Windows Server 2008 as a Workstation OS.

Ok, so I’ve had this copy of Windows Server 2008 sitting on my bookshelf next to my desk for a few weeks now planning to eventually installing virutalized just to play around, but I recently came across some interesting blog posts and articles about setting up Server 2008 as a workstation OS. Kinda like a anti-Vista so to speak. You can find the articles I read here, here, here, here and here.

Now a word of assurance for the Linux users who follow my site - no I haven’t stopped running Linux at all, I’ve just decided that after all a Windows OS is what’s best for me on my Desktop system. I still have 2 different flavors of Linux dual-booting on my laptop (well, actually it’s triple booting - Server 2003, Ubuntu Studio 8.04 and Foresight 2.0.1 XFCE Edition).

Now I won’t rehash what was included in the articles I linked above, they are very informative, and I reccomend that you read them if you are going to try this for yourself.  I will however give you an overview of my brief impressions.

I loaded the x64 version of the OS and here’s what I found. First off, it’s fast. It’s faster than Vista on this same machine, it’s faster than ANY Linux Distro I’ve tried on this machine (and you all know I’ve tried plenty), it’s faster than DesktopBSD was on this system, and I almost dare say it’s faster than XP Pro x64. As mentioned in some of the above articles, I’m not sure why it’s faster than Vista - they should be about the same, as they are supposed to be both running the same Kernel as of Vista SP1, but it definatly is faster - both in “feel” and in benchmarks.

After going through the above guides, it will look like Vista, and honestly the best way I can describe my experience so far is that it “looks” like Vista but it “feels” like XP. That’s probably a bad analogy, but it’s the best I can come up with right now

I do want to add: Server 2008 is an expensive OS. If you want to try this, please obtain a license legally. I recieved mine from a friend who had recieved it as a freebie and was not going to use it. There is a trial version available from Microsofts web site if you are interested as well.

Also, here’s an added plus for you - after enabling the Desktop Experience package, and enabling Aero I discovered that none of the Vista wallpapers are included (in fact no wallpaper is included except a low-res grainy Server 2008 logo). I came across this site while searching “vista wallpaper” to see if I could find a pack w/ the Vista ‘papers in it. Apparently this guy is the person who took the pictures that became some of the default wallpapers, and there is a downloadable pack on that page with some that didn’t make the cut, but some are stunning in their own right.

And now the finished product: