Category Archives: Server 2008 Workstation - Page 3

Get GTA2 Working in Windows Server 2008

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 21 comments

If you are getting the error “You will need to install DirectX #.# to run #.” when starting a game, you probably need to install the Microsoft DirectMusic Core Services to get the game working. You can install it automatically (Thanks sYk0) or manually using this tutorial.

For example the game GTA2 needs this fix. Grand Theft Auto 2 is released in 1999, but I still like to play it via VPN over the internet with friends! Everyone can now download the game for free from http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/. To get the game working in Windows Server 2003/2008, you need to install the Microsoft DirectMusic Core Services.

1. Download GTA2DirectXFix.zip from Win2008Workstation, RapidShare or MegaUpload.

2. Open the .zip, select dmusic(.inf) and dmusic.dll, right click and choose Copy.

3. Open an Explorer Window and browse to C:\Windows\System32 if you are using a x86 version of Windows. If you are using an x64 version, browse to C:\Windows\SysWOW64. Right click at a white spot in the screen and choose Paste.

4. If you are using the x86 edition of Windows, scroll to the file dmusic(.inf), right click the file and choose Install. If you are using the x64 edition, click Run in the Start menu and enter: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\InfDefaultInstall.exe dmusic.inf. Now play GTA2!

Games and Entertainment

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 348 comments

For our spare time we want to use Windows Server 2008 to play games and have fun! On this page games that work and don’t work are listed. If you have a game that is not listed on this page, please leave a comment so I can add it to the list of (non)working games. More games can be found at the forum.

If games won’t install because the installation says your Operating System is not supported, the article Installing Unreal Tournament 3 might help you. If you have problems with crashing games or applications take a look at the Disable Data Execution Prevention article. When you get the message gameux.dll is missing, read the tutorial Missing gameux.dll. When having errors about a missing xinput9_1_0.dll read the Missing xinput9_1_0.dll article. file If you are getting errors about a DirectX version that is needed to run the game, follow the dmusic.inf article. To get your Game Controller working read the Game Controllers tutorial! If you want the Vista Game Explorer back, use the Game Explorer for Win2k8 installer made by sYk0.

