Using Server 2012 as a desktop/workstation OS.

[alpha88]

Has anyone tried using Server 2012 as a desktop/workstation? I wasn't able to find much about it on google.

I'm interested in using Server 2012 for it's hyper-V features as well as storage spaces.

I'd like to also use that computer for workstation activities (programming, etc) and some gaming - (Civ V, Skyrim, and other games from last year).

 

[MichaelD]

I've not tried it but did something similar awhile back with Server 2003. It's really more about the hardware you're running vs. the OS. As long as you've got a powerful GPU, plenty of system RAM and a quad-core CPU of 2.0GHz or better you should be good to go.

One thing I'm not sure of though is program compatability. Some games or other software might not install on a Server OS. For example, Ghost 15 won't install on Server 2003; Symantec requires one of their Enterprise-level products if you want to install on a Server OS. That might be one thing to look into...or just try it out yourself. Good luck.

 

[theevilsharpie]

I haven't tried Server 2012 yet, but in Server 2008, all you had to do was install the Desktop Experience feature (or something along those lines), and it install of the programs and features that typically come with a Windows desktop.

 

[tynopik]

http://www.win2012workstation.com/

http://tinkertry.com/ws2012e-domain-removal/

Paul Thurrott of www.winsupersite.com said he's going to be putting up some posts on using windows server 2012 essentials, here's the first

I'm interested in using Server 2012 for it's hyper-V features as well as storage spaces.

storage spaces is available on regular Windows 8

it's just ReFS (Resilient File System) that's limited to Windows Server

 

[StokesMSFT]

Used Server 2008 R2 datacenter for my home machine for a while, but Win8 has Hyper-V and storage spaces, it's pretty robust.

Has anyone tried using Server 2012 as a desktop/workstation? I wasn't able to find much about it on google.

I'm interested in using Server 2012 for it's hyper-V features as well as storage spaces.

I'd like to also use that computer for workstation activities (programming, etc) and some gaming - (Civ V, Skyrim, and other games from last year).

 

[alpha88]

Thanks for the info - I'll give it a whirl once my Samsung 830 arrives.

I used Server 2003 as a desktop for a while before upgrading to Window 7.

 

[Ferzerp]

The kernels are so similar (and have been since 2000), that most things will work fine. Where you will run in to issues more often is with hard-coded version checks than with actual incompatibilities.

 

[KentState]

The biggest pain with a server OS is the software restrictions that are on a lot of software. They really want you to pay for more expensive versions. Learned the lesson with Mozy and anti-virus.

 

[alpha88]

In case anyone cares, I've got it up and running. Overall, it was a relatively painfree process.

Only issue thus far is that my Radeon Control panel complains each boot that it cannot run on the currently installed drivers/platform, so I'm unable to change any settings through the control panel. The video card does work fine though, playing 3d games and generally faster than windows 7 did.