Using Windows Server 2008 as a SUPER workstation OS

Ive been looking for a better OS distro and just discovered you can use server 2008 as a workstation here a post on how to do it .

So here is my story of how I went about setting up Windows Server 2008 to look and fell like its desktop counterpart Windows Vista.

1. Enable Hardware Virtualization

My workstation is a x64 machine with hardware virtualization capabilities. This means I can run Hyper-V on my machine. Even if your machine's hardware supports virtualization it is most likely not going to be enabled by default. You have to enable it via your BIOS setup.

2. Install the latest Graphics and Audio drivers

Being a server OS Windows 2008 carries with it basic graphics and audio drivers. To utilize the full strength of your hardware ensure you install the latest drivers for both graphics and audio hardware. Only with the proper graphics drivers will you be able to enable the "Aero" experience on Windows 2008.

3. Desktop Experience Feature

The Desktop Experience Feature enables a bunch of stuff that is by default present on a desktop OS. Most importantly it includes Themes, Windows Media player and the Aero related features. You will have to enable it form the Server Manager. The "Turn Windows features on or off" / "Add remove windows components" has all been rolled into the Server Manager now.

Server Manager > Features > Desktop Experience

Installing the Desktop Experience feature does not enable them. You have to manually set them up.

4. Themes

To enable Themes you will basically have to enable the Themes Service. Again being a server OS it is not enabled by default.

Services.MSC > Themes

Set the start up type to Automatic

Enabling the Aero Theme.

For this go to Control Panel > Personalization >Theme and select Windows Aero

5. Search

Search is also disabled by default on Windows 2008. Searching is important for me as I use it a lot to find my emails. To enable search you will have to add the File Services Role via Server Manager.

Server Manager > Roles > File Services > Windows Search

Outlook relies on this search service.

6. Disable Shutdown Event Tracker

Since I am using it as a workstation I do not want to keep a track of all the Shutdowns. The Shutdown Event Tracker is the pop up that you get asking you for a shutdown reason. To disable it

Open mmc.msc

Add the Group Policy snap-in

Under Administrative Templates expand System

Set Display Shutdown Event Tracer to Disabled

7. Audio

For audio you need to enable the Windows Audio service. You do this by setting the startup type to Automatic.

Services.msc > Windows Audio

Ensure you have proper drivers for your audio hardware... for me the default driver was not enabling the headphones ... it started working fine after I got the proper driver.

8. SuperFetch

As a workstation, enabling SupertFetch will give you that additional bit of responsiveness. The SuperFetch services is disabled by default and when you try to enable it you will most likely get an error message "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application"

You will have to make two registry changes to enable this service. I basically copied them over from my Vista machine.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

EnablePrefetcher DWORD 3

EnableSuperfetch DWORD 3

9. Get a codec pack.

For media hungry buffs download a codec pack. This will ensure you can play all media files.

10. Enable Hyper-V

With Hyper-V you can run virtual machines on your workstation. This is useful if you want to run your tests on older OS versions. Enabling Hyper-V is easy

Server Manager > Roles > Hyper-V

Remember you need a Hyper-V enabled Windows 2008 licence and also your hardware has to support virtualization.

Also If you are using an existing VHD it may ask you to re-Activate Windows as it detected hardware changes.

One good thing about Windows Server 2008 is that it no longer asks for the i386 folder like Windows 2003 while you enable features.
11. Processor Scheduling

As pointed out in a comment on my previous post; On Windows Server 2008 background services are given preference over interactive programs. You can change this behavior by

Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Processor Scheduling

Setting this to Programs will make foreground programs more responsive.

12. Visual Effects

One thing you will notice on Windows Server 2008 is that by default you will not see Preview Thumbnails in your Documents / Music / Video folders. This has to be enabled explicitly.

Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Visual Effects

Based on your preference you can tweak these settings.

13. Power Options

Do your bit for a Green World! The Balanced (default) power plan on Windows Server 2008 does not turn off hard disks by default. On Vista hard disks are turned off after 20 mins. You can change this by

Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings

It does take a bit to kick start the hard disks when you resume work but that's a sacrifice worth making for a greener world :).

14. IE Enhanced Security

IE Enhanced Security Configuration has been moved from Add Remove Windows Components (on Windows 2003) to the Server Manager on Windows Server 2008.

