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Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS

Feb. 12, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Vijayshinva Karnure of Microsoft India offers up some advice about using Windows Server 2008 as a desktop OS. To be perfectly honest, I don't recommend this, because you lose too much of what makes desktop versions of Windows special (i.e. things like Media Center) while introducing potential compatibility issues. Anyway, here's what he's got to say...

Windows Server 2008 is the best OS to be released [to] 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
2. Install the latest Graphics and Audio drivers
3. Desktop Experience Feature
4. Themes
5. Search
6. Disable Shutdown Event Tracker
7. Audio
8. SuperFetch
9. Get a codec pack.
10. Enable Hyper-V

Discuss this Article 4

daveinla
on Feb 12, 2008
The point of using Server 2008 is precisely to get rid of the multimedia desktop user stuff that hinder the stability/speed of an OS no ? So what's the point of re-patching that on top of Server 2008 if you can just use Vista out of the box with the same Kernel as Server 2008 ? I don't get it...
Tero
on Feb 12, 2008
I've also been running a server OS on my desktop. It's been called by various names over the years, from SuSE to openSUSE etc. What I've always found curious, though, is that I've had to run a server OS to get a desktop that conforms to my accessibility needs. I guess it's just one of those weird things of technology. The desktop champion, Microsoft, cannot deliver a desktop I can actually use with my poor eye sight. Oh well.
Waethorn
on Feb 13, 2008
i think this will be a common thing for many users than want to use the new Hyper-V extensions on a workstation, until Hyper-V Server actually gets released (as a standalone, i mean). Paul, didn't one of the Microsoft server guys already mention in one of your previous WW podcasts that he currently does this on his laptop?
Waethorn
on Feb 13, 2008
Also, what's the real deal behind Hyper-V? Does it support all "real" (ie. virtualized, as opposed to emulated) hardware, or are there limitations compared to running an OS "natively" on the same hardware? Wouldn't it just be better to run Vista SP1 under a virtual machine on Server Core? This would also give you the flexibility to run other OS's side-by-side. Aside from booting Server Core, and the hypervisor itself, and the fact that you'd need to launch the Vista VM from the server commandline, what kind of limitations would one expect running in that type of configuration? How's about a comparison chart on WinSupersite detailing the difference between Vista running natively, compared to running in a Server Core Hyper-V VM? (maybe even performance tests too?)

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