Roles > File Services > Windows Search

Outlook relies on this search service.

6. Disable Shutdown Event Tracker

Since I am using it as a workstation I do not want to keep a track of all the Shutdowns. The Shutdown Event Tracker is the pop up that you get asking you for a shutdown reason. To disable it

Open mmc.msc

Add the Group Policy snap-in

Under Administrative Templates expand System

Set Display Shutdown Event Tracer to Disabled

7. Audio

For audio you need to enable the Windows Audio service. You do this by setting the startup type to Automatic.

Services.msc > Windows Audio

Ensure you have proper drivers for your audio hardware... for me the default driver was not enabling the headphones ... it started working fine after I got the proper driver.

8. SuperFetch

As a workstation, enabling SupertFetch will give you that additional bit of responsiveness. The SuperFetch services is disabled by default and when you try to enable it you will most likely get an error message "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application"

You will have to make two registry changes to enable this service. I basically copied them over from my Vista machine.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementPrefetchParameters

EnablePrefetcher DWORD 3

EnableSuperfetch DWORD 3

9. Get a codec pack.

For media hungry buffs download a codec pack. This will ensure you can play all media files.

10. Enable Hyper-V

With Hyper-V you can run virtual machines on your workstation. This is useful if you want to run your tests on older OS versions. Enabling Hyper-V is easy

Server Manager > Roles > Hyper-V

Remember you need a Hyper-V enabled Windows 2008 licence and also your hardware has to support virtualization.

Also If you are using an existing VHD it may ask you to re-Activate Windows as it detected hardware changes.

One good thing about Windows Server 2008 is that it no longer asks for the i386 folder like Windows 2003 while you enable features.

Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS ... Cont'd

[Update 2012] Windows 8 is the Super workstation OS I had been waiting for

Comments

Anonymous
February 11, 2008
Windows Server 2008 is the fastest OS I have ever used. It’s truly amazing at how fast it performs every
Anonymous
February 11, 2008
Nice guide :) Does anyone know whether it is possible to move Windows Media Center to Server 2008? I have a valid Ultimate license, and I expect to get my Server 2008 at the launch party later this month.
Anonymous
February 11, 2008
Aside from hardware virtualization, what does using Server 2008 on the desktop give you that a Vista SP1 system (properly tuned with unnecessary services off, etc.) doesn't? There really isn't a difference between the two. (This is in contrast to Server 2003 vs XP, because Server 2003 was a completely newer fork of the OS.)
Anonymous
February 11, 2008
Usare Server 2008 come una workstation
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
How to enable the handwriting panel for tablet PC’s and the pen flicks?
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
I ran svr2003 for a while and I have just gone thorught vista and back to XP. My main problem I am having todate is 7.1 sound. Svr2003 doesn't support 7.1. Nor do creative support svr os. I have a audigy 2zs and vista I had to buy a program to make it work with vista, but I find vista too.... rubbish to stick with it. I would like to use svr 2008, but does it support 7.1 sound?, do I have to use vista drivers?.... anyone know? (I dont want to waste time and money to find out). Cheers TDM
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Some answers. It's on the MS web site. You can only upgrade to Server 2008 from Server 2003 (i.e. std to std, std to ent, ent to ent, etc.). I doubt if audio card manufacturers will (officially) support Server 2008 as it wasn't made to be a desktop.
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Windows Server 2008 is pretty good with accepting drivers that were developed for Vista. I have even been able to install the nVidia Quadro FX graphics software on Server 2008. Try installing the latest audio drivers developed for Vista, and you'll be surprised what functionality it really has. Also, Server 2008 is designed differently than Vista, and you will see performance differences even if you set all the same settings as Vista has. Windows Server 2008 is much more modular as well.
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Vijayshinva Karnure of Microsoft India offers up some advice about using Windows Server 2008 as a desktop
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Note that if you enable the Hyper-V role, you will lose some power management features that are essential on a notebook. You won't be able to put the notebook to sleep, so your only option is to power it down. This is due to the architecture of the hypervisor and there is unfortunately no workaround for this.
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Has any one upgraded windows 2003 server std alone server?
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
I made mine into a desktop os but something I noticed is that the mouse will have some sort of graphic lagging. Anyone notice that as well?
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
Guys did anyone manage to install vista sidebar??? anyway to actually get the .exe files from vista. I am on SRV2008 as main os atm, so no luck here,
Anonymous
February 12, 2008
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Anonymous
February 12, 2008
gman: can you provide at least one reason? :)
Anonymous
February 13, 2008
My recent server issues notwithstanding, I am totally in love with Windows Server 2008. I think it is
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
well why might u ask i use windows media center and i would like it on server 2008 enough said
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
I was ready to start working (fighting) with Vista. But this looks promising. I'm waiting to get my new hardware to give it a shot.
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
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Anonymous
February 14, 2008
With the release of Windows Server 2008 (RTM) we have seen there is a new kernel inside of this OS that
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
ChadMoran.com : If you have been living under a rock for awhile I suppose you would not know that Vista SP1 brings over the new kernel from Server 2008. They are both fairly identical with the exception of the software included and max concurrent connections allowed. Really Vista SP1 is just going tobe as good if you reduce the services and such down to what Server 2008 starts out with. 2003 was a new kernel compared to XP 32bit yes, but it will no longer be that way between client and server OS, the SP's will make sure the kernel is updated in both to the same from now on.
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
yes i agree with some comments here: XP --> Server 2003 - there is a difference in kernel (Server 2003 had a newer kernel) Vista SP1 --> Server 2008 - MINIMAL difference... SP1 for Vista brings the kernel to the same as Server 2008 So in my opinion there may be a SMALL difference between Vista SP1 and Server 2008, but nothing noticeable for day to day use. THIS is the question we need to be discussing... nothing else.
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
I am also interested in using this on a tablet. Can the handwriting panel be enabled?
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
When using Server 2003, I had trouble with some peripherals (scanner, USB external disk). How may this affect server OSes versus desktop OSes?
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
XP & Vmware workstation - simple & fast.
Anonymous
February 14, 2008
:sanderg : The server family of windows are generally much more fussy about obtaining Microsoft verified drivers for your peripherals, this is to ensure system stability and security
Anonymous
February 15, 2008
Martog, you are correct, I had only heard rumors about it, I didn't know it was true. Thanks!
Anonymous
February 15, 2008
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Anonymous
February 16, 2008
Excellent article. Thanks for it. It'll really come handy. :-) Regards Vishal Gupta Microsoft Windows MVP http://www.AskVG.com/
Anonymous
February 16, 2008
managed to transfer sidebar from vista to server 2008 but not all the gadgets work, probably missing activeX stuff managed to install DreamScene thing from ultimate under 2008 works fine so its probably no problem to run media center, you just have to know all the files that belong to media center and copy them over
Anonymous
February 16, 2008
and u need to add some reg entries
Anonymous
February 17, 2008
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Anonymous
February 18, 2008
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Anonymous
February 18, 2008
Is there DX (10, 10.1) support in this config? I'm guessing it's something that just needs to be enabled, but it seems like Server 2003 needed DX installed separately...
Anonymous
February 19, 2008
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Anonymous
February 19, 2008
copy this from vista... regsvr32 /s Mpeg2Data.ax regsvr32 /s mpg2splt.ax regsvr32 /s kstvtune.ax regsvr32 /s MSDvbNP.ax regsvr32 /s MSNP.ax regsvr32 /s VBICodec.ax regsvr32 /s vbisurf.ax
Anonymous
February 19, 2008
I would also like to know how you made the Sidebar work :) Also is it possible to integrate the Games Explorer from Vista? Thanks
Anonymous
February 19, 2008
