Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter
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 of the manual!
Get the Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter
Support & Suggestions
- At this page (http://converter.win2008workstation.com/) using comments.
- At the Forums in the ‘Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter’ section.
- By contacting sawo via email: sawo.777 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Known Issue
The UxTheme patch may in cause an unbootable system in a few cases. To fix this, boot up the pc in Safe Mode with Command Prompt, change directory to %windir%\System32 and rename the UxTheme.backup file back to UxTheme.dll. Now reboot and everything should work fine again!
Features of the Converter
General
Visual Tweaks
Network
Games
Other
Delay Activation
Possible commandline parameters
-audio Enable windows audio
-cpu Optimize CPU performance for programs
-ie Disable IE Enhanced Security Configuration
-dotnet Install .NET Framework 3.0
-superfetch Enable SuperFetch
-desktop Install desktop experience
-themes Enable themes
-cad Disable CTRL+ALT+DEL at Startup
-events Disable shutdown event tracker
-name Change computer name
-wireless Enable wireless networking
-offline Enable offline files
-search Enable windows search service
-autologin Enable auto logon
-delay Delay activation
-check Check the remaining days left until activation
-uxtheme32 Apply the UxTheme Patch for 32bit systems
-uxtheme64 Apply the UxTheme Patch for 64bit systems
-sidebar32 Install the sidebar for 32bit systems.
-sidebar64 Install the sidebar for 64bit systems.
-joy32 Install the control panel item for game controllers on 32bit systems.
-joy64 Install the control panel item for game controllers on 64bit systems.
-cursors Install the vista aero cursors.
More information can be found in Readme.txt and Changelog.txt.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Great. Once again – GREAT.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Dude, thanks very much. Looks like a great tool. Thanks a bunch…
July 18th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
The guide was easy, but this just makes it all that much easier. You are a god amongst men. Great work. =)
July 18th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Hey, let me tell you something: a very professional and simple method to do it. I will appreciate it!
Thanks …
July 18th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Diamond Geezer!
July 18th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I suggest to add the ability to install BDA as describe in the forum:
ht tp://inglele.blogspot.com/2008/06/solved-sky-star-usb-plus-on-windows.html
July 19th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I keep getting annoying error’s… maybe because its Server08 x64 enterprise… Its those .net errors… when i get a free day ill document them and submit them..
July 20th, 2008 at 8:17 am
How to install Windows Media Player Plug-in for Firefox
1. Get http://port25.technet.com/videos/downloads/wmpfirefoxplugin.exe
2. unpack wmpfirefoxplugin.exe then copy ffplugin.msi
3. install plugin with “msiexec /a ffplugin.msi”
July 20th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hey this is perfect, no long having to change everything automatically. this will do it in a fraction of the time
July 21st, 2008 at 1:23 am
[...] Windows Server 2008 Workstation converter [...]
July 21st, 2008 at 7:46 am
PingBack from http://www.andreatedeschi.com/2008/07/windows-server-2008-workstation.html
July 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Looks very good! Thanks
July 21st, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Enabling superfetch caused programs to randomly crash on my machine, I had to edit the registry to stabilize my machine again. Might I suggest a restore/disable option for these settings.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
but after doing that you will have Windows Vista SP1
because they shares the same sourcecode 
seriously even Windows Server 2008 says it is SP1 
and the build no. 6001.. the same thing.
some of you that may have toght that Windows Server 2008 is performing better than Vista was because those services and stuff being disabled but enabling those things you will have Windows Vista SP1 + server stuff.
So, what’s the point, really?
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Now for MediaCenter addition
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
[...] http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/07/17/windows-server-2008-workstation-converter/ [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
It’s very very important tool. Excellent!!! No words.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
@Dreyfus:
HyperV + for ppl like me (IT Admins) it’s handy having a server OS that you can try lots of things on
Thanks for the tool – just helped me make the decision to convert my laptop to Server2k8
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
what exactly “gameux.dll” does?
thank your for this great tool
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:01 pm
[...] http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/07/17/windows-server-2008-workstation-converter/ Posted: Jul 22 2008, 09:01 AM by MarioL | with no comments [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Not denying this is a great bundling of cmds but why is anyone using a Server platform as a workstation? By the workstation operating system!! Surely making these changes could cause possible problems with any future Windows updates and Service Pack releases….
