Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS ... Cont'd
This is a continuation of my previous post Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS
Here are a couple of things I missed in my previous post
11. Processor Scheduling
As pointed out in a comment on my previous post; On Windows Server 2008 background services are given preference over interactive programs. You can change this behavior by
Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Processor Scheduling
Setting this to Programs will make foreground programs more responsive.
12. Visual Effects
One thing you will notice on Windows Server 2008 is that by default you will not see Preview Thumbnails in your Documents / Music / Video folders. This has to be enabled explicitly.
Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Visual Effects
Based on your preference you can tweak these settings.
13. Power Options
Do your bit for a Green World! The Balanced (default) power plan on Windows Server 2008 does not turn off hard disks by default. On Vista hard disks are turned off after 20 mins. You can change this by
Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings
It does take a bit to kick start the hard disks when you resume work but that's a sacrifice worth making for a greener world :).
14. IE Enhanced Security
IE Enhanced Security Configuration has been moved from Add Remove Windows Components (on Windows 2003) to the Server Manager on Windows Server 2008.
Server Manager > Security Information > Configure IE ESC
You now have a choice to disable it only for Administrators.
And to end with a couple of clarifications
* Why am I recommending Windows Server 2008 over Windows Vista ?
I am not!
* How to get Sidebar / Media center on Windows Server 2008?
My honest opinion would be to look for alternatives.
* Will hardware problems go away moving to Windows Server 2008?
Not likely. One of the biggest complaints against Vista was hardware issues. Without proper drivers from your hardware vendors your ride on Windows Server 2008 is again going to be bumpy. For me all Vista compatible drivers worked fine with Server 2008 and I believe they should work for you as well.
* Will all software work on Windows Server 2008?
Most will but some setups detect Windows Server 2008 as a server OS and may not install. The compatibility mode does not have a Vista option only XP / Windows 2003 and other legacy OS.
[Update 2012] Windows 8 is the Super workstation OS I had been waiting for
Comments
Anonymous
February 20, 2008
Nice article. I can confirm, I use Windows 2008 Server x64 sice first day it was RTM'ed and it rocks, the most stable & fast OS from MS I've ever seen. I use it for development (VS.NET, MS SQL Server) and running without any problems now (the only thing I noticed was Skype due to problems with x64 RTM version of WS).Anonymous
February 20, 2008
Hey great article. Granted, you are not recommending win2k8 server over vista, but the question is still the same. You as a professional, and like most of the people reading these posts, which setup do you think is best? Which one is best suited for you when addressing issues like responsiveness, security, stability. win2k8 Server or vista ?Anonymous
February 21, 2008
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February 21, 2008
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February 22, 2008
the first one who succeds in installing MCE on 2008 please let us know! :)Anonymous
February 22, 2008
MCE on Server 2008!! is this possible??Anonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'dAnonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'dAnonymous
February 25, 2008
Actually I've been 2008'ed for quite a while now, but only recently fully 2008'rtm'dAnonymous
February 25, 2008
Info about sidebar: I found in recent builds of Windows Server 2008 folder named "Windows Sidebar" in Program Files and I was able to run it smoothly :)Anonymous
February 26, 2008
Great posts! I have moved fully to 2008 for development - really the only choice for SharePoint - and now I don't suffer Vista Envy! ;-)Anonymous
February 27, 2008
Thanks a lot for this post, followed it and my Thinkpad t61 is now playing very nicely with server 2008. But i have one issue left, the 'offline files' function. I found the services called 'offline files', but I'm not able to enable it. Anybody have a clue what i need to make this work. Please help!Anonymous
March 01, 2008
I have succesfully installed Sidebar on W2k8.
- Just copy "c:Program FilesWindows Sidebar" folder from a Windows Vista machine.
- Run from console: "sidebar.exe /RegServer" (these are the all options you have: sidebar.exe /autoRun /AX /CPL /detectMem /showgadgets /uninstallgadgets /RegServer /UnregServer) Regards, Andrea.
