Just for the fun of it... :)

[robertGregory]

Hi all, just wanted to share with you what I have experienced with 2008.

Scenario:

I am a developer (of .net weblications) and consider myself a power user of some sort. I have 12 years experience with Microsoft (and some other) Operating Systems... Also, to boot, I have about 8 - 9 years experience as a consultant (i.e. setting up servers / workstations / network systems).

The short and curlys:

I believe that it'd be nice to a have an OS where I could perform my work (as a developer), learn about the features of a server OS (like 2008), have all the features of a production platform (what 2008 offers), and have a powerful multimedia platform. So basically, have my cake and eating it too...

What I've done with Windows Server 2008:

Is no different than what I've done with other Server Operating Systems in the past, and that is, treat it as a powerful, fully featured, developer's workstation. Having a fully featured IIS, and all the other server goodies at my fingertips.

You say this is no different than what other people have done, and grant you that, yes it's true, I have done nothing really special here...

So what do I wish to really say:

This Operating System is what I would recommend for anyone who does not want to deal with Windows Vista's nuances (like UAC, DRM, etc...)

Windows Server 2008 is what Vista should have been (less the server related features (maybe take a couple of server features here and there)). I'd pick this OS over Vista any day. Microsoft outdid themselves this time. It actually works. It does things Windows Vista cannot do and probably won't...


What have I installed on this OS (with absolutely no problems*):

1. Office 2007 - Enterprise (fully loaded)
2. Microsoft Flight Simulator X - Deluxe
3. Visual Studio 2008 - Professional
4. SQL Server 2005.
5. Swift WX - Professional Weather Application - Version 2.7
6. Winzip / Self Extractor
7. UltraISO
8. WinImage
9. ChoiceMail
10. Fireworks MX
11. Dreamweaver MX
12. Flash MX.
14. Symantec Endpoint Protection
15. VMWare Server (small issue with IIS 7 - working on fix*)

* ok, some minor issues, yet usually fixed in a small amount of time - 1 / 15 aint bad, so far

Looking to install things like:

1. Windows Messenger
2. Nero 8.0 (Ultra)
3. SQL Server 2008 - when released...

What works in Windows 2008 that did not work in Vista (any edition of vista)

1. Microsoft Flight Simulator X - Deluxe**
2. Swift WX - Professional Weather Application - Version 2.7 (ActiveX based)
3. VMWare Server (small issue with IIS 7 - could not fix)
4. File IO - normal file copying tasks like cut, copy, and paste (of an enormous amount of files / folders). Not too slow, and no remains left in the source (i.e. like empty folders, or desktop.ini files)
5. No file / folder locking issues like the inability to delete files / folders because of access rights (like if a file / folder belongs to "Everyone", yet administrator does nto have the ability to delete the file - yet no process seems to have a lock on it...)
6. Sees "All" my memory - in 32bit (x86) version of 2008

** Was slow in Vista [using identical hardware described below], un-runable in most instances, maybe if i got lucky i could run some scenarios with less traffic etc.

System:

Hardware (all drivers were present in the main install of 1008 except ACPI for my asus board):



System Board: ASUS P5K3 Deluxe (water cooled)
Proc: E6600 - dual core 2.4 intel (water cooled)
Video: Nvidia 8800 Ultra (water cooled)
Memory: 4.0 Gb - of DDR3 @ 1.066 GHz
HDD: 2.4 TB HDD space (overall)
1 x 150GB WD Raptor [for OS use only]
2 x 500GB [raid 1 conf. - and partitioned for Data use]
1 x 500GB [offline for data backup only, internal HDD with eSata connect]
1 x 750GB [for Multimedia use only]

Note (system):

All drivers were found*, including raid drivers that were not available in vista / xp / 2003

* again, with exception to ACPI... - found at asus...


Final Notes:

Recommeded for anyone, who can afford to drop 900 bones on this OS...

Why: Because it runs about 400+ to purchase Vista ultimate, it'll only see about 5.0+ years lifespan - maybe. Yet, if I pay 900.00, i get an operating system that works, and support that'll follow for about 8-10 years, and it works...

 

[robertGregory]

Forgot to add: Enabling Aero on 2008 - no experience index needed

1. Add the "Desktop Experience" as a feature.
2. Go to the Services MMC and enable "Themes"
3. Right click on properties of "My Computer", select "Advanced system settings", select the "settings" button under the "Perfomance" option.
4. Select adjust for best appearance.
5. Right click on the desktop and select "personalize"
6. Click "Theme" and select "Windows Vista" from the drop down.
7. Back in the personalize window select "Window Color and appearance" and choose a color scheme of "Windows Aero"

That should be it...

 

[RSchwarz]

Re: Forgot to add: Enabling Aero on 2008 - no experience index needed

Great post and welcome to the site.
Windows 2008 was tested side by side with Vista. Once Vista was released the core was fine tuned for server performance.

I wouldn't be surprised if many people use Windows 2008 as a desktop OS. Of course Vista SP1 has fixed many of the quirks you mentioned.

 

[robertGregory]

Thanks,

actually, i just spotted an existing flaw, mention as a bug with vista, yet claimed to be cleared up in 2008.

Basic IO Issue:

I do simple backup of data. I perform a non-compressed copy (and / or cut-n-paste) from one drive to the next, then unplug the backup drive, until the next time I use it...

My comment relating to basic cut-n-paste operation was not really that. it was a copy, so my findings were inacurate.

Here is the problem (on a huge amount of files / folders - in this case 27GB):

I want to actually take all the contents from drive "A" and cut-n-paste (a normal move operation in the DOS world) to drive "B" (Backup), yet in the end here is what happens:

1. The contents do get copied to drive "B" with no problem
2. Yet when I look back to the source drive, i still see folders, with no content in them (i call these empty shells for some stupid reason), and cannot seem to remove them. (Windows announces to me that the folders are being used by another process - "in use by another process")
3. Even after reboot, I still experience the above issue, and finally force a format (although windows again states that it will carry out the operation but that the files are in use by another operation - could this be shadow copy or something like that... hmmm)

So, this is where I get frustrated that what appears to be a "normal" even elemetary function (that even windows 3.1 would carry out successfully), seems to not happen, with success, in Vista / 2008.


Of all the quirks found in Vista / 2008, the above quirk / bug / feature is the most disconcerting. This is basic stuff here...

Finally,

Though I remain annoyed at the above stated, Windows Server 2008 still remains to be the best OS I've seen yet...

 

[RSchwarz]

I've noticed that bug also although a little different. I have an external drive connected to 4 servers through a USB KVM switch. I use this drive to backup the servers. 3 servers are Windows 2003 and one is Windows 2008. Files copied from the Windows 2003 boxes are accessible to the other servers. When I copy files from Windows 2008 to the drive the files are accessible to all boxes while the KWM is set to the 2008 box. Once I switch to one of the other boxes the files disappear as if they never existed. If I switch back to the 2008 box the files reappear on all. The only work around is to move the files from 2008 to 2003 is to login with RDP and copy the files from the USB drive into another directory on the drive. I then can delete the original copies from the 2008 box.

There were several quirks with USB drives connected to Vista in the early betas. I bugged 3 that I found and it seems this one made it into 2008.

 

[robertGregory]

we shall see what becomes of it... thanks....

 

[Fred Mackie]

Re: Forgot to add: Enabling Aero on 2008 - no experience index needed

To increase your enjoyment, there's a list of tips for Windows Server 2008 ranging from the built-in tools for partitions and volumes and filtering event logs. There were quite a few I didn't know about.