Games Compatibility

Game	Manufacturer	Website	Compatible	Issues	Fix
Unreal Tournament 2004	Epic Games	http://www.unrealtournament2004.com/	Yes	-	-
Grand Theft Auto 2	Rockstar Games	http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/	Yes	Error about incompatible DirectX version.	Tutorial
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Bethesda Softworks	http://www.elderscrolls.com/	Yes	-	-
Age of empires II	Microsoft Games	http://www.microsoft.com/games/age2/	Yes	-	-
Battlefield 2142	EA Games	http://www.battlefield.ea.com/battlefield/bf2142/	Yes	-	-
Call Of Duty 2 & 4	Activision	http://www.callofduty.com/	Yes	COD4 v1.5 crashes with MultiPlayer in x64?	Fix for sound
Crysis [:Warhead]	EA Games	http://www.ea.com/crysis/	Yes	-	-
The Orange Box	Valve	http://orange.half-life2.com/	Yes	-	-
Battlefield 1942	EA Games	http://www.ea.com/	Yes	See Comments.	See Comment and Comment
World of Warcraft	Blizzard	http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/	Yes	-	-
Guild Wars	ArenaNet	http://www.guildwars.com/	Yes	-	-
Magic Online	Wizards	http://www.wizards.com/magiconline/	Yes	-	-
Company of Heroes	THQ	http://www.companyofheroesgame.com/	Yes	-	-
Hour of Victory	Midway	http://www.hourofvictory.com/	Yes	-	-
Sudden Strike 3	Fireglow Games	http://www.suddenstrike.com/	Yes	-	-
FIFA 08	EA Games	http://www.fifa08.ea.com/	Yes	Error about incompatible DirectX version.	GTA 2 tutorial
Dethkarz	?	?	Yes	-	-
Battlefield Vietnam	EA Games	http://www.ea.com/	Yes	-	-
Battlefield 2	EA Games	http://battlefield.ea.com/battlefield/bf2/	Yes	-	-
Half Life / Half Life 2 (all)	VALVe	http://orange.half-life2.com/	Yes	Possible issues with x64	Disable DEP
Diablo I / Diablo II	Blizzard	http://www.blizzard.com/diablo2/	Yes	?	See comments
Unreal Tournament 3	Epic Games	http://www.unrealtournament3.com/	Yes	Won't install in Windows Server 2008.	Tutorial
Warcraft III: Frozen Throne	Blizzard	http://www.blizzard.com/war3x/	Yes	-	-
Madden NFL 08	EA Games	http://www.easports.com/madden08/	Yes	Crashes sometimes	Change compatibility mode to Windows XP SP2
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar	Turbine	http://www.lotro.com/	Yes	?	Install .NET Framework v1.1
Football Manager 2008	Sega	http://fm08.footballmanager.net/	Yes	-	-
Audiosurf	Audiosurf	http://www.audio-surf.com/	Yes	-	-
Bioshock	2K Games	http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/	Yes	-	Install gameux.dll
Counterstrike Source	VALVe	http://www.counter-strike.net/	Yes	-	Disable DEP
Call of Juarez	UbiSoft	http://www.callofjuarez.com/	Yes	Possibly can't install because of script error 1628, but can work	-
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic	UbiSoft	http://www.darkmessiahgame.com/	Yes	Sometimes crashes like in Vista	-
Fable: The Lost Chapters	Microsoft Games	http://www.microsoft.com/games/fable/	Yes	Complains about low graphic/system memory, but works fine!	Close sidebar if the screen flickers
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl	THQ	http://www.stalker-game.com/	Yes	-	Update to newer version to get proper memory management (memory bugs are under vista with version 1.0, too)
SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate	Sierra	http://www.swat4.com/	Yes	-	-
SuperPower 2	DreamCatcher Interactive	http://www.superpower2game.com/	Yes	-	-
The Ship	Mindscape	http://www.theshiponline.com/	Yes	-	-
F.E.A.R.	Vivendi Games	http://www.whatisfear.com/	Yes	-	-
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance	THQ	http://www.supremecommander.com/	Yes	-	-
Quake III Arena	ID Software	http://www.idsoftware.com/	Yes	-	-
Hellgate: London	Electronic Arts	http://www.hellgatelondon.com/	Yes	-	-
UFO: Afterlight	Cenega	http://www.ufo-afterlight.com/	Yes	-	-
Conflict: Denied Ops	Eidos	http://www.conflict.com/	Yes	-	-
Clive Barker's Jericho	Codemasters	http://www.codemasters.com/	Yes	-	-
Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War	THQ	http://www.dawnofwargame.com/	Yes	-	-
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars	Activision	http://www.enemyterritory.com/	Yes	-	-
NeverWinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer	Atari	http://www.atari.com/nwn2/	Yes	-	-
EVE Online	CCP	http://www.eve-online.com/	Yes	-	-
Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2	UbiSoft	http://www.rainbowsixgame.com/	Yes	-	-
Trackmania Nations Forever	Nadeo	http://www.trackmania.com/	Yes	-	-
Soldiers: Heroes of World War II	Codemasters	http://www.codemasters.com/soldiers/	Yes	-	Install Vista Patch
Soldat	Michal Marcinkowski	http://www.soldat.pl/	Yes	-	-
Assassins Creed	UbiSoft	http://www.assassinscreed.com/	Yes	-	-
Command & Conquer 3 [: Kanes Wrath]	EA Games	http://www.commandandconquer.com/	Yes	-	-
World in Conflict	Sierra	http://www.worldinconflict.com/	Yes	-	-
Uplink	Introversion Software	http://www.introversion.co.uk/uplink/	Yes	-	-
Warsow	?	http://www.warsow.net/	Yes	-	-
Turok	Propaganda Games	http://www.propagandagames.go.com/	Yes	-	-
Savage 2: A Tortured Soul	S2 Games	http://savage2.s2games.com/	Yes	-	-
The Witcher[:Enhanced Edition]	Atari	http://www.thewitcher.com/	Yes	See Comments. Patch 1.4 problems	-
Starcraft: Brood War	Blizzard	http://www.blizzard.com/broodwar/	Yes	See Comments.	-
Sam & Max	Telltale Games	http://www.telltalegames.com/samandmax/	Yes	-	-
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory	Activision	http://www.activision.com/	Yes	-	-
Need for Speed Most Wanted	EA Games	http://www.nfsmostwanted.com/	Yes	-	-
Far Cry	UbiSoft	http://farcrygame.ubi.com/	Yes	Patch 1.3 to 1.4 doesn't work. (see comment)	Install Patch v1.32
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas	Rockstar Games	http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/	Yes	?	See comments
Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition	UbiSoft	http://chessmaster.us.ubi.com/xi/	Yes	Start menu entries aren't created.	Run setup in XP SP2 compatibility mode.
Team Fortress Classic / 2	VALVe	http://www.steampowered.com/	Yes	-	-
Need For Speed Carbon	EA Games	http://www.nfscarbon.com/	Yes	-	-
Continuum	Brilliant Digital Entertainment	http://www.getcontinuum.com/	Yes	-	-
Doom 3	ID Software	http://www.doom3.com/	Yes	-	-
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky	THQ	http://www.stalker-game.com/	Yes	-	-
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men	Eidos	http://www.kaneandlynch.com/	Yes	-	-
Lost: Via Domus	UbiSoft	http://lostgame.us.ubi.com/	Yes	-	-
Medal of Honor: Airborne	EA Games	http://www.mohairborne.com/	Yes	-	-
X3 Reunion	EGOSOFT	http://www.X3Reunion.com/	Yes	-	-
Unreal Tournament 3 Demo	Epic Games	http://www.unrealtournament3.com/	Yes	Won't install in Windows Server 2008.	See Forum Topic
Requiem: Bloodymare	Gravity Interactive	http://www.playrequiem.com/	Yes	-	-
ROHAN Online	YNK Interactive	http://www.playrohan.com/	Yes	-	-
Dance Battle Audition Online	MMO	http://au.mmosite.com/	Yes	-	Disable DEP and Configure IE
MapleStory	NEXON	http://www.maplestory.com/	Yes	Needs workarounds.	See this blog
Age of Conan	Funcom	http://www.ageofconan.com/	Yes	-	-
Mass Effect	BioWare	http://www.masseffect.com/	Yes	-	-
UEFA Euro 2008	EA Games	http://www.electronicarts.co.uk/	Yes	-	GTA 2 tutorial
Lost Planet Extreme Condition Colonies Edition	Capcom	http://www.lostplanet-thegame.com/	Yes	-	-
Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne	NCsoft	http://www.lineage2.com/	Yes	-	-
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	BioWare	http://www.bioware.com/	Yes	-	-
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II	BioWare	http://www.bioware.com/	Yes	-	Install Vista fix
Halo 2	Microsoft Games	http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo2/	Yes	Won't start.	See this comment how to get it working!
Perry Rhodan	BrainGame	http://www.perry-rhodan-game.de/	Yes	-	-
Resident Evil 4	Capcom	http://www.residentevil.com/	Yes	-	-
EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey	Sony Online Entertainment	http://www.everquest2.com/	Yes	-	-
Devil May Cry 4	Capcom	http://www.devilmaycry.com/	Yes	-	-
Alien vs Predator 2	20th Century Fox	http://www.alienvspredator2.com/	Yes	Some graphical errors after start of some levels.	-
Postal 2	Running With Scissors	http://www.postal2.com/	Yes	-	-
Gears of War	Microsoft Games	http://www.gearsofwar.com/	Yes	-	See comment in DEP post
Worms World Party	Team17	http://wormsworldparty.team17.com/	Yes	Minor issue	-
The Thing	Black Label Games	?	Yes	-	-
Guitar Hero III	Activision	http://www.guitarhero.com/	Yes	-	See comments
Painkiller Overdose	DreamCatcher Interactive	http://www.projectoverdose.com/	Yes	Parental Control issues	See comments how to patch it!
The Settlers VI: Raise of Empire	UBISoft	http://thesettlers.us.ubi.com/	Yes	Error Message: Starting this game is prohibited by parental control	Run in Windows XP SP2 Compatibility Mode.
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts	THQ	http://www.companyofheroesgame.com/	Yes	Error about IGameExplorer	See comments
Warhammer Online[: Age of Reckoning (Beta)]	Mythic Entertainment	http://www.warhammeronline.com/	Yes	Conflicting experiences: comment 1, 2, 3	-
Alone in the Dark 5	Atari	http://www.centraldark.com/	Yes	-	-
Anarchy Online	FunCom	http://www.anarchy-online.com/	Yes	-	-
Ragnarok Online	Gravity	http://www.ragnarokonline.com/	Yes	Minor issue	-
RF Online	Codemasters	http://www.rf-onlinegame.com/	Yes	-	Disable DEP
Bionic Commando Rearmed	CapCom	http://www.bioniccommando.com/	Yes	-	-
Race Driver: GRID	Codemasters	http://www.grid-game.com/	Yes	settings issue	-
Spore	EA Games	http://www.spore.com/	Yes	possible issue	-
King's Bounty: The Legend	Atari	http://www.kings-bounty.com/	Yes	-	-
Space Rangers 2	Cinemaware	http://www.spacerangers2.com/	Yes	-	-
Divine Divinity	Larian Studios	http://www.larian.com/divinity/	Yes	-	-
Alpha Prime	Black Element Software	http://www.alpha-prime.com/	Yes	-	-
Far Cry 2	UbiSoft	http://farcrygame.ubi.com/	Yes	-	-
Bully Scholarship Edition	Rockstar Games	http://www.rockstargames.com/bully/	Yes/No	Installs, plays on x86; can't play on x64	-
Fallout 3	Bethesda	http://fallout.bethsoft.com/	Yes	issues with ASUS software	-
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3	EA Games	http://www.ea.com/redalert/	Yes	-	-
Call Of Duty 5: World at War	Activision	http://www.callofduty.com/	Yes	-	If any problems, see this comment
James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace	Activision	http://www.007thevideogame.com/	Yes	-	-
Command & Conquer Generals [:Zero Hour]	EA Games	http://www.commandandconquer.com/	Yes	Possibly stuck at loadscreen.	See comments
Left 4 Dead	Valve	http://www.l4d.com/	Yes	-	-
Legendary	Atari	http://www.legendarythegame.com/	Yes	-	-
Tomb Raider: Anniversary \| Legend \| Underworld	Eidos	http://www.tombraider.com/	Yes	-	-
Grand Theft Auto IV	Rockstar Games	http://www.rockstargames.com/	Yes	-	See forum topic
Lego Batman	Lego	http://www.legobatmangame.com/	Yes	note	-
Dead Space	EA Games	http://deadspace.ea.com/	Yes	-	-
The Sims 2	EA Games	http://thesims2.ea.com/	Yes	-	-
Prince of Persia (2008)	UbiSoft	http://www.princeofpersiagame.com/	Yes	-	-
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason	Action Forms Ltd.	http://cryostasis-game.com/	Yes	-	-
Fifa Manager '09	EA Games	http://www.fifamanager09.com/	Yes	-	DirectX Fix
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance	?	?	No	see comment (explanation)	-
Navy Field	SDEnterNET	http://www.navyfield.com/	Yes	-	See comments
F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin	Vivendi Games	http://www.whatisfear.com/	Yes	-	-
Need for Speed Underground 2	EA Games	http://nfsu2.ea.com/	Yes	-	-
Babylon 5: I've Found Her	Time Warner Entertainment	http://ifh.babylonfive.ru/	Yes	Runs choppy	-
Mirror's Edge	EA Games	http://www.mirrorsedge.com/	Yes	See comments	-
Mount & Blade	Paradox Interactive	http://www.taleworlds.com/	Yes	-	-
Rise Of The Argonauts	Codemasters	http://www.codemasters.com/argonauts/	Yes	-	-
Saints Row 2	THQ	http://www.saintsrow.com/	Yes	-	Might need Compatibility Mode
Worms 4: Mayhem	Team17	http://www.wormsmayhem.com/	Yes	-	-
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault	EA Games	http://mohpa.ea.com/	Yes	-	Read Install Guide
Condemned: Criminal Origins	Sega	http://www.condemnedgame.com/	Yes	-	-
Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box	Criterion Games	http://www.burnoutparadise.com/	Yes	-	-
ShellShock 2: Blood Trails	Eidos	http://www.eidos.com/	Yes	See comments	See comments
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason	1C Company	http://www.cryostasis-game.com/	Yes	-	-
Blazing Angels	UbiSoft	http://blazing-angels.us.ubi.com/	Yes/No	No Vista Compatibility	See comments
Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II	THQ	http://www.dawnofwar2.com/	Yes/No	See comment and comment	-
X3: Terran Conflict	EGOSOFT	http://www.terranconflict.com/	Yes	Error: File not found. x3config.	See comments
NecroVision	Aspyr	http://www.necrovision-game.com/	Yes	-	-
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures	Lucasarts	http://indianajones.lego.com/	Yes	-	-
Empire Total War	Sega	http://www.totalwar.com/	Yes	-	Note
Dark Sector	Digital Extremes	http://www.darksector.com/	Yes	-	-
Tom Clancy's HAWX	UbiSoft	http://www.hawxgame.com/	Yes	-	-
Beyond Good and Evil	UbiSoft	http://www.beyondgoodevil.com/	Yes	-	-
Wanted: Weapons of Fate	Warner Bros	http://www.warnerbros.com/	Yes	-	-
Wheelman	UbiSoft	http://www.wheelmangame.com/	Yes	-	-
Unreal Tournament 99	Epic Games	http://www.unrealtournament.com/	Yes	-	Use zeckensack's Glide wrapper
Silent Hill Homecoming	Konami Digital Entertainment	http://www.silenthillhomecoming.net/	Yes	-	-
Flight Simulator X	Microsoft Games	http://www.flightsimulatorX.com/	Yes	Issue	-
City of Heroes	NCsoft	http://www.cityofheroes.com/	Yes	-	-
Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel	Ascaron Entertainment	http://www.sacred2.com/	Yes	-	See comment
War Rock	K2 Network	http://www.warrock.net/	Yes	-	-
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay	Atari	http://www.riddickgame.com/	Yes	-	See comment
Unreal 2: The Awakening	Legend Entertainment	http://www.unreal2.com/	No	See comment	-
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena	Atari	http://www.riddickgame.com/	Yes	-	-
Velvet Assassin	Replay Studios	http://www.velvetassassin.com/	Yes	-	-
Zeno Clash	ACE Team	http://www.zenoclash.com/	Yes	-	-
Commandos 2: Men of Courage	Eidos	http://www.eidos.com/	Yes	-	Latest patch?
Dungeon Siege: Legends Of Aranna	Microsoft Games	http://www.microsoft.com/games/dungeonsiegeloa/	No	See comment
Damnation	Codemasters	http://www.damnationthegame.com/	Yes	-	-
Terminator Salvation The Game	Warner Bros	http://www.terminatorsalvationthegame.com/	Yes	-	-
Battlefield Heroes	EA Games	http://www.battlefieldheroes.com/	Yes	-	-
Prototype	Activision	http://www.prototypegame.com/	Yes	-	-
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood	Ubisoft	http://www.callofjuarez.com/	Yes	-	-
Fuel	Codemasters	http://www.fuel-game.com/	Yes	-	-
Street Fighter IV	CAPCOM	http://www.streetfighter.com/	Yes	-	Might need XP Compatibility mode. (see comment)
The Sims 3	EA Games	http://www.thesims3.com/	Yes	-	-

Security Software

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 249 comments

To protect your computer against viruses and hacking attempts you have to install security software. This page will list all sofware that is known to be compatible with Windows Server 2008. If you are using an application that isn’t listed here or if you are aware of an application that absolutely doesn’t work, please add a comment with the <Application Name>, <Version: Home, Business, …>, <Computer Architecture: 32bit or 64bit>, <Website>, and eventually <Known Compatibility Issues>!

More (non) working applications can be found in the Applications Compatibility section at the forum.

* Because some security software only works on x64 or only x86, the architecture has been added. The * means that I don’t know if only x64, x86 or even both are (not) working. Please confirm it!

Security Software Compatibility

Application Name	Website	32bit Compatible	64bit Compatible	Issues	Fix
Eset Nod32 AntiVirus v3 Business Edition	http://www.eset.com/	Yes	Yes	-	-
Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 2008	http://www.agnitum.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
Agnitum Outpost Security Suite Pro 2008	http://www.agnitum.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
Sophos Anti-Virus	http://www.sophos.com/	Yes*	Yes*	Could slow down your system.	-
Avast! 4 Antivirus Home Edition	http://www.avast.com/	Yes*	Yes	Won't install on Server OS. See comment	See forum
AVG Antivirus Free and Paid	http://free.grisoft.com	Yes	Yes	Won't install on Server OS.	Anon has the solution! (addition)
Avira Personal Edition Premium 8.0	http://www.free-av.com/	No*	No	See comment	-
Avira AntiVir Personal	http://www.free-av.com/	Yes	Yes	Won't install on Server OS.	See Comment or forum
Symantec Endpoint Protection v11	http://www.symantec.com/	No	Yes	See comment. In x64 only install AntiVirus.	-
Trend Micro OfficeScan	http://www.trendmicro.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
AVG Anti-Virus Network Edition	http://www.grisoft.com/ww.business-security	Yes	Yes	-	-
Symantec Corporate Antivirus 10 Corporate Edition	http://www.symantec.com/	Yes	Yes	10.1.x is not compatible	x64 version may need msi patching
Kerio WinRoute Firewall	http://www.kerio.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.1.325	http://www.kaspersky.com/	Yes*	Yes	Won't install on Server OS.	See Comment
PC Tools AntiVirus 4.0 Free Edition	http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/	Yes	Yes	-	-
Look 'n' Stop Firewall	http://www.looknstop.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition	http://www.pctools.com/firewall/	Yes*	No	-	-
ClamWin Free Antivirus	http://www.clamwin.com/	Yes	Yes	-	-
McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.5/8.7i	http://www.mcafee.com/us/enterprise/	Yes	Yes	-	-
Kaspersky Internet Security 7	http://www.kaspersky.com/	Yes	Yes*	Won't install on Server OS.	See Comment
Comodo Firewall Pro 3	http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/	No	No	Many, see comment. Installs, but won't offer any security.	-
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Server Enterprise Edition	http://www.kaspersky.com/	Yes*	Yes*		-
Eset Nod32 AntiVirus/Smart Security v3 Home Edition	http://www.eset.com/	No	No	Won't install on Server OS.	Use Business Edition (see comment)
Spybot - Search & Destroy	http://www.safer-networking.org/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
BitDefender Internet Security 2008	http://www.bitdefender.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
ZoneAlarm Free	http://www.zonealarm.com/	Yes	No	Conflicting experiences: comment, comment and comment	-
ZoneAlarm Antivirus v7.0 for XP	http://www.zonealarm.com/	No	No	Won't install on Server OS.	-
ZoneAlarm Antivirus v7.1 for Vista	http://www.zonealarm.com/	Yes	No	Won't install on Server 2008 x64.	-
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009	http://www.kaspersky.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	See Comment
Eset Nod32 Smart Security v3 Business Edition	http://www.eset.com/	Yes	Yes	Note when using in combination with Hyper-V.	-
Trend Micro Internet Security 2009	http://www.trendmicro.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
Twister Anti-TrojanVirus	http://www.filseclab.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware	http://www.malwarebytes.org/	Yes	Yes	See Comments	-
Spyware Doctor v6	http://www.pctools.com/	Yes	No	Won't install; see comment	-
Spyware Doctor v5.5	http://www.pctools.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
SUPERAntiSpyware v4.1	http://www.superantispyware.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
BitDefender Antivirus 2008	http://www.bitdefender.com/	Yes	Yes*	Could slow down Windows Server 2008.	Apply MSI Fix.
CA Anti-Virus 2008	http://www.ca.com/	No	No*	Won't install on Server 2008.	-
Avira Antivir Server Edition	http://www.avira.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
Ikarus AntiVirus	http://www.ikarus-software.at/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 (8.0.0.357)	http://www.kaspersky.com/	Yes	Yes	Won't install on Server 2008.	See forum and x86 comment.
BitDefender 10 Free Edition	http://www.bitdefender.com/	No*	No	Rootkitscanner and the shell integration doesn't work.	-
Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro v6	http://www.agnitum.com/	No	No*	AFW.SYS could not be loaded.	-
Moon Secure Antivirus	http://sourceforge.net/projects/moonav/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
ZoneAlarm Internet Security 7.1 for Vista	http://www.zonealarm.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
ThreatFire AntiVirus	http://www.threatfire.com/	Yes	No	-	-
Microsoft Forefront Client Security	http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/clientsecurity/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
Agnitum Outpost Firewall 2009	http://www.agnitum.com/	Yes	Yes*	See comment	See Comment
Avast! 4.8 Antivirus Server Edition	http://www.avast.com/	Yes	Yes	-	-
Rising Antivirus Free Edition	http://www.rising-global.com/	Yes	Yes	-	-
CA eTrust Antivirus v7.1.192	http://www.ca.com/	Yes	Yes*	-	-
Sunbelt Vipre v3.1	http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/	Yes*	Yes*	Deep Scan with Anti-Rootkit Detection hangs the machine.	-
Jetico Personal Firewall v2	http://www.jetico.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
Avira Premium Security Suite	http://www.avira.com/	No*	No*	See comment	-
Eset Nod32 v4.0 Beta 1	http://beta.eset.com/	Yes*	Yes*	Won't install	See forum
SpyWare Blaster v4.1	http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009	http://www.mcafee.com/	No*	No	See comment.	-
PeerGuardian 2 RC1	http://phrosty.phoenixlabs.org/pg2-rc1/	Yes	Yes*	See comment.	-
Windows Live OneCare for Server	http://onecare.live.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
Panda Antivirus Pro 2009	http://www.pandasecurity.com/	No	No	-	-
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2009	http://www.f-secure.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
Zemana Antilogger	http://www.zemana.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
G DATA InternetSecurity 2009	http://www.gdatasoftware.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
BitDefender Total Security 2009	http://www.bitdefender.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
F-Secure Internet Security 2009	http://www.f-secure.com/	No*	No	Won't install	-
Eset NOD32 2.70.39	http://www.eset.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
Microsoft Forefront Client Security	http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/clientsecurity/	Yes	Yes	-	-
Zonealarm Internet Security 8.0	http://www.zonealarm.com/	Yes*	Yes	-	-
Online Armor	http://www.tallemu.com/	Yes*	Yes*	-	-

Final Windows 2008 Workstation!

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 62 comments

Aero and SideBar enabled with NOD32 v3 AntiVirus installed.

WindowsKey + Tab to switch between windows.

It just works great!

Extend Evaluation Period to 240 days

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 93 comments

Probably you want to use Windows Server 2008 as your default operating system, but because of the 60 day limit you haven’t installed it yet. This guide will explain how to reset up to 3 times so you have 240 days (4 x 60 days) time to evaluate. Don’t rearm if you don’t need to, because if you do that you waste the evaluation time you had remaining! Microsofts Knowledge Database explains a way to configure it will automatically reset each 60 days, but the Task Sheduler gives an error when you try to import the Task, because the maximum interval between triggers is 31 days, and the .xml file tries to set a delay of 59 days. The information in this guide is the same information as the KB article.

1. First we are going to take a look how many days we have left to evaluate Windows Server 2008. Click Run in the menu Start, then type slmgr.vbs -dli and click OK. Be patient after clicking OK because it will take some time before it will show you a Windows Script Host message window that says how much time you have remain.

2. If the message window previous screen says you have only a few days left do the following to reset the evaluation period back to 60 days. Click Run in the menu Start, then type slmgr.vbs -rearm and click OK. After a couple of seconds it will show you the message window that the command has completed. Restart your system to apply the reset!

3. To verify your evaluation period is reset after reboot click Run in the Start menu, enter slmgr.vbs -dli and click OK. A few moments later it will show you, you have 60 days left again!

Enable Wireless Networking

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 47 comments

1. Start the Server Manager by clicking the Server Manager icon in the systray, or the Server Manager shortcut in directly the Start menu or in the menu Administrative Tools

2. In the Server Manager scroll down to Features Summary and click Add Features. In the Add Features Wizard window scroll down, check Wireless LAN Service and click Next.

3. At the Confirm Installation Selections page click Install.

4. Click Close to finish the installation. Now you have wireless support in Windows Server 2008!

Enabling SuperFetch

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 21 comments

When you are using Windows Server 2008 as a workstation SuperFetch will give your operating system a little bit more responsive while working on it.

Use Registry Tweak in stead of the first 4 steps

1. To enable the SuperFetch service you will first have to make a little change in the registry. Open the Registry Editor by clicking Run in the Start menu. Next type regedit and click OK. In the Registry Editor browse to the location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters.

2. Right click in the right part of the window and choose DWORD (32bit) Value in the menu New. Type as Name: EnablePrefetcher

3. Edit the value of value EnablePrefetcher by doubleclicking on it. Change the Value data field into ‘3‘ (without quotes)

4. Next create a second DWORD (32bit) Value, name it EnableSuperfetch and also give it as Value data ‘3‘ (without quotes)

5. Close the Registry Editor, then click Run in the menu Start. Type services.msc and click OK. In the Services window, scroll down to the service with name SuperFetch.

6. Right click on the SuperFetch service and choose Properties in the context menu.

7. Next choose in the Startup type dropdown Automatic. Click Apply in the lower right of the Superfetch Properties window. The Start button will now be enabled. Press the Start button to enable SuperFetch for your current session.

8. Final screen. Because we have set the Startup type to Automatic, next time you start Windows Server 2008, the SuperFetch service will run to optimize your systems performance!

Installing Custom Gadgets

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 16 comments

If you want to install custom gadgets (from for example: http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx) you first have to associate the .gadget extension with the Windows SideBar. You can do that by downloading and importing gadget.reg (right click – Save As) into the Windows register. For just opening the .gadget file didn’t always work, so here is the custom way if gadgets won’t install automatically. Prerequisite is that you have installed WinRAR or any other ZIP unpacking program. You can download WinRAR from http://www.rarlabs.com/

1. Go to http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx or any other gadgets website and click Download. When the download window appears don’t click Open, but click Save!

2. Right click the .gadget-file and choose Open With in the context menu.

3. In the Open With window uncheck Always use the selected program to open this kind of file, and click Browse. Navigate to C:\Program Files\WinRAR\, select WinRAR.exe and click Open. In the Open With main window click OK to open the gadget file with WinRAR. Click Open if you get a Security Warning.

4. In WinRAR click Extract To in the menubar. In the Extraction path and options window browse to C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets\, and type the name of your gadget including .Gadget (You can type it over from the titlebar of your WinRAR main window). In my case this name is MultiMeterDv1.25a.Gadget. Now click OK to extract the gadget to the Gadgets folder. After the extraction has completed you can close WinRAR.

5. Now you can add the item to the Sidebar by right clicking on the Sidebar and clicking Add Gadgets!

Installing the Vista SideBar

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 78 comments

1. Download the zip-package with files needed to use the Vista Sidebar. If you use the 32bit version of Server 2008, download Windows Sidebar.zip from rapidshare, Megaupload or 4shared. If you use the 64bit version of Server 2008 download Windows Sidebar x64.zip from rapidshare, megaupload or 4shared. The files inside this package are taken from a clean installation of Windows Server 2008 x86/x64 BETA 3 where the Windows Sidebar is still included when installing the Desktop Experience Feature. It is also possible to just copy the C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\ folder from an other Vista SP1 installation.

2. Open Windows Sidebar (x64).zip and in the toolbar click Extract all files. Click the Browse button, expand Computer –> Local Disk (C:), and click Program Files. Select your destination by clicking OK.

3. Your Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders window will now look like this. Click Extract to extract the files and folders of Windows Sidebar (x64).zip to your C:\Program Files directory.

4. After the extraction has completed, click Run in the Start menu and enter the following command: "C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe" /RegServer. You won’t see anything happen but in the background the SideBar is being installed. To enable the automatic installation of custom gadgets, also run the commands regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sbdrop.dll" and regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\wlsrvc.dll".

5. Once again open the Run dialog by clicking Start –> Run, now enter: "C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe", and click OK. The taskbar will now show up! Let’s configure that it will automatically start with Windows Server 2008!

6. To configure it to automatically start with Windows right click the SideBar icon in the system tray and click Properties.

7. Check the box Start Sidebar when Windows starts, then click OK. Your taskbar is now fully functioning! You can add Gadgets by right clicking Add Gadgets in the systemtray icon menu or remove them by clicking Close Gadget in the contextmenu of a Gadget. To get help with installing gadgets go to the post Installing Custom Gadgets.

Troubleshooting

Question: I get a Open File- Security Warning message dialog every time I start Windows.

Answer: Follow these steps to remove this message.

1. Browse via My Computer to C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\, right click sidebar.exe and click Properties.

2. In the General tab click Unblock, then click Apply and/or OK. Now you won’t see that message again!

Themes

Posted by Arris on March 8, 2008 50 comments

Like Microsoft Windows Vista its also possible to use the Aero theme or at least the Vista Basic theme without transparency and 3d flip. Note that following this tutorial and installing the “Desktop Experience” Feature also installs Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Media Player, Video for Windows (AVI support), Windows Photo Gallery, Windows SideShow, Windows Defender, Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder and Character Map.

1. Start the Server Manager by clicking the Server Manager icon in the systray, or the Server Manager shortcut in directly the Start menu or in the menu Administrative Tools.

2. In the Server Manager click below the category Features Summary on Add Features.

3. In the Add Features Wizard window check Desktop Experience, then click Next.

4. Review the installation selection and click Install to start the installation.

5. After the installation has finished, click the Close button and click Yes if you are asked to restart your computer.

6. When you computer has restarted, click Start, Run, then type services.msc and click OK. Next double click on the service named Themes, set Startup type to Automatic and click Apply. Now click Start to start the themes service and close the service manager.

7. right click on an empty spot of your desktop and choose Personalize. In the Personalization window click Theme. Select the Browse… option from the dropdown if theme Windows Vista is not already listed.

8. If theme Windows Vista was not listed, browse to the folder %systemroot%\Resources\Themes, then select aero and click Open. Apply your selection by clicking OK.

9. If you have installed drivers for your videocard you can also enable transparent window borders and 3D Flip (Windowskey + Tab) with Windows Aero Theme in stead of the Windows Vista Basic theme. To do this click Window Color and Appearance in your Personalization window, select Windows Aero and click OK.

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Convert your Windows Server 2008 to a Workstation!

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