Anyone running Windows Server 2008 R2 as a desktop OS?

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 09:25

Hi chaps.

At work here we're big users of virtualisation, Virtual PC on desktops and Hyper-V on servers.

We're moving clients up to Windows 7 but I was considering giving them Server 2008 R2 and making it a desktop OS.

Has anyone done this and can point me in the direction of a guide (e.g. install this, disable this gpo etc) or point out any potential pitfalls?

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 10:01

We're a Gold Partner, so we get most stuff for free

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 11:26

Burnsy2023 said:
I think I will talk for a few people here when I ask "Dear god, why would you want to do such a thing?"

We're a MS Consultancy house for things like SQL, Sharepoint etc. Our consultants tend to have development VMs or customer specific VMs. Hyper-V is fantastic, supports VT etc, whereas the old VPC 2007 doesn't. The new W7 VPC doesn't support server OSes and doesn't work particularly well in our experience. Hence my idea of using Server 2008 R2!

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 12:42

marc2003 said:
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/

Bingo! Cheers.

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 13:16

Two reasons really, firstly for the number of consultants and VMs, we don't have the server resources and secondly we can't guarantee that the customer sites they visit will have a net connection, or one they're allowed to use.

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 14:34

Didn't know that. Luckily the only 32bit machines left in the company don't support VT anyway, so they won't be getting Server 2008 R2.

SiD the Turtle · 23 Sep 2009 at 19:39

Burnsy2023 said:
You could just use ESXi and use a normal client OS.

Our directors are militantly Microsoft, I'd be put against the wall and shot if I suggested that