Yup! Various files were missing... scoured through various inf's from the TV tuner driver and WIn2008, then, copied them over from Vista. Error in the driver's installation only showed up when using the 'Add Legacy Hardware' option in the Device manager.
Anonymous
February 20, 2008
This is a continuation of my previous post Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS Here are
Anonymous
February 20, 2008
This is a continuation of my previous post Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS Here are
Anonymous
February 21, 2008
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Anonymous
February 23, 2008
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Anonymous
February 23, 2008
..and BSOD I forgot... Server 2008 doen't have SuperFetch enabled... so if you desable it on Vista you'll get the same... with the ram... Or the same if you'll enable it on Server 2008 as in Vista ;) but my recommandation is to keep it enabled.
Anonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'd
Anonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'd
Anonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'd
Anonymous
February 26, 2008
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Anonymous
February 26, 2008
It's possible to run Media Center on Windows Server 2008. Exist way how get media center into WS 2008?
Anonymous
February 28, 2008
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Anonymous
February 28, 2008
Yes, you can turn off IE enhanced security. Open Server Manager and click on the root node. Now on the right hand side just scroll to the Security Information pane in Server Summary. To ther right there are links to some tasks, and Configure IE ESC is one of them.
Anonymous
February 29, 2008
Any ideas on why I cannot burn a DVD with my DVDRW drive? Works like a champ in Vista. OS sees it, etc. but will not let you burn a disc or drag files to it with the OS. I havent tried third party software yet.
Anonymous
February 29, 2008
Mary Jo Foley has an article on bringing back creating Windows Workstation 2008 (Part I) and proposing
Anonymous
February 29, 2008
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Anonymous
March 01, 2008
Nice Guide. but i m more of a freevare lover
Anonymous
March 02, 2008
NAP Server is only available on 2008
Anonymous
March 02, 2008
Someone that managed to get Vista sidebar working on w2k8 please share the experience, i cannot get it working by just coping the files...
Anonymous
March 03, 2008
Alternative for using codec pack: use VideoLAN VLC Player. It's free and it can play almost any format. For example HD-movies in mkv format can be played nicely...
Anonymous
March 04, 2008
I have been running Windows 2008 as a workstation for a few weeks, and both love it and hate it. Faster and less ram then Vista, more hardware works with Win2k8 then Vista on my laptop. Bad - MP3 blue screen the system, many audio functions can cause blue screen the system. Power management is much better then Vista with my laptop, (HP nw9440).
Anonymous
March 05, 2008
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Anonymous
March 05, 2008
Just a quick note for kids that fiddle with local rights and GP settings all the time: Start, Run, GPEDIT.MSC will pop the local GPO editor SECPOL.MSC will open the security policy editor specifically Great tips.
Anonymous
March 05, 2008
I 've been using Win2K3 as a workstation too from day 1. Never looked back :)
Anonymous
March 06, 2008
Knew it was 2003 all along - I saw it boot!
Anonymous
March 07, 2008
For those who ask why install 2008 and not just keep vista: There is a million reasons. For one, 2008 is a server, duhhh! It's services such as IIS are designed to accept many more concurrent connections. I believe vista's maximum is 10 concurrent connections. I can go into many reasons why Server is better, but i won't waist my breath.
Anonymous
March 07, 2008
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Anonymous
March 09, 2008
I have split and placed my pagefile to two separate drives, away from C:, so there is something you are not doing right.
Anonymous
March 09, 2008
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Anonymous
March 10, 2008
@keke and everyone else. Can you pls discribe how to make the TV-TUner work under Server2008? thanks in advance!
Anonymous
March 10, 2008
Bien que ça puisse paraître étrange, et à première vue incompréhensible
Anonymous
March 10, 2008
I've managed to get Sidebar working (for the most part - I can't seem to add Gadgets unless I do it first under a Vista installation and copy the Gadget files from my user profile on the Vista machine to my user profile on the WS2008 machine). It seems all the directions about setting up Sidebar ommited the fact that you must port over a registry key from Vista (HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionSidebar). You'll need to export the whole tree from a Vista installation that corresponds to the Server version you are running (i.e. x86 or x64) and then import it into the registry on WS 2008. To install Sidebar, follow the steps which have been outlined on other sites and then import the registry key. I struggled with this for days, until I finally found this step. Now, sidebar is running.
Anonymous
March 11, 2008
Hi people, I'm trying to get my tv tuner working too but didn't find how yet , when registering the stuff keke said, some won't register (like kstvtune.ax, you have to remove the /s or it will not alert), anyone else has an idea how to achieve this ? Thans
Anonymous
March 11, 2008
i managed to install my old tuner pinnacle pctv sat with XP drivers.. works fine :)
Anonymous
March 12, 2008
I did just fine with 2008 Server 64 bit edition on my Laptop. Audio drivers were not a problem. I have yet to check blue-ray support. Power Support was the one that was going to worry me, but hybernate seems to work fine as do power profiles. A few pieces of MSFT software won't install becuase they know it is a server OS, not a Client OS.
Anonymous
March 12, 2008
@brandon Is there a compatability mode option available? Also for anyone....I'm a WoW addict, will it run?
Anonymous
March 13, 2008
Wow is work fine, I thing faster than vista. Say dll error on startup, but no problem.
Anonymous
March 13, 2008
i am using a cutdown version of Vista (speedy Vista v4) and it runs fast on my quadcore (well it would) what i want to know is does this still run faster than any vlite edition Vista, also how much ram does it use on start up your answers will be greatly appreciated
Anonymous
March 13, 2008
I use it on my laptop and desktop and It rocks, I got the sidebar running (Thanks to my colleague WIM) this way, and I have a normal way of adding gadgets this way: copy the gadget directory from a Vista machine to: C:Program Files (x86)Windows Sidebar, and then from that dir: sidebar.exe /RegServer regsvr32 sbdrop.dll regsvr32 wlsrvc.dll Good luck
Anonymous
March 17, 2008
You can download gadgets and use them without issue. There is a small step you have to take but its only once per gadget. Download 7zip if you do not have it already. When you download a gadget, right click on it and select extract with 7zip. Then delete the original gadget, going back to your extracted gadget, add the .gadget extension to it, then toss it in your gadget folder. example, say you downloaded applauncher.gadget use 7zip to extract it, it will be called applauncher delete the downloaded one, rename the extracted one from applauncher to applauncher.Gadget toss it in your C:Program Files (x86)Windows SidebarGadgets folder if your on 64bit or in your C:Program Files Windows SidebarGadgets folder if your on 32bit. then right click on the sidebar, click add gadgets and they are there ready to be added.
Anonymous
March 18, 2008
It took me months to convince my manager that I need a new laptop. Then it took me a few more to convince
Anonymous
March 19, 2008
Had huge issues installing a compatible video driver, which had an amazing effect on system performance. Finally got past it and have been enjoying the performance and responsiveness that Vista should have had!
Anonymous
March 20, 2008
How enabling the wallpaper on the logon screen (would like to change blue background if possible). Has anyone been able to do this?
Anonymous
March 20, 2008
I wonder if Server 2k8 has the same DRM (Digital Rights Management) goo as Vista. If not, then maybe that's a good reason for Vista’s apparent worse performance lower stability.
Anonymous
March 26, 2008
So did I miss reading whether or not it has DirectX compatability at all? Vista is a memory hog and I only installed it to familiarize myself with it but I am so tired of how slow it runs. I run XP and it benchmarks at almost twice the speed and performance. I would love to use Server 2008's sleek and slim core to operate the software and games that we all know and love from the good old XP environment.
Anonymous
March 26, 2008
@ MauroS: no drm. this is faster than my recent installs of xp,32 and x64, and much more stable. for those xp hold outs: get a clue ;)
Anonymous
March 26, 2008
漢なら Windows Server 2008 をワークステーション OS にしなよ！
Anonymous
March 26, 2008
漢なら Windows Server 2008 をワークステーション OS にしなよ！
Anonymous
April 04, 2008
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Anonymous
April 05, 2008
One other point - Java. I was not able to get Java to actually work. ver. 6 update 5 and 4 both crashed Firefox, and caused IE7 to do weird things. On a lark I went to the Early access page on java.sun.com and got the Bet version6 update 10, and that works like a charm in Firefox. IE7 it does nothing, it's like the Java is not there, although it reports it installed and enabled. This problem in x64 has been reported on their web site, so I am tracking it. Has anyone else found a good Java approach besides this?
Anonymous
April 06, 2008
Over the last couple of weeks my Vista SP1 installation started to degrade.  One of the wonders
Anonymous
April 07, 2008
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Anonymous
April 08, 2008
I currently run Win2K3 as my workstation. besides the virtualization and all the fancy desktop/themes, what are the advantages of updating 2k3 to 2008 server (as workstation)? any performance gain? my machine is quite old, still an Athlon XP 2100 with 1GB so i might have some problems updating. any hint? thanks much
Anonymous
April 08, 2008
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Anonymous
April 08, 2008
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Anonymous
April 08, 2008
Switching development OS to Server 2008
Anonymous
April 08, 2008
I can't believe the know-it-alls that say Vista is the same as Win2K8 still ... man remember, you never know everything and you just have to do your homework and not assume what the vendor tells you is gospel... they are different, Google for Randall Kennedy and Infoworld... i don't think they've figured out why yet but yeah missing DRM is the best guess
Anonymous
April 08, 2008
Any other suggestions for good antivirus/antispyware for W2K8?
Anonymous
April 08, 2008
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Anonymous
April 08, 2008
for AV ClamWin works fine (32 and 64bit) for firewall zonealarm free edition works only on 32bit, check this link for a full rundown of other av products for 2008 http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/03/08/security-software/
Anonymous
April 09, 2008
Ah, yes...Microsoft Forefront. I had completely forgotton that it was included in MSDN. It appears to have improved significantly in recent months, so I'll give it a try. As I understand it, ClamWin doesn't provide real-time scanning....Anyone worried about waiting to get infected before you scan and find an infection? hbeardave
Anonymous
April 09, 2008
I tried Forefont on x64, the first thing I saw was a warning on incompatibility issues, despite it saying it ran on x64. So I stopped. Next I ran ClamWin, which worked fine, but it's VERY slow. So I uninstalled. I got to thinking I am not sure how robust ClamWin really is, when even the big boys let a few things through in the AV tests. ClamWin doesn't submit to testing that I saw. I am running the 60 day version of Avast Server Edition, and it runs well. I have always liked Avast, and for the small amount of money I think it's worth it for peace of mind. For firewall I am running Vista Firewall Control (Google it) on top of the installed Firewall. Free and it is AWESOME! Works very well, passed the GRC test with flying colors, and makes the OS firewall very nice with a good GUI on top of it (that runs in your tray).
Anonymous
April 13, 2008
@mvoloch Driver model.... 2003 = XP in terms of how drivers are handled. In 2008, I have had video drivers crash a few times, the screen went blank, driver got reloaded, problem solved... XP and 2003 in that case = BSOD
Anonymous
April 13, 2008
One other new feature, the Windows Server backup (you have to turn it on in Features if I recall, if not Roles), is way better than ntbackup. From what I can tell it wants to grab a disk drive completely and manage it for backup, so you don't even see it in Explorer. But because it owns the drive, it manages the backups, deletes oldest when necessary, etc. The status reporting is awesome! I just bought one of the cheap USB external drives and used that. It is FAST. I backed up about 30 GB (full computer backup), and it took about 25 minutes on my machine (a new fast one, but still...to a USB disk? that's amazing IMHO). So now I do a full backup every night, and it keeps and manages them all! This is way better than the backup in Vista, although that one is pretty good and much better than NTBACKUP also.
Anonymous
April 15, 2008
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Anonymous
April 15, 2008
If anyone wants to see MCE on Windows 2008, you could vote here for it: https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=332389
Anonymous
April 20, 2008
If anyone happens to have an FTP site to download the sidbar gadgets directory for Vista 64 I would appreciate it. Thanks
Anonymous
April 20, 2008
I have only seen it via web site -- http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/03/08/installing-the-vista-sidebar/
Anonymous
April 20, 2008
Thanks!! for the sidebar link!!! By any chance does anyone here have a logitech keyboard and mouse? I installed the latest x64 vista setpoint 4.40.88 but it doesn't give me any control over my mouse or keyboard (they worked before I installed the setpoint) I'm wondering if I need some special drivers for setpoint to recognize them.
Anonymous
April 21, 2008
I tried 3.3 - version of logitech which does make the keyboard and mouse work but then you get dll issues. I used universal extractor on 4.4 and put the drivers in the C:Program FilesCommon FilesLogishrdCDDRV2 - it now works fine on mouse - doesn't seem to do anything with the keyboard which is fine since I just make the special function keys do what they do on any other keyboard.
Anonymous
April 21, 2008
I do have Logitech Dinovo 2.0 set, but unfortunately i did not manage to get it to work with Server 2008. Keyboard works, but mouse doesnt. There seem to be a problem with BT hub logitech is using. Windows gets stuck on adding new devices, and nothing happens. I tried various versions of software, 10 different ways of installation, and nothing. There isnt much i could google on this one either. I got rid of it eventually unfortunately.
Anonymous
April 21, 2008

