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. Scroll down to Security Information within Server Summary and click Configure IE ESC. In the window that pops up select Off for both Administrators and Users. Save the changes by clicking OK.
To fully convert the Windows Server 2008 into a workstation we have setup that programs will have the best performance in stead of background services.
1. To change the best performance setting into programs, open Start, right click on Computer and select Properties in the context menu.
2. On the left below Tasks click Advanced system settings. In the Performance section click Settings. After that the window Performance Options shows up. Go to the tab Advanced, select Programs and click OK twice to save these settings.
1. When you start Windows Server 2008 for the first time or the Do not show this window at logon check is disabled you will see the following screen at startup. Otherwise you have to open the Initial Configuration Tools by clicking Start, and typing oobe. After the start menu has a result press Enter.
In the Initial Configuration Tools window click Provide computer name and domain. In the System Properties window that shows up click Change. Fill in the Computer name and Workgroup and click OK twice. After you click the Close button in the System Properties window choose to restart the computer.
Click Run in the Start menu, enter gpedit.msc and click OK. The Local Group Policy Editor window will open. Expand Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Logon, and open the Setting Turn off Windows Startup Sound. In the Turn Off Windows Startup Sound Properties window click Disabled, then save the setting by clicking OK.
1. Click Run in the menu Start, then type services.msc and click OK. Now the Services management console will open.
2. In the Services window scroll to the service Windows Audio and open it. In the Windows Audio Properties (Local Computer) window select Automatic as Startup type, click Apply, then click Start to start the Windows Audio service. Close the properties window by clicking OK.
3. Click Control Panel in the Start menu.
- If you are using the Modern View, click Sound in the Hardware and Sound category.
- If you are using the Classic View, doubleclick the Sound icon.
4. Select your default playback device and click Properties. Now go to the Advanced tab and uncheck Give exclusive mode application priority. Save the settings by clicking OK twice!
5. Import the regfile Prevent Stuttering Sound so you are not bothered by stuttering sound when you pc is a little busy.
1. In the Start menu, expand Administrative Tools and click Local Security Policy.
2. In the Local Security Policy editor expand Local Policies and click Security Options. In the right pane search and open Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose Enabled. Save your change by clicking OK.
1. Click Run in the menu Start, then type gpedit.msc and click OK. Now the Local Group Policy Editor will open.
2. Browse to Administrative Templates in Computer Configuration, click System and double click in the right window on Display Shutdown Event Tracker. Change its value to Disabled and click OK to save the change.
By default Microsoft Windows Server 2008 enforces users in the Administrator usergroup to use strong passwords. Home users just want to create their own passwords without meeting any policies or leave it blank. This tutorial will explain how to disable these complexity requirements!
1. Click Run in the menu Start, then type gpedit.msc and click OK. In the Local Group Policy Editor expand Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Account Policies and click Password Policy.
2. In the right pane double click Password must meet complexity requirements and set it to Disabled. Click OK to save your change. You will now not longer be forced to use strong passwords; you can even use a blank one!
3. Optionally you can also choose to never let expire your passwords. To do this also open the Maximum password age policy and set set the value to 0. Click OK to save the policy change!
Thanks to Michael Sully and Mark for informing me about this tweaks!
1. In the Start menu click Run and enter control userpasswords2. After clicking OK the User Accounts window will show up.
2. Next click the account you want to login automatically and uncheck Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer checkbox. If you now click Apply it will ask for the password of the user you selected. Enter the password of the selected user twice and click OK. From now on every time you start Windows it will automatically login!
1. In the Start menu click Run and type control userpasswords2. In the User Accounts window that comes up click Add, fill in the required fields and click Next.
2. Fill in a password twice and click Next. In the next screen select Standard User to create a limited account to work with (recommended), then click Finish to add the user!
3. If you selected Standard User as level of access, you have to give the user permission to shutdown the PC. To do this click Run in the menu Start, then type gpedit.msc and click OK. In the Local Group Policy Editor that opens, browse to: Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> User Rights Assignment. In the right pane scroll to Shut down the system.
4. Double click Shut down the system and click Add User or Group. Now enter the User name of the user you want to give permission to shut down, then click OK.
5. Finally click OK in the Shut down the system Properties window to save the changes you made to the list of users that are allowed to shutdown the computer!