Server Manager > Security Information > Configure IE ESC

You now have a choice to disable it only for Administrators.

And to end with a couple of clarifications

* Why am I recommending Windows Server 2008 over Windows Vista ?

I am not!

* How to get Sidebar / Media center on Windows Server 2008?

My honest opinion would be to look for alternatives.

* Will hardware problems go away moving to Windows Server 2008?

Not likely. One of the biggest complaints against Vista was hardware issues. Without proper drivers from your hardware vendors your ride on Windows Server 2008 is again going to be bumpy. For me all Vista compatible drivers worked fine with Server 2008 and I believe they should work for you as well.

* Will all software work on Windows Server 2008?

Most will but some setups detect Windows Server 2008 as a server OS and may not install. The compatibility mode does not have a Vista option only XP / Windows 2003 and other legacy OS.

If you don’t want to configure all options to convert Windows Server 2008 to a Workstation manually, sawo now made it possible to use a tool for this. He has done a great job by creating this converter to automate all steps, you can download the converter here winserver2008workstationconverter

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Dual-booting Windows and Linux

The Gnome Partition Editor Live CD is a simple tool that will shrink a (usually "the") Windows partition on your hard drive, then make Linux partitions almost automatically. These four videos step you through the process of downloading GPartEd (the program's nickname) from SourceForge.net, defragmenting Windows, shrinking your Windows partition, and installing the three most commonly-used Linux partitions. As a free bonus, a fifth video will show you how to uninstall Linux and stretch your shrunk-down Windows partitition until it once again takes up your whole hard drive.

All popular Linux distributions now have some sort of simple (usually GUI) disk partitioning utility included. If you're going to devote an entire hard drive to Linux, you might as well go with your chosen distribution's default partition setup. But if you want to boot Windows and Linux on the same computer, you may be better off making your partitions with a specialized partitioning tool. Norton Commander is a pretty good one, although it is neither free of cost nor free in the free software sense. There are plenty of other proprietary partitioners out there, too, but free GPartEd is all we need to handle simple partition resizing.
A couple of notes before we begin:

I talk about Windows hard drive defragmentation. This is something you should do periodically even if you never move to Linux -- although if you do switch to Linux, you'll find that the equivalent Linux utility is much faster than the Windows defragmentation routine.

You can use GPartEd to make multiple Windows (NTFS or FAT) partitions on a hard drive. Or to make partitions for almost any popular operating system that runs on standard X86 PCs, not just Linux. It's a great tool to have around, Linux or no Linux.

I advocate using the ext3 file format. It's a proven journaling file system, compatible with all popular Linux distributions. Indeed, it's the default file system for most of them. Other file systems may be slightly faster or offer other advantages, but Ext3 does its job well enough on desktop PCs that you don't need to think about it at all or even learn how it works. Just use it and be happy.

Downloading from SourceForge.net is another good habit. SourceForge.net (owned by the same company that owns Linux.com) is chock-full of free, open source software for Linux, Windows, and other operating systems. Today's first video will show you how the SourceForge.net download process works, which is great to know even if you decide not to make Linux your primary operating system at this point in your life.
Video #1: Download and burn a GPartEd bootable CD

Your first Linux experiment.


Video #2: Defragmenting Windows -- a necessary step before you resize your Windows partition

Video 2
Click to play Video 2


Video #3: Resizing your NTFS (or FAT) Windows partition

Video 3
Click to play Video 3


Video #4: Making your Linux partitions

Video 4
Click to play Video 4


Bonus Video: Uninstalling Linux -- just in case. A good thing to know. You can use the same process to remove Windows from a hard drive and make it 100% Linux, too.

Video 5
Click to play Video 5


Previous Linux.com training videos:

Your first Linux experiment - This group of three short videos shows you how to download GNU/Linux, make a bootable Linux CD, and how to boot Linux on your computer without going through a tedious installation routine. We used Ubuntu for this demonstration, but the steps shown apply to all live CD Linux distributions.

Installing Ubuntu - Two short videos show you how to install Ubuntu GNU/Linux on your hard drive.

Updating and installing software in Ubuntu - The first video in this pair shows you how to update all the software in your Ubuntu GNU/Linux installation in a single, big gulp. The second video shows you how easy it is to install and remove software with the Synaptic Package Manager.