who cares said: you got dreamscenes working. I have the installable for Vista Ultimate - can you tell me how you got it working on your machine? Also if you have any luck getting the full media center working please let us know.

Thanks

Anonymous
April 25, 2008
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Anonymous
April 26, 2008
I am having trouble getting Java to run on WS 2008 with IE 7. Runs fine with Firefox. Anyone having trouble or does it run ok? I have tried everything - full uninstall/reinstall, turn off IE Enhanced Security and DEP, ensure Active X etc. able to run....I get the JRE in the system tray, but a blank window pops up and I get no applet support. JavaScript runs fine, and everything runs fine with Firefox 2.
Anonymous
April 26, 2008
I just test that by going to dslreports and running the java based speed test under tools - yep - I got a little popup thing for java that was blank and it failed to run. I brought up the java console ERROR: unexpectedly couldn't get the ClassLoaderInfo for the codebase/cache key
Anonymous
April 26, 2008
NONE of windows live services work on windows server 2008 ... so if u do this kiss Windows Live goodbye!!!
Anonymous
April 26, 2008
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
The issue with weather gadget not working in the sidebar, once you've installed it can be resolved by going to the gadgets gallery & searching for "MSN Weather". Download & install this & it's works fine!
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
Hmmm, Windows Live Messenger installed & works fine here...
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
Sidebar Gadgets: How to install. Download the gadget you want to your desktop. Create a folder on your desktop called . Gadget (* being a sensible name of gadget) Use 7zip (or similar) to extract all the files from the downloaded gadget into the newly created folder. Cut/Paste this folder into "CProgram FilesWindows SidebarGadgets" folder. Open up gadgets from within sidebar & click on the newly installed gadget to start it as you would with any other one. Hope this helps someone out there...
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
I was running Vista Business in my Sony Vaio Laptop for almost a year and I wanted a change for change
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
Thanks for this article dude! I'm really liking the buzz around Win2K8. Finally, after nearly 15 years or so after Windows 95 was launched, Microsoft delivers the goods. Well, better late than never...right guys? LOL!! Anyhow, it appears the 64bit version of 2008 Server runs like a charm based on all the feedback I'm reading. Will this run okay on an AMD x64-based laptop or should I go for a Core 2 Duo Core Intel-based laptop?? Which architecture "should" provide better performance? Again, excellent info on this blog!!
Anonymous
April 27, 2008
Thanks for this article dude! I'm really liking the buzz around Win2K8. Finally, after nearly 15 years or so after Windows 95 was launched, Microsoft delivers the goods. Well, better late than never...right guys? LOL!! Anyhow, it appears the 64bit version of 2008 Server runs like a charm based on all the feedback I'm reading. Will this run okay on an AMD x64-based laptop or should I go for a Core 2 Duo Intel-based laptop?? Which architecture "should" provide better performance? I'm aiming for a nice, reliable Toshiba lappie...just have to decide on the architecture. Again, excellent info on this blog!!
Anonymous
April 29, 2008
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Anonymous
April 30, 2008
Has anyone gotten x64 WMP to play DVD movies? I have tried the K-Lite and Vista Codec Package x64, but it keeps saying it cannot play the DVD maybe try reducing the screen resolution (which doesn't help). This error message is indicative of no codecs I believe. WMP x32 with K-Lite works great. Thanks!
Anonymous
May 05, 2008
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Anonymous
May 06, 2008
I have installed Server 2008 EE on my new Toshiba A305-S6839 and everything is working perfectly except the Intel 4965AGN wireless card. I have installed the driver and Intel Proset 2 and all is recognized in Device Manager just fine. However, in the Proset 2 software the driver/card is not found. I have tried drivers/software from Toshiba, Intel, HP, and Lenovo but Toshiba has the latest driver version and software version. Any thoughts? I hate to go back to Vista as Server 2008 is running with 300mb less than Vista and is quite noticeable difference in speed.
Anonymous
May 07, 2008
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Anonymous
May 08, 2008
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Anonymous
May 08, 2008
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Anonymous
May 08, 2008
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Anonymous
May 10, 2008
Any idea on how to do the Vista Performance Rating feature on Server 2008? I am interested in wondering the difference on this laptop. FYI, a basic Vista Ultimate install used 1gb on complete boot of this laptop, Server 2008 EE uses 700mb. This is a 30% decrease in system resources being used. This is the reason why I would like to run the Performance Rating test on this.
Anonymous
May 12, 2008
http://winbeta.org/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=34&t=9186 Here is different windows speed test.
Anonymous
May 12, 2008
I was wandering how the licencing would work for 2008? I want to run it as a 64x workstation on my notebook (all specs above board) with the ability to run games as well as servers. What version would you recommend and what is the average price?
Anonymous
May 13, 2008
When I installed my new machine I considered installing Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V . But this my
Anonymous
May 13, 2008
When I installed my new machine I considered installing Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V . But this my
Anonymous
May 13, 2008
Quando instalei a minha nova máquina considerei a hipótese de instalar o Windows Server 2008 com Hyper-V
Anonymous
May 22, 2008
Started the Themes services, it's running and set to Automatic, but when i go to enable Aero I get an error telling me that the Themes service is not running when it is, any ideas?
Anonymous
May 25, 2008
Hello. I cannot open some websites. Any ideas? regards
Anonymous
May 25, 2008
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Anonymous
May 27, 2008
I've installed Server 2008 on my HP 6510b, and I have to say, it's much more responsive than the preinstalled Vista (I've not tried SP1 though), or the XP SP 3 I used. RAM usage is moderate, boot times are a bit longer than usual (not that I shut it down that much - standby rules), and getting WiFi to work was a bit tricky, as I could not read any help on the internet, understandably:) As expectable from a server OS, after more than a week uptime, no performace loss is visible, unlike many previous OSes. It's been a long time since I liked a Microsoft OS this much, they really did a great job on this one. Congratulations guys! ;)
Anonymous
May 27, 2008
@Joe: It runs roughly 900 bucks for Open Business versions plus 40 bucks per client license. Probably costs about the same for retail versions. For sure, Vista Ultimate would be way cheaper if you want server 2008 to act as vista anyway.
Anonymous
May 27, 2008
Price is for standard edition.. which would be all you need anyway..
Anonymous
May 27, 2008
When I'm not messing with WPF and SL, I write software that needs to run on servers (behing WCF endpoints,
