Win2K3 for my computer?

Based on the specs in my sig, could I put Win2K3 on my PC? Is it good for home use, or is it meant just for businesses?

 

Windows 2003 is a server class operating system. You could install it on a PC, but I would only do so for learning purposes only. If you don't plan on getting your MCSE on Win2k3, I wouldn't bother installing it on a PC.

 

shadowhawk,
I'm dual booting W2K3 with XP Pro SP1+ on separate partitions on an Athlon Thunderbird 1.2 Gb with 512Mb PC133 RAM, slow by todays standards. But W2K3 is faster than XP Pro. So I recommend using it, but there are a number of issues you need to address.

Firstly is it worth the added expense of procurring a legal copy over XP. I'm running a six month full trial copy which allows me to use windows updates etc. After six months I could reformat and reinstall for another six months etc, etc. A cheap and viable option for me as I usually reformat every 6-12 months anyway.

To use W2K3 as a workstation the internet security options need to be downgraded or uninstalled 'else you won't be able to access most sites on the internet. Graphics hardware and DirectX acceleration has to be turned back on or that 128Mb video card will perform worse than one of those old 1Mb video cards. You won't be able to install the latest graphics drivers with hardware acceleration turned of either. Sound acceleration also needs to be turned on to enable audio. Memory and processor usage has to be be optimised for a workstation environment and Themes service needs to be enabled to have the XP look, to name a few.

Many games should install? But are not guaranteed to work. I found a couple of programmes wouldn't install including my HP printer software, although for that software it gave me the option to go ahead and install anyway, dangerous but didn't cause any problems. Most (all?) XP drivers will probably install.

Of course MS didn't intend for a tweaked W2K3 server OS to be used in a server environment as stability will have been compromised. My observation has been that even after turning W2K3 into an updated XP OS and using it as a workstation, it seems to be more stable than XP pro. So I'm impressed with it!