About the videos: They're in AVI format, encoded with the free XviD codec, compatible with media players for almost all popular desktop PC operating systems. If your computer does not have the XviD codec installed, you can get it here or through your favorite free operating system's software respository. Windows and Mac users can find easy-to-install XviD binaries here.

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Ultra Thin Laptops - 5 Things to Consider Before Buying

Ultra thin laptops have great features and many people are deciding to switch to them. They are also increasing popularity because more and more people are deciding to buy one. They are also getting much cheaper. There used to be a time where computers used to be big and bulky and very expensive, but now all of that has changed! They are getting cheaper and having more features than ever before!

But there is still much confusion between people on what to look for in a ultra thin laptop before buying. The terminology of laptops to many people might just like be gibberish. Trust me, I know how you feel!

First you must decide what you will use the ultra thin laptop for. You need to decide what you are looking for. Once you have that decided than you can manipulate the different features and price.

Are you looking for hardcore computing? Traveling? or a student notebook?

Here are some things to look for in a ultra thin laptop:

· RAM (random access memory)- most come with 2gb but even 1gb is enough

· Processors - Intel is manly the main company as 64 dual processor is recommended for many people

· Hard drive- 100 gb is most common now, but you can obviously upgrade if you need to

· Price- Many are between $500-$600

· Warranty- Always look for a warranty because there usually is no guarantee for them

Here are companies that manufacture them:

· Sony

· Lenovo

· Dell

· Toshiba

· HP

· Acer

· Apple

If you consider these things and so your homework, you will be able to find many laptops in that range for great prices with amazing features!

Shawn Kirby a professional product reviewer who has reviewed over 100 different types of products in the electronics category. He mainly likes to review Ultra Thin Laptops. Click here to view his blog for great information.

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How to Buy a Laptop?

Before buying a Laptop there are several factors that you should consider. How and where will be using it. What is your primary goal of using it? We must examine everything from performance and storage options to keyboard quality.

What size of a Laptop?

1. From Monster Laptop (Wide Screen)

2. Tiny Laptop (or ultra portable)

What kind of Processor?

This is one of the most important the CPU or Central Processor Unit. It determines how quickly it performs. For speedy operations Core i3 or Core i5, this is for a high end recommendation. For a low end Laptop or less powerful you can choose a low power Atom processor

What kind of Memory?

Another important consideration when purchasing a Laptop is RAM, the more memory the better. Desktop has a lot advantage that Laptop when it comes to the availability of the memory (RAM). When you buy a Laptop with a pre-installed memory 2GB of Ram is average but 3 GB is the better.

What kind of Memory?

Another important consideration when purchasing a Laptop is RAM, the more memory the better. Desktop has a lot advantage that Laptop when it comes to the availability of the memory (RAM). When you buy a Laptop with a pre-installed memory 2GB of Ram is average but 3 GB is the better.

What size of Screen?

Consider also the size of the screen. If you are comfortable with a small screen Laptop (12 inches ) then buy one. Ultra portable Laptop has also a great weight advantage since you can bring it anywhere and can use it anyway you want. The big screen Laptop (18 inches) is also very convenience to use, the only disadvantage is weight. So when buying a Laptop, think of where you plan to use it so you won't have regrets later on.

What kind of Hard Drive?

1. Get large Hard Drive. A 160 GB HD would be fine for an Ultra Portable Laptop. Most especially if you are planning to work for digital photos, data sheets you must look for a large Hard Drive.

2. Ultra portable Laptop - Offer no optical drive (CD/DVD rom) so choose a large Hard Drive

Check the Battery?

1. When buying a Laptop don't forget to check the battery specs.

2. Check the battery specs Battery Life is also very important to consider. How long it last? When buying a Laptop they usually offer you a regular battery, check to see if they have an extended life battery for longer use.

Try out the Keyboard

1. The Keyboard - Notebook Laptop or a 12 inch type is difficult to use compared to a 18 inch type Laptop. It has small average keys.

2. Before buying check to try the Keyboard choose what's best for your fingers or 2 hands.

Check the number and Location of your USB ports - Make sure you have enough ports for your peripherals. So you can connect all your external device and other extensions. Like USB, external hard drive, DVD Rom, and future use.

Make Money Online

Tools and Resources

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Computer Repair Solutions

We are increasingly warming up to computers as we use them to do almost anything these days. Therefore, if a computer was crocked and we did not know what to do to get them running, we would be knee deep in trouble.