Anonymous
May 29, 2008
Running Windows Server 2008 on a Laptop
Anonymous
May 29, 2008
Dedicated Servers. Dedicated Server Search provides a wide range of Dedicated Servers and Dedicated Servers hosting packages, Dedicated Servers are Windows based Server and Linux Based Server for small and medium-size companies.
Anonymous
May 30, 2008
Change Optimiced for Applications intead of background process in advanced system settings, I think this will change the "slice" of the processor used for a better interaction with IO.
Anonymous
June 11, 2008
I actually dont have a features option in the server manager even if I have server 2008 installed. anyone know why this is ?
Anonymous
June 13, 2008
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Anonymous
June 16, 2008
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
June 16, 2008
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
June 17, 2008
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
June 17, 2008
Do you have all the latest drivers etc. from Sony eSupport? http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=VGNFJ170B
Anonymous
June 20, 2008
server 08 has full directx 10, or 10.1 as it may be. You need to enable video acceleration. Right click on the desktop -> personalize -> display settings -> advanced settings -> troubleshoot tab -> change settings (UAC warning) -> move the slider all the way to the right. if you want to check it, run dxdiag from start search.
Anonymous
June 21, 2008
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Anonymous
June 22, 2008
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Anonymous
June 23, 2008
Well, this is going to be interesting. I've spent the day installing Windows Server 2008 on my brand
Anonymous
June 28, 2008
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Anonymous
July 05, 2008
is it possible that I can play games on it? like Crysis and the new Crysis Warhead when is gonna be realeased? (sorry for my bad english)
Anonymous
July 07, 2008
If u r trying to install Windows Server 2008 on laptop, you will need to install Wireless LAN feature, and also manually start the service.
Anonymous
July 09, 2008
Does anyone think that it's a good idea to make a user account for my main account, or is it better to stick with Admin? I know in Linux it is safer not to run in root all the time. Do you think the same applies to Windows Server 2008, or is it going to be more of a hindrance than anything? I'm always having to type the admin password every time I want to do something.
Anonymous
July 18, 2008
Looking at websites with appealing names like www.win2008workstation.com there seem to be (home) users
Anonymous
July 28, 2008
i like so much windows server 2008, i found many more fascilities than win server 2003 .
Anonymous
August 05, 2008
I have recently converted several desktops and laptops to Windows Server 2008 x64 to essentially leverage
Anonymous
August 05, 2008
I am now 6 months into running Windows Server 2008 as my desktop. I use Hyper-V, VS 2008, Firefox, IE, IIS, burn CDs/DVDs, and SQLServer most of the time as my work on the PC. I love this OS. It's better than anything I have ever used. Fast, Reliable. No blue screens. I can't even remember any applicaiton shut down messages. Drivers are rock solid. Did I mention fast? While my personality is always one to look ahead, IE to Windows 7, I really don't right now until I know it's better than THIS - I hope MS makes a workstation equivalent of Windows 7 out of the server version...
Anonymous
August 19, 2008
FYI GoGrid is offering virtual Servers. They have a free $100 trial when you use the promo code 'GGED'. They are one of the first to offer 2008. EC2 doesn't even offer windows. www.gogrid.com
Anonymous
August 23, 2008
Thanks for the article. I have successfully installed and using Microsoft Server 2008. I also have installed VMware just to run xp and vista on it. However I ran in a bit of problem trying to get the video card going. I have a Precision T7400 with NVIDIA FX1700. Of course there is no driver for server operating systems. After a lot of fighting with the machine I finally decided to use the Beta version of the Vista driver from Nvidia website. That seemed to solve the issue. I just thought I would share it incase anyone else is having hte same problem. Thanks again for the great article.
Anonymous
September 06, 2008
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Anonymous
September 10, 2008
Been a while since I blogged. Life kinda gets in the way. Natalie ( my youngest ) been having the HSC
Anonymous
September 11, 2008
I do IT support. I support several operating systems. I want to be able to open them up in a moments notice so I have a reference when someone calls. My laptop has do 4 gigs, 64bit, and VT. The drive on the way is 320 gig 7200, and the processor T7200 2.0 ghz. When the 320 gets here I'll be setting it up. VMWare's ESX is bare metal and is what I'll use if it will install. I've heard both ways, but I know it wants SCSI. If Plan A fails, that would mean plan B which is a host OS with VMWare Server on top. It's really the only viable option since VMWare VMs are the defacto standard for software vendors and businesses around the web to distribute pre-configured installs for FreeBSD, Netware, SUSE, etc. This saves man-years of time, errors, and aggravation. At first I wouldn't consider 64 bit OS let alone SBS 2008. There are driver issues, I only have 4 gigs of RAM, software vendors get $ in their eyes when you have a server OS, and plenty of software won't install when it sees it's a server. I planned to use XP Prof as the host OS if necessary. What I've read here has me at least considering SBS 2008. I might not even need a VM for Vista if this would be close enough. I could virtualize the other 2008 Server in SBS Premium to demo terminal services. Here's the rub. I need NTVDM for some development tools. I have no problem with running that in a VM but I would not want the files to be separate from the SBS 2008 files as is normally the case. I could I suppose have the VM log into the 2008 Server to access the files on its drive. I'm not convinced I want to do this yet, but do you see any flies in the ointment with this plan? Thanks! PS: I see one thing missing in order to round out the 2008 plan, and that is adding system recovery. That's easy enough to do with 2003, so I would assume it could also be done with 2008.
Anonymous
September 16, 2008
I just did something I’ve been meaning to do for a long while: re-tooled my laptop with Windows Server
Anonymous
September 20, 2008
dose this ver have a login wher you need to change the password and if so how do you find the password for it thanks
Anonymous
September 20, 2008
Just installed the Desktop Expeirence, as I was having trouble with an Epson scanner (the software was complaining that some files were missing), and now it works
Anonymous
October 10, 2008
@MS Chumps You're obviously a mac-guy, since you know nothing about the IT business. What about the powerful Explorer in Vista? What about meta-tagging? Perhaps the weak/limited "Time machine" app? I've used Leopard and came back to Vista simply because it wasn't powerful enough for my needs. Now go back to designing your pretty artwork in photoshop, since that's all you probably know how to do. BTW, our company uses OSX server and it crashes regularly, and all it is is a file server. My previous workstation had to be rebuilt, along with about 4 colleagues simply because the desktop became corrupt (constant freezes, icons randomly disappearing). And these are Mac Pros. So much for superiority. As for myself, I'm about to try W2K8 server on a separate partition and see how I like it. My job allows me the luxory of playing games at work so I hope I can get directx 10 working on the server edition (I currently use Vista SP1 as my workstation).
