Windows 2003 server, as a workstation
I was able to snag a spare license for Win2k server x64 standard for my new system. Since I already have linux servers, I really didn't need a Windows server, so I'm converting it into a workstation. So far, it *looks* just like XP, but there have been some interesting snags. For one, no free anti-virus. I guess everyone figures that if you are running Win2k3 server, you can probably afford to pay for virus protection. My copy of Diskeeper doesn't work on it either (same reason). I also lost my 3Com 3c905 card (no 64-bit driver), but I was able to get a 64-bit driver for the ULi onboard ethernet controller - so I have network access. The real shame, however; is that it STILL can't see the whole 4GB of RAM - which was why I went to the trouble of installing it in the first place. It won't even boot if I turn the memory hole on. I'm still holding out that the claims of faster performance for 32-bit apps holds, though. I'm going to load Morrowind (and the CS) and see how well this system does. I have 64-bit drivers for everything, including my nvidia 7600GS. The only other interesting thing is that I've had to spend a great deal of time in the policy editor turning things back on. :)
I was able to snag a spare license for Win2k server x64 standard for my new system. Since I already have linux servers, I really didn't need a Windows server, so I'm converting it into a workstation. So far, it *looks* just like XP, but there have been some interesting snags. For one, no free anti-virus. I guess everyone figures that if you are running Win2k3 server, you can probably afford to pay for virus protection. My copy of Diskeeper doesn't work on it either (same reason). I also lost my 3Com 3c905 card (no 64-bit driver), but I was able to get a 64-bit driver for the ULi onboard ethernet controller - so I have network access. The real shame, however; is that it STILL can't see the whole 4GB of RAM - which was why I went to the trouble of installing it in the first place. It won't even boot if I turn the memory hole on. I'm still holding out that the claims of faster performance for 32-bit apps holds, though. I'm going to load Morrowind (and the CS) and see how well this system does. I have 64-bit drivers for everything, including my nvidia 7600GS. The only other interesting thing is that I've had to spend a great deal of time in the policy editor turning things back on. :)