Often, you will find that some computer users have the basic genius to sniff out any hardware and software causes of computer failure unlike some. The brightest idea right now is to have a repair book tucked somewhere in your shelf. Have one with simple English though!

The mistake some book writers make is that they write instructions in a coded language that only geeks can crack. Unfortunately, you only realize this when you have a blank screen. Go for simpler language.

When you come across a computer repair book, it will only be relevant if it gives you tips and ways around common PC repair and upgrade. You should be able to troubleshoot basic computer failure issues like missing system files and stuff of that caliber alongside upgrading software and hardware.

If you are a fan of movies games and other entertainment applications, you will agree that there are times you wished your computer could do better in terms of performance. Therefore, a decent computer repair nook will give you all the know-how and tips required to do an upgrade.

The best solutions are those that are not just cosmetic to ensure that you are safe for the moment. You should seek solutions that are more permanent and therefore a book that has a bias towards these will be a good advantage. Other basic tasks will include issues like scanner and printer malfunction.

When you are about to make a purchase decision, you should now focus on reading other reviews and understand the idea behind how practical the book is in soling problems.

Stainless steel tank and stainless steel tables are good combination.

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Here's a Great Trick to Discover Who Owns Any Email - A Reverse Email Lookup

A reverse email address lookup is truly a useful tool that lets you find out information concerning who is the owner of any email address. Lots of individuals are inquiring about this form of tool, so read on to uncover further details concerning the way it is possible to run one yourself. If you employ this searching system properly, it is possible to discover who is the owner of any existing email address that you might have questions about.

There are actually lots of reasons to implement this. I am confident you've had emails sent from an address that you do not recognize, or have wanted to stop unwelcome emails. These are examples of when a reverse email search can make life a lot easier for you.

Obviously you can expect to identify the name of the individual who owns the email, but what other kind of details might you discover with this form of search?

There is seriously such a lot of info that can be located, it really is incredible. Not only are you able to discover someone's name, but frequently you can even uncover their address and more background information. This kind of info could involve the address history, aspects of their business and some background records.

As you are probably aware, email is actually the most widely used sort of communication. Consequently, you will now find specialized providers that develop databases that contain information on many different email addresses. These companies then make it possible for the online community to look through these databases to find information on a specific email.

Regrettably, practically nothing in this world comes for free, though we can all be grateful that the use of this service is very inexpensive. The modest price covers the expenditure the businesses have on their behalf to be able to keep up the databases and increase their info.

You will find various internet sites that may essentially offer you unrestricted searches for a once-only payment. This really is by far the best option to pick because you are able to use it whenever you wish. This can make it a great deal more cost-effective than paying out for each individual search.

You can also look the email address up by using Google or another web-based search engine. From time to time the email may be published on a site online and in that case, it is easy to usually find information about the owner. This process does not invariably turn up results, but it truly is 100 % free to have a shot at, so you may as well.

So, try a reverse email lookup when you have an email address you're curious about. It's a great tool that lets you really feel like a detective from your laptop or computer!

Reverse email searches give you a simple way to uncover who the owner of any email is.

Click here for an inside look at how it works!

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Why You Need to Run a Defragmentation Process on Your Computer

A file system is an effective method for an operating system to use files kept onto a database at any time in operation and be able to store, organize, retrieve or manipulate data. These files are kept on clusters, small amount of room on a hard disk, about 4 kilobits and given specific tags or meta data for informing an operating system, what kind of data that file is. These files may be kept in a hierarchical or flat, or with structured file syntax. This is dependent on the type of file system

An issue develops over time with general computer use as well as normal function of an operating system, as files are moved or deleted, the system may leave small amount of space, in between other spaces filled with data. So the issue becomes a longer time for the computer to access files, more movement of the read and write heads of the hard drive creating more wear and tear. A file system will also move small bits of these files into those small spaces. This happens often if you are also creating lots of data as well as moving or deleting data.

Most file system and their respective operating systems have an inbuilt process a user may operate to defrag those files. For what is known as running a defrag process, is asking the file system to reallocate files, lined up next to each other, usually into their respective file types and move empty spaced clusters to the end. Running this process may take from several minutes up to several hours depend on the amount of fragmentation. One this process has completed, users will notice a more responsive and quicker operation of their computer.

Take a look at a detailed explanation and more information about this helpful tip right here

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