Using server 2003 as a workstation?


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Here are three of the reasons I choose WinS2k3 over Xp.

1. Stability

WinS2k3 is much more stable than Xp. I have been running WinS2k3 since the day it went gold. In that time (just over a year now) my system has crashed once. It was my fault though, I tried forcing a ram drive to initialize without rebooting. When I tried mounting the drive my system crashed. If not for that crash I would have gone a whole year without a a single crash. That?s something I?ve never even came close to doing before, not even on Xp.

2. Speed

You will hear a lot of people saying that WinS2k3 is faster than Xp. They only say it it becasue it's t:)e :) My harddrive's read speed increased by 8megs per second. My framerates have also increased by 5-10 fps in most games. As many as 15 fps in a couple of games.

3. Less bloat

Windows Server 2003 is like Windows Xp with the fat cut off. Programs like Windows Messenger and Msn Explorer are not included with WinS2k3. Windows Media Player is included but Windows MovieMaker is not, nor can it be installed.

These are just a couple of the things improved in WinS2k3. For more improvements have a look here.

http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/sampl.../0803piiws2.htm

The bottom line is that Windows Server 2003 is the best version of Windows out today, server or workstation. While it?s not aimed for workstation use it does it better than Xp could ever dream. There is plenty of information out about WinS2k3, do some digging and you will find MANY things have been improved.

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I am running Windows Server 2003 as a workstation and I am having no problems whatsoever. I have ran into a few problems with applications not wanting to install at times, but thankfully there's always compatibilty mode :D

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Here are three of the reasons I choose WinS2k3 over Xp....

Cool info there - thanks for that.

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Here are three of the reasons I choose WinS2k3 over Xp.

1. Stability

WinS2k3 is much more stable than Xp. I have been running WinS2k3 since the day it went gold. In that time (just over a year now) my system has crashed once. It was my fault though, I tried forcing a ram drive to initialize without rebooting. When I tried mounting the drive my system crashed. If not for that crash I would have gone a whole year without a a single crash. That?s something I?ve never even came close to doing before, not even on Xp.

2. Speed

You will hear a lot of people saying that WinS2k3 is faster than Xp. They only say it it becasue it's t:)e :) My harddrive's read speed increased by 8megs per second. My framerates have also increased by 5-10 fps in most games. As many as 15 fps in a couple of games.

3. Less bloat

Windows Server 2003 is like Windows Xp with the fat cut off. Programs like Windows Messenger and Msn Explorer are not included with WinS2k3. Windows Media Player is included but Windows MovieMaker is not, nor can it be installed.

These are just a couple of the things improved in WinS2k3. For more improvements have a look here.

http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/sampl.../0803piiws2.htm

The bottom line is that Windows Server 2003 is the best version of Windows out today, server or workstation. While it?s not aimed for workstation use it does it better than Xp could ever dream. There is plenty of information out about WinS2k3, do some digging and you will find MANY things have been improved.

Yah, sure - pay 1000 - 2000 bucks on an OS to use as a workstation..

Anyways, I only ever considered it because as I stated, my dad has unused copy's at work, which got sent to him, and I could try it out just as easily, and legally.

This thread never:pies :p

Edited by cpu killer
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If you shop around you can get WinS2k3 for a lot less than $1000-2000. Some people will pay $400-500 for a videocard and not give it a second thought. I don't see how this is any different.

I forgot to list one of the things I like the most about WinS2k3. When I'm not doing anything its not doing anything.

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cpu killer, as sandman just said thats the full price and you can get it cheaper. Infact you can get a MS subscription which is about ?200 and its a pack that includesevery> OS but with the condidtion that you can not sell the software on or transfer it to another user... i keep meaning to take it up when i have the cash.

Let's hope this thread never dies btw, or the sme questions will spring up again in a month or so when this thread is so far down the pile that its forgotten;))

On an unrelated side note - Is it true that 2003 supports concurrent sessions with terminal server? I mean so someone can login remotley and use the PC in their account while the PC is in use and you dont have to log out. Im pretty sure in XP at the moment if i log into someone's system in another account it logs them out :shifty::

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The April MS Action Pack quarterly update included a copy of Win2K3 Server Standard Edition. Also included with the update were MS Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, MS SharePoint Services Standard 2003, MS Office Project Server 2003, and MS SQL Server Reporting Services.

Only costs me $200 a year to renew...

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Yah, sure - pay 1000 - 2000 bucks on an OS to use as a workstation..

Anyways, I only ever considered it because as I stated, my dad has unused copy's at work, which got sent to him, and I could try it out just as easily, and legally.

This thread never dies :p

Or just pay $200+ for an MSDN subscription and get every OS Microsoft has put out, plus some betas of upcoming products (like Longhorn). That's how I got Windows 2003 ;)

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Or just pay $200+ for an MSDN subscription and get every OS Microsoft has put out, plus some betas of upcoming products (like Longhorn). That's how I got Windows 2003 ;)

I thought MSDN, even the simplest ones, were $1000+?

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I think the only people who should have any say as to if it works as a workstation or if it doesn't, is those who have converted and actually tried it. The people who think it should be used it as a server should only beable to judge it as a server but not as how it preforms as a workstation. Those who have used it as a workstation are free to knock it or to praise it. but until you guys do use it as a workstation... your opionion isn't relevant

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I think the only people who should have any say as to if it works as a workstation or if it doesn't, is those who have converted and actually tried it. The people who think it should be used it as a server should only beable to judge it as a server but not as how it preforms as a workstation. Those who have used it as a workstation are free to knock it or to praise it. but until you guys do use it as a workstation... your opionion isn't relevant

Someone who uses it as a Server has far greater knowledge of the Server and how it works than someone who plays games on it.

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I haven't used it for games if thats what you mean, but I had it as my OS whilst I was learning the OS for work (spent all spare time breaking the OS for a few months).

I had Outlook etc running on it but have not enabled DirectX ever and played games on it now I am back to XP as I am compentent with 2003 Server (obviously I continue to learn but I do that via a work test machine now) not on the production Servers :D

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Someone who uses it as a Server has far greater knowledge of the Server and how it works than someone who plays games on it.

and someone who plays games on it has far greater knowledge of how well it plays games than someone who uses it as a server... ;)

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and someone who plays games on it has far greater knowledge of how well it plays games than someone who uses it as a server... ;)

What is there to know ?, enable DirectX install game and play.

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I haven't used it for games if thats what you mean, but I had it as my OS whilst I was learning the OS for work (spent all spare time breaking the OS for a few months).

I had Outlook etc running on it but have not enabled DirectX ever and played games on it now I am back to XP as I am compentent with 2003 Server (obviously I continue to learn but I do that via a work test machine now) not on the production Servers :D

So you didn't use it as your primary workstation? During that time

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So you didn't use it as your primary workstation? During that time

Sort of, yes as in its what I used all the time but no as in I didn't install anything like games on it etc, it had Office that was about the only Application other than some third party Sever programs.

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Sort of, yes as in its what I used all the time but no as in I didn't install anything like games on it etc, it had Office that was about the only Application other than some third party Sever programs.

ok... i'll give you a tad of credibility ...but just a tad :yes:

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