Anonymous
March 05, 2008
For me , the major obstacle to running Windows Server 2008 would be the compatibility of the applications I use on a regular basis. Add to that the lack of drivers and I'll say people should wait a year before starting this kind of project.Anonymous
March 06, 2008
one question: how to get superfetch to work under server 2008? everytime i try to start that service it wouldn't work but it tells me "os not configured to run this service" or something like that... what's that about? plus i can't even get an ordinary windows xp setup to run in hyper-v ... text setup always stops when loading acpi drivers...Anonymous
March 08, 2008
does anyone has a problem with running skype on win2k8? Installed without any problems but when i try to cennect, got an eRRor someone got simmilar problem or it's .. just me :)Anonymous
March 09, 2008
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March 09, 2008
how about games on a server 2008?Anonymous
March 10, 2008
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March 11, 2008
Games work great. You might need to run the DirectX websetup to get missing Dx9 compoments, but most games work really nice. Sometimes you need to disable the desktop design (Diablo series). So far the only thing I am missing is proper BDA driver support for running TV cards. All apps I tried fail with the BuildGraph() or Connect() functions of the drivers. Vistas Media Center wont run here (none of the .exes do anything) However I am not sure if there are any real advantages over a Vista SP1 system for a personal/home user (except for the coolness factor, of course)...Anonymous
March 11, 2008
Seriously great work with 2008. It's a far more pleasant experience that Vista and frankly much quicker and responsive. Why not put out a workstation version of this and ditch Vista Ultimate?Anonymous
March 11, 2008
In addition, you can ru Aero, see my blog.Anonymous
March 12, 2008
I have a test system with Win 2k8 and it's working quite well, but media center functionality would transfer Win2k8 in a Vist Super Duper Ultimate Version ;)Anonymous
March 12, 2008
Thanks for the info. If/when they release server 2008 on MSDNAA, I'll try this out.Anonymous
March 13, 2008
hi, Any idea if Tablet PC functionality works or could be enable on this? thanks!Anonymous
March 14, 2008
the only thing I did NOT get to work is the luetooth adapter in my laptop. I used that one under Vista to connect my Mouse to, now I have to use the dongle that came with the mouse. it is one action more, not too bad. but I hate a question mark in my device manager... Icannot stop in in the bios though, because I change harddisks once in a while to use either vista or XP to work from for various reasons.Anonymous
March 14, 2008
CD/DVD data burning on 2008. Insert blank disk run cmd prompt as administrator format <drive> /fs:udf Drag and drop. Manually eject when done.Anonymous
March 17, 2008
I just converted my laptop to Workstation 2008 and LOVE it! The only thing now working now is ThinkVantage Access connections and the default Vista games. I need my mahjong!Anonymous
March 17, 2008
Sorry, can;t type on Mondays. The post should have read the onyl things NOT working....Anonymous
March 17, 2008
Has anyone been able to get dreamscene to work right? I have it installed but for some reason I can't get .mpeg files to play right. I have tried two different codec packs and I have tried and it plays DVD's just fine. At first it was because of video drivers so I was able to get them loaded. Now I choose a dreamscene and it does nothing. I try to play the dreamscenes in media player and it says the codecs aren't installed. Do I need to do an update on directx as well? I'm pretty sure that the vista codec pack should support the mpeg but I wanted to make sure.Anonymous
March 18, 2008
dude, if Pshop CS3 and Lightroom 1.3 install and run without issues, this is so the OS for my soho desktop! i'll still keep Vista for my media center and gaming.Anonymous
March 18, 2008
@kwood129: sounds like maybe you need a different MPEG2 codec for Dreamscene to work properly with the MPEGs you're using. those MPEGs would be in MPEG2 format, so....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 convinceAnonymous
March 19, 2008
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March 21, 2008
I tried to install a VX-3000 lifecam from MS on my WIndows 2008 enterprise (non hyperv) x86 installation - i get the following error: "Setup cannot continue because either there is insufficient free hard disk space or an unexpected error has occurred. please free the neccesary disk space, and run Setup again. For system requirements refer to the product packaging." this is frustrating. it seems more and more MS products are incompatible with each other. It has the same kernal as Vista - why not let the same devices work across the different OS's!Anonymous
March 25, 2008
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March 25, 2008
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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
March 28, 2008
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March 29, 2008
Don't use WL installer, use manually download of Windows Live messenger. (e.g. http://windows-live-messenger.en.softonic.com/ )Anonymous
March 31, 2008
I have been going through this process on a Dell D630 with 2.2 core 2, and 4 GB of RAM trying to run Windows 2008 Ent x64 hyper - v, I must say that everything works very fast, even faster than running the same laptop with vista x64 sp1. Many of the drivers installed in less than 1/2 the time. The only single issue for me that might fource me back to vista x64 sp1, is the fact that I cannot seem to get power management to work with the hyper - v enabled. I have even tried to stop the services that make up the hyper - v, and can still not get my laptop to stand-by. Does anyone have a work around for this issue?Anonymous
March 31, 2008
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April 05, 2008
i know lots of drivers arnt out for server 2k8. does anyone have a force install program? its not recommended but i'm tired of my dell optiplex gx 270 and soundblaster live! ct4870 not to having soundAnonymous
April 07, 2008
Brilliant article. Cannot believe how fast it flies now. Readyboost not working? Cannot seem to find any straight forward way to get it working. First I had to get the SD card to work. Can't seem to find the readyboost settings? Anybody?Anonymous
April 13, 2008
Logitech setpoint does not work with x64 builds, some people say the old 3.10 works, but any install prior to 4.00 causes continual blue-screens upon reboot (although it works great until then).Anonymous
April 17, 2008
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April 19, 2008
Hi everyone. After having nothing but hassles with Ultimate X64, I was sceptical about putting 2k8 on. How wrong I was! Now I've got 90% of things running (like Aero, Audio/Video experience etc. I'm pretty happy. Only prob is, I'm chasing the Vista64 games pack (Solitaire, Purble Place, Chess, etc.) due to my love of playing Solitaire while apps are working. Hoping for help soon.Anonymous
April 20, 2008
Thanks for the article - I found this after I installed Win2k8 and found a lot of the same issues. My current outstanding issues in getting Win2k8 to do everything I would like to do - 1 Figure out how to get windows live mail working (windows mail says it doesn't support http mail - windows live mail says it won't install on WIndows server) - I have outlook but prefer to keep my e-mail account with my newsgroup reader open as a seperate item as I have many e-mail acounts and two outlook profiles that I switch between while I had been using outlook express on XP. 2 Figure out how to customize my ie toolbar - I had done this on previous version of windows by adding registry entries and keeping a folder for the icons - e.g. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftInternet ExplorerExtensions{D7ED695D-4CA4-440d-B1CC-037F28765EBD}] "Default Visible"="Yes" "ButtonText"="Google" "HotIcon"="C:\install\IEButtons\google2.ico" "Icon"="C:\install\IEButtons\google2.ico" "CLSID"="{1FBA04EE-3024-11D2-8F1F-0000F87ABD16}" "Exec"="http://www.google.com/search?as_q=+&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=lang_en&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=m3&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images"Anonymous
April 20, 2008
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April 21, 2008
If anyone makes any progress on moving the media center stuff from Vista ultimate to Win2k8 as well as the animated background wallpapers I would be interested - THANKSAnonymous
April 22, 2008
Could really be nice for the overall experience to have windows media plugin for IE or firefox installed on server 2008 but the installer just says, doesnt work on server OS any ideas?Anonymous
April 23, 2008
Has anyone found any good forums on W2k8 workstation? This one is laid out very well but I'm guessing not a lot of people have tested Windows 2008 workstation yet. http://www.win2008workstation.com/forum/Anonymous
May 01, 2008
Windows Media Player (11 or any other) will not install on my WS2008 64bit. Some web sites will refuse to stream as result. That is not nice :-)Anonymous
May 03, 2008
So, where do I sign the petition to ask MS to release a Workstation edition of Windows Server 2008 Web Edition?The only thing they need to change is the title and the licensing (don't use it in production as a server) and sell it for the same price as Vista Business... C'mon, not everybody has MSDN subscription.Anonymous
May 04, 2008
ReadyBoost on W2k8 ? any ideas?Anonymous
May 06, 2008
As an answer to vadim: Windows Media Player WORKS perfect on Windows 2008 x64. And is far better than what runs on Windows XP. I can watch divx movies and dvds without any problem. Also Creative Audigy Fx works perfect on Windows 2008, but the installation was a little bit tricky. Actually all my programs work perfect on Windows 2008 x64, including Skype.Anonymous
May 22, 2008
Seriously, what is the difference? Nothing... you can remove any of the x64 features from Vista. I don't see a difference, they're the same kernel. The risk and issues I had with 2k8 far outweigh the benefits, uhm if there are any. You guys are friggin hype-to-the-max.Anonymous
May 25, 2008
Thanks for the post. It was very helpful.Anonymous
May 25, 2008
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May 29, 2008
It works very fast! I've never seen a better OS before. I'd like to write more about it but my English is too bad ;)
Win Server 08 läuft sehr schnell und arbeitet wunderbar. Bei XP SP 2 hatte ich eine CPU-Auslastung von 4-8 %, wenn keine Programme liefen. Bei Windows Server 2008 jedoch nur 0-3%! Mein Computer: Intel P4, 3,00 Ghz 1024 MB DDR1 RAM ATI RADEON X600
Anonymous
June 23, 2008
Well, this is going to be interesting. I've spent the day installing Windows Server 2008 on my brandAnonymous
July 26, 2008
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August 06, 2008
One of the challenges of developing in the Software + Services/SOA world we now live in is creating aAnonymous
August 18, 2008
What is the best edition of WS2K8 to stat with? Standard, Web, non-Hyper-V? I would intuitively think I would want to start off with the lightest weight version (web), but if that's not a good solution, what is? Does it even matter?Anonymous
August 20, 2008
I have used Std but now am using Enterprise and it is working great!Anonymous
August 21, 2008
Outstanding, I have it setup exactly as my XP install, games and all. Only issue was anti-viruses.I have symantec 10.1, no joj, needs 2.0 or better. I'm using avast server free for 60 days for now. After some tweaking, way less than I had to do with vista it flys. X3210 P5K premium 4 GB DDR2 8800GTXAnonymous
August 25, 2008
Games? Which games? The same games hat come with Vista?Anonymous
September 15, 2008
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October 20, 2008
I also would like to get the games off of my Vista 64 Ultimate Edition desktop onto my Win2k8 laptop for use on the road.Anonymous
October 29, 2008
There have been some claims here that I bought into at first, namely, "Windows 2008 runs faster than windows vista." But...go to spec.org and search around at the results. It takes a LOT of digging, and unfortunately some generalization, but you can find the answer. The author originally stated that he used windows 2003 in place of XP. It was "disguised" as XP, so it likely wasn't for the interface. The claim was that the efficiency of the system was better. The same claims have been made in this article in comparison to windows 2008 vs. Vista. While there are not actually any worthwhile published benchmark results of server 2008, there are MANY results from 2003 available at spec.org. After comparing many different alike systems, with similar compiler versions and hard disk speeds, you can rather well conclude that systems benchmarked with XP pro X64 or Server 2003 run at about the same speed. There may have been a slight difference when it comes to integer math, but floating point was not perceptibly different. There is a smaller but also worthwhile pool of results from vista, and honestly...the floating point results are quite comparable between XP64, Server 2003, and Vista. I didn't very strongly analyze the integer math, since I'm not as interested in integer performance (my simulations use mostly floating point math). There aren't enough results to compare against vista SP1, so I can't really say anything about that. The majority of the results are from SUSE linux, and this flavor of linux very consistently runs the fastest. There is a small pool of RedHat linux, and interestingly, RedHat runs about as fast as the windows systems. Please keep in mind that the spec.org benchmarks are PROFESSIONAL quality benchmarks, where it's people's full time job to ensure that the results are truly representative and comparable among systems, whereas most of the other benchmarks posted do not have this guarantee. I have seen one other impressive benchmark (which I don't have the link to right now, but was posted in this forum) done across Vista 64 & 32, server 2008 64 & 32, XP 64 & 32, and 2003 64 & 32 using some other benchmarking suite, and it was quite suprisingly thorough. This benchmark quite adequately shows what I have claimed here (and likely more accurately, since there is no generalization required in his benchmark).Anonymous
October 29, 2008
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December 06, 2008
i'm a linux user but i still have xp on a tiny partition on my hard drive, but i've just installed WS08 in virtalbox, and I am almost ashamed to say i like it! :)Anonymous
December 28, 2008
Thanks for a great artice Just made the switch myself! Working just nicely after I managed to get the wireless nic working! Cheers DaveAnonymous
January 29, 2009
Так как руки уже чешутся поставить Windows 7, решил пока не поздно рассказать как ставил себе WindowsAnonymous
March 07, 2009
Do anyone have any information about battlefield 2 on server 2008? No go so far.,,Anonymous
March 18, 2009
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April 01, 2009
Just a comment, Vista and w2k8 does not share the same kernel. w2k8 starts from Vista kernel, that's it.Anonymous
March 01, 2010
I use win2k8 x64 and it works fine. To me it seems obvious once there are concurrents like rh, suse and oracle linux, unlike about home oses. Only problem using win2k8 as ws are programs that doesn´t believe servers can exist, like home printers manager, cell phone managers and other like that ...Anonymous
March 12, 2010
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