Anonymous
October 17, 2008
just installed trial server 2008 and it wants me to change the password ! "what was the password in the first place"
Anonymous
October 29, 2008
For antivirus, try PC Tools AntiVirus (free or paid). Works like a charm.
Anonymous
November 06, 2008
great article. I had problems to get the game bioshock working. it was because of the missing games explorer. Some games e.g. bioshock require some additional dll files. A good description how to add the required dlls can be found here: http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/03/29/missing-gameuxdll/ Hope that helps somebody.
Anonymous
November 07, 2008
3 Weeks with Windows Server 2008 on My Laptop
Anonymous
December 08, 2008
Finally. Ever since being told of a rough estimate of the date it was to be released I've been waiting
Anonymous
December 08, 2008
Using Windows 2008 Workstation editin since weeks, months! Works like a charm, event Bluetooth has a solution. Laptop with 8go Ram, Hyper-Vised all my 500Go Labs! Performance, Stability, Jeez just pitty of the "Know-all-but-nothing" wannabe Geeks who can't refrain commenting that Vista is the same.. :) Thx for the info.
Anonymous
December 12, 2008
Has anyone given any thought to using Small Business Server 2008 as a development workstation? I'm going the 2008 workstation route and wondered if I should give this some consideration since you get WSS 3.0, IIS 7.0, SQL 2008, etc. all in one go. I thought it might be easier to manage. Any thoughts?
Anonymous
December 19, 2008
I have tried 3 different sound cards trying to get 2008 server to recognize them properly with no luck. Do you have any suggestions for sound cards or chipsets that will work? Thanks, Vi Wickam On-Site Computer Solutions http://www.424help.com
Anonymous
December 27, 2008
I think this systems is fantastic and like anyone else I would like to get a legit serial and product. The only problem is that it costs soo much money. Anyhow, if anyone of you out there want to share with me a serial then by all means hit me up. rob007games(at)yahoo(dot)com. I would trade my three Ultimate serials numbers for a legit serial of this bad boy..
Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Using Windows Server 2008 as your workstation OS
Anonymous
January 09, 2009
If your server 2008 sound is sluttering read url which i included.
Anonymous
January 09, 2009
http://www.win2008workstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=619&hilit=SystemResponsiveness
Anonymous
January 10, 2009
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
January 10, 2009
Oh and does the vista version of Symantec Antivirus 10.2 (corporate edition) work or not?
Anonymous
January 29, 2009
Так как руки уже чешутся поставить Windows 7, решил пока не поздно рассказать как ставил себе Windows
Anonymous
January 29, 2009
Так как руки уже чешутся поставить Windows 7, решил пока не поздно рассказать ка
Anonymous
February 07, 2009
I'm considering purchasing a Sony Vaio laptop and installing Windows Server 2008 instead of Vista. I thought this would be an easy thing to do until I read this forum. Do I really have to install drivers and additional software to enable all devices to work on the laptop? Is there a compatibilty list available somewhere like there is for Vista?
Anonymous
February 07, 2009
P.S. I don't need it to look like my XP or Vista desktop. I'm only going to use it to run Sharepoint Server 2007 on a stand-alone portable machine.
Anonymous
February 09, 2009
I have my old SBLive from about 10 years ago working sweet in Windows Server 2008. Go to this link http://support.creative.com/downloads/download.aspx?nDownloadId=1972 And download these old SBLiv drivers. Install 'Drivers Only' - the mixer etc doesn't work. After rebooting, start msconfig and go to startup to disable: ReadReg Application Creative Updreg That worked for me. I hope it works for some of you.
Anonymous
February 09, 2009
I forgot to say... You must run the installation program in XP SP2 compatability mode.
Anonymous
February 26, 2009
Hi, It seems Microsoft removed the x64 version from its evaluation page. I have the serial for 32bit version and was looking for the x64 version since I upgraded my RAM. Is it available somewhere else? I tried but cannot find it anywhere.
Anonymous
February 26, 2009
Did you try googling for Windows Server 2008 trial? I see 3,000,000 hits.
Anonymous
February 27, 2009
if the native Server 2008 misses all these enduser features and gadgets, you guys copy and install from various sources, shouldn't the adding of the Terminal Services role add these automically? I guess a TS is suppose to give endusers same experience as he would sit in front of a workstation OS. Am I right or wrong?
Anonymous
March 20, 2009
I've got a license from a friend, and I must tell: This is the fastest windows I've ever used.
Anonymous
April 01, 2009
I notice Microsoft is releasing Windows Server 2008 Foundation for small businesses which doesn't include
Anonymous
April 17, 2009
Windows 2008 is surely going to replace Windows 2000 and windows 2003 as Windows NT was replaced by Windows 2000. So better learn it and be prepared. Start learning by clicking on my name.
Anonymous
April 17, 2009
Windows 2008 is surely going to replace Windows 2000 and windows 2003 as Windows NT was replaced by Windows 2000. So better learn it and be prepared. Start learning by clicking on my name.
Anonymous
April 18, 2009
If you are a SharePoint developer developing on windows server 2008, I’m pretty sure you share my frustration.
Anonymous
April 27, 2009
Windows Server 2008 is the fastest OS I have ever used. It’s truly amazing at how fast it performs every
Anonymous
April 29, 2009
i hope server r2 will be good as r1 :D
Anonymous
May 20, 2009
Have been on WS 2008 R2 for while (I'm a programmer). And need now to upgrade to Release Candidate which appeared on MSDN not long ago. Already knew many (but not all) of the things above. Didn't know about prefetch (and 'super' prefetch). I turned prefetch on with the two registry settings that you recommend Vijay but even after several reboots c:windowsprefetch doesn't appear. Is it located somewhere else now? I've looked around but have yet to find it. Maybe I set the registry settings incorrectly - I'll check. ... no, the registry values appear to be correct. How else (aside from presence of prefetch directory) might one determine that prefetching is indeed working?
Anonymous
May 21, 2009
Prefetch does not appear to be available in R2 the same way it was in 2008 Server. I have not found anything that discusses it, don't know if it was just built in, turned over to hardware, eliminated, or what. Hopefully we will see it mentioned on a blog some time.
Anonymous
July 22, 2009
Prefetch does not appear to be available in R2 the same way it was in 2008 Server. I have not found anything that discusses it, don't know if it was just built in, turned over to hardware, eliminated, or what.
Anonymous
July 23, 2009
hi there, I have had a chance to try Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition Hyper-V Edition with ASPHostCentral (http://www.asphostcentral.com) This is what I found:

Administering Windows Server 2003 is a lot easier and I believe that Windows Server 2003 works faster in the sense that all hardware remain the same
Lots of improvement, particularly in the area of IIS features, security settings, etc found in Windows 2008
Creating several particular VPS are so much easier with Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Edition. If I am thinking long term, I should be using Windows Server 2008. Up until now, I still have my site hosted at ASPHostCentral, paying roughly $4.99/month and this is certainly a great bargain! I am now looking to test Windows 7, which is due to be out very shortly... "windows maniac", Rudolf M.

Anonymous
September 05, 2009
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Anonymous
September 06, 2009
Well that opinion flies in the face of a ton of developers ....thanks for the lecture..maybe do a little reasding and check back with us.
Anonymous
September 26, 2009
I just intall apache and mysql on windows server 2008 without any problems compared to windows server 2003.
Anonymous
October 07, 2009
hey my any games ain't working in Win Server 2008...help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee???
Anonymous
December 27, 2009
Can some one point me to a comparison from win 7 64 bit to server 2008 64 bit. I'm thinking of trying the win 2008 server version but would like to see what people say is faster.
Anonymous
December 27, 2009
Can some one point me to a comparison from win 7 64 bit to server 2008 r2 64 bit. I'm thinking of trying the win 2008 r2 server version but would like to see what people say is faster. sorry i meant 2008 r2
Anonymous
January 01, 2010
Anyone have an idea why the w2008 server install fails after the initial file load?? THe screen goes blank and the install just hangs before requesting the language selection. Thanks
Anonymous
January 12, 2010
Hey, Thanks a lot for the wonderful article. Was really useful to me. Thanks, Madhuri
Anonymous
January 13, 2010
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Anonymous
February 10, 2010
probably the best OS made by Bill's company :)
Anonymous
February 12, 2010
I did work using Windows 2000 Server, WIndows 2003 Server, Windows 2008 Server (with Hyper-V), and now I'm installing Windows 2008 R2 Server on my new Precision. Great way to use the hardware :)
Anonymous
February 16, 2010
I have Windows Server 2008 Standard x32 installed and when I got to install 2GB DDR2 on each drive, it will not reboot and just beeps at me as well as flashes a red system health. Why, the server is compatible for this extra memory
Anonymous
March 17, 2010
Muito bom o post, fácil de entender. Poderia disponibilizar em outras linguagens, como o Portugues..hehe.. Of Brasil
Anonymous
March 17, 2010
Muito bom o Post, fácil de se entender, parabéns, vai ajudar muitos curiosos como eu..rrss. Obs: Poderia disponibilizar em outras Linguagens como o Portugues..hehehe. Parabéns! Of Brasil
Anonymous
March 30, 2010
I advise you tu use Windows 7 with Virtual PC or another hypervisor plateform. I don't understand why you do this ?
Anonymous
May 04, 2010
hi Chris Haaker Any ideas on why I cannot burn a DVD with my DVDRW drive? Works like a champ in Vista. OS sees it, etc. but will not let you burn a disc or drag files to it with the OS. I havent tried third party software yet. I ve the same problem i solved it with CDBurnerXP, its free soft http://cdburnerxp.se/
Anonymous
August 02, 2010
Anyone know how I install my graphic board on win server 2008?
Anonymous
October 30, 2010
Going on with #2 above, windows vista drivers seem to work best on server 2008 - but not always do windows 7 drivers want to work.
Anonymous
January 07, 2011
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Anonymous
February 24, 2011
What is the Server OS used for? I don't know much about Server OS, and I'm trying to learn, however I couldn't find any website that tells me the advantages and purpose of using a Server OS, as to Windows Vista or Windows 7. I would appreciate if anyone can clear my doubt. Thanks.
Anonymous
July 05, 2011
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
July 08, 2011
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
August 14, 2011
i wan to write the exams online how
Anonymous
August 21, 2011
Maybe Sever is much powerfull than traditional workstation. Best wishes Technical Tips - Tips for IT Professionals http://www.technicaltips.net
Anonymous
January 31, 2012
Does anyone know of any significant hardware vendors that provide technical support for video and audio work on any Windows Server operating systems, whether on a machine they classify as a server or a workstation/gaming platform? Dell does not. I need a server OS, RAID, a removable disk backup solution, and support for audio/video. Any vendor or specific hardware recommendations for such requirements?
Anonymous
March 19, 2012
I have a new hp pavilion hpe 9 desktop pc with me , and i would like to install server 2008 in it . I treied installing the os its fine but i find that the network drivers and the graphics drivers are missing . I could not find the drivers for this pc in the web as it has drivers only for win 7 series . where can i find the network drivers for win server 2008 for this desktop ?

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Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS

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who cares said: you got dreamscenes working. I have the installable for Vista Ultimate - can you tell me how you got it working on your machine? Also if you have any luck getting the full media center working please let us know.

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