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Make sure to reflect the Aero Cursor registry change from [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes] to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Cursors\Schemes] for Aero Cursors, otherwise, only current user will get Aero Cursors.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Is the gameux.dll in the converter x86 or x64, since the Missing gameux.dll page has both a x86 and x64 version?
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
[...] Categoría Utilitarios | [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
[...] Artigo Traduzido, Original em Inglês, todos os direitos pertencem a: win2008workstation.com [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
What about bluetooth support? There’s a great guide here (http://www.gilkirkpatrick.com/Blog/post/Installing-the-Microsoft-Bluetooth-Stack-on-Windows-Server-2008.aspx) for getting it to work, needs some .inf file modifications and would be perfect for this
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 am
[...] http://www.win2008workstation.com [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
[...] Source:→ Win2008workstation [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
[...] essa a proposta do Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter, atualmente na versão 1.0. O arquivo zipado tem apenas 11 MB e promete fazer aquele tutorial do [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
this tool doesn’t work with me.. could it be because my copy is not leagle?? i am
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
[...] ni intresserade så ladda ner trial server 2008 HÄR Och sedan följer ni lite tips på den HÄR [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
[...] Para baixar este programa mágico, clique aqui. [...]
July 24th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Hey, great tools. It simplifies a lot. Thanks!
Now, I’m just missing the way to hibernate/sleep after Hyper-V ~>:(
July 24th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Thanks for the tool, very handy to have all the options and tweaks available from within a single program!
However, I did find a minor bug in the Games section, when I try to install gameux.dll.
When I click Apply, I get an unhandled .NET exception:
System.IO.IOException: The target file “C:\Windows\system32″ is a directory, not a file.
at System.IO.File.InternalCopy(String sourceFileName, String destFileName, Boolean overwrite)
at WindowsFormsApplication1.Form1.games()
This is probably caused by the fact that I don’t have the DLL present in my system32 folder, so it’s trying to copy it there.
So I figured, I’ll just copy it myself then and run it again. But then I get another error message saying:
“The module “C:\Windows\system32\gameux.dll” failed to load.
Make sure the binary is stored at the specified path or debug it to check for problems with the binary or dependent .DLL files.
The specified module could not be found.”
Hopefully this helps you in solving the problem
Cheers,
Dennis
July 24th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
[...] se você quer algo mais fácil, existe o Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter. Baixe ele aqui e vá modificando as opções oferecidas para você poder usa-lo em seu [...]
July 24th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
tnx for this good tool, sawo rep up ^^^
July 28th, 2008 at 4:37 am
Wow, this one really fucked up my system. It broke UxTheme.dll, so that explorer (or anyprogram that is) can’t start. Thanks!
July 28th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
[...] selten stelle ich mir die Frage, aber wer’s tut, findet hier dazu eine [...]
July 30th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Thanks for the tool
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Hey Viktor, explain EXACTLY what you did… otherwise… drop the smartass talk
August 5th, 2008 at 1:08 am
can tablet function be enabled??
August 5th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Kane: I used the Patch UxTheme button. It then proceeded in deleting UxTheme, but it did not replace it with the hacked one.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Viktor, what version of Server08 are you using? also x32 or x64? I am using Server08 Enterprise x64 and patching of UxTheme worked fine… also worked fine in Enterprise x32 (your problem and even the few i have are being submitted to the thread for this anyway…)
August 6th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Run ADI devices (5.1 Advanced Microdevices sound system, integrated chipset in D865perl intel motherboard) in this Windows Server 2008?, in Windows Vista non-function, only 2 speakers
, and non-support from Intel), Thanks for yours responses.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Great Jobs wonderfull tool!
Finishing what micro$soft didnt!
August 7th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
[...] Server 2008 to a workstation edition have been spreading on the Web for some time. With the free Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter by sawo, this process is now much easier and faster. I tried the tool today, and it took me about [...]
August 9th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Same as Viktor – It broke UxTheme.dll. At least I get the chance to see if restore works (I backed up first)
Procedure – I just clicked on things I wanted. I feel that if the computer needs a reboot before I’m allowed to click on something then it should be unclickable. Please.
cheers
August 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I install everithing on server 2008 with converter but wmp11 is inposible.
do you have some solution
August 10th, 2008 at 12:41 am
I can’t enable speech recognition. I’ve already moved files Speech and system32/Speech from Vista’s Windows folder to same folders on Server (I didn’t overwrite them), but nothing happens when I try to enable SR. After piece of second shows “Done”, but after restart, and going to Control Panel nothing changes. When I entered to Text to Speech, after tab Speech Recogntion shows subtitle that Windows didn’t find engine. What have I to do? I’ve already tried several times, but score is the same, as before.
August 12th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Great tool!!! Thank you very much!
August 14th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
at first i want to say that this is a great site.
everthing works fine except getting the game controllers item into the control panel and “sony vegas pro 8.0b” doesn’t work because of stackhash error or something like that!
anyone has a idea why this doesnt work?
August 14th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
This is amazing–I’ve set up a couple of Dell Precision 4300 laptops using this process and while there were some tweaks I had to play with, this was a great reference!
Great job guys!
August 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
how about funktions next to “Apply” to undone made changes?
well… i was to fast and clicked x86 sidebar and x86 on the other features but i have an x64 system and now i need to search for, how i can make it undone.
August 17th, 2008 at 3:54 am
rock on dude!
August 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
FYI GoGrid is offering virtual Servers. They have a free $100 trial when you use the promo code ‘GGED’. They are one of the first to offer 2008. EC2 doesn’t even offer windows. http://www.gogrid.com
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Same problem as Viktor & Ewen. Applying tool to Ent x64 killed explorer with UxTheme.dll error. OS was unrecoverable and required reinstallation.
August 23rd, 2008 at 3:40 am
Wow nice work ! Thanks
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Great tool. Guys like you make a difference on many people’s life. I have a great job now. I feel like you are god and I have spoken to you!!! You are a good guy I can feel it. Keep up the good work!
Loucohi
August 25th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
For everyone who has their UxTheme broken: Boot in safemode with a CMD prompt. From there you can do the necessary revertations. No need to reinstall.
I think that the problem lies in that it doesn’t have the rights to replace the file. The renaming to UxTheme.backup(?) is working fine, but then it fails when the software tries to add the hacked one.
August 25th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
[...] Dienste du im ServerOS starten musst damit du ein brauchbares Homesystem bekommst. Daf
August 28th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Portuguese language: http://livebetas.net/2008/07/22/dica-converter-windows-server-2008-em-workstation-e-possivel/
All rights win2008workstation, translation portuguese all rights Livebetas.net ( Original Rights win2008worstation)
August 29th, 2008 at 4:40 am
This looks like an amazing program!
August 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
[...] Trovate il programma e quello che riesce a fare QUI. [...]
August 29th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
[...] Isto tudo por causa deste artigo: http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/07/17/windows-server-2008-workstation-converter/ [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 1:10 am
I have the same problem then Dennis Meenhuis(reply 34).
September 4th, 2008 at 2:53 am
[...] OS, but why do this by hand when someone has already made a small program to do this for you? The Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter is a nice little application written by sawo that has all the options listed in tabs with an [...]
September 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
You could always try replacing the uxtheme.dll on your own. I think there are resources you can search for that carry the hacked uxtheme.dll. This may cut the risk of messing up your system. However, if this is anything like Vista, themeui.dll and shsvcs.dll also need to be replaced. Be careful. Don’t forget to replace all three. Here’s one location of the download: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/UxTheme-Patch-for-Windows-Server-2008.shtml
.
Make sure you have an unraring utility. Happy hacking
September 7th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
By the way, for the newbies and the people that need a memory refresh, remember that the patched files go into “%systemroot%\System32″ (x86/32-bit) or “%systemroot%\SysWOW64″ (only for x64 users). Make sure you have full control of the old files and rename them to -the filename-.dll.old (i.e. uxtheme.dll.old) and then copy the new ones in. Good luck and have fun.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
[...] estas cansado de tu viejo XP, pero no del todo conforme del Vista, deberías probar esta herramienta que te permite modificar en simples pasos tu Windows Server 2008 para dejarlo como un sistema [...]
September 9th, 2008 at 5:50 am
[...] Descarga [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 6:53 am
using a vista crack on 2008 server will also cause those uxtheme errors. of course using a vista crack on 2008 server breaks alot of stuff. dont use it.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:00 am
I have a problem to burn dvd’s with my normal user account. With the Administrator account there is no problem. I think this is a right problem…
September 16th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Thanks very much. It’s a great tool. Thanks a bunch. Good Work.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 am
[...] Til að stilla Windows 2008 Server svo að það hegði sér eins og vinnustöð, og verði í raun að Windows Vista (Usable Edition þá er best að ná í Windows 2008 Server Converterinn sem er fáanlegur hérna. [...]
September 26th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
How about tv tuner? Is it possible to use same “vista media center” in Windows Server 2008?
Arris: You can find more information about tv tuners in Server 2008 in this topic at the forum. Vista Media Center is listed in the Wish List.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:54 am
[...] They even linked to my blog on their benchmarks page. There is also a “converter” application now available that will help you automate some of the tasks to effectively turn Windows Server 2008 into a [...]
October 8th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Wow, Just Wow. You saved me a lot of tweak time!! thanks
October 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Hi!
Great tool, no issue to date.
Just a question about video camera. I plugged my Sony Video Camera yesterday and the Video Capture Wizzard we have in Vista doen’t start automatically in Windows 2008… Is it present? If yes is there’s a way to enable it, if no is there’s a way to install it
Thanks!
Arris: I don’t know what Video Capture Wizard you mean. Maybe it’s the one from Windows Movie Maker? See this topic to add Windows Movie Maker in Server 2008.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Are there any newer tweaks that I’ll have to do manually after this, or is this the whole shebang?
October 17th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
useful , powerful and convenient tool . thanks very much
October 21st, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Excellent little tool. Very much appreciated.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Same as Viktor. No more system. No cracks either. Full bought version.
Oh well. Start Over.
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:20 am
[...] fortuna c’è qualcuno che si è preso la briga di renderla accessibile a tutti: scaricando il Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter il tutto si riduce a pochi semplici [...]
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
thanx man.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:48 am
[...] following directions is too difficult, you can install this application on your Windows Server 2008 [...]
November 11th, 2008 at 1:54 am
This is fantastic, thank you!
November 11th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
What about adding the DirectMusic Fix to this package? It would be very convenient to use from here, and is (after this package) the most important thing to install on a workstation where games are played at
The fix is available from this site, http://www.win2008workstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=549
November 16th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
[...] και τίποτα απο Vista, θα ξέρετε σίγουρα τα 2008 workstation, 2008 workstation converter, messenger και όλα τα posts εδώ στο autoexec για το θέμα [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I used the converter 1.0 program to rearm windows 2008 workstation 32 bit enterprise edition. This is the first rearm – I now have a “not genuine” message in the lower left of my screen after I did the rearm. All other aspects of the software appear to be working fine. Is there a way to get rid of the “not genuine” message, or is there until I do a reformat and reinstall at the end of the 240 days. Thanks
Arris: To be sure the rearm went good, execute the slmgr.vbs -dli command to make sure it was rearmed successfully. If not, maybe there is a bug in the converter so the rearm fails. Then just use the manual way to rearm your system.
December 14th, 2008 at 12:46 am
AWESOME. thank you for all the hard work that went into this work.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Класс!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
[...] even a tool to help you convert a fresh Server 2008 install into a workstation via a simple GUI here. It took about 1 minute (literally) to enable what I needed with the app. Installing drivers is a [...]
December 15th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Can we install the drivers for audio / video / NIC once we install 2008 server as a workstation
Arris: Sure, just go to your Device Manager (Start -> Run -> devmgmt.msc).
December 20th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
hi i’m from italy i’ve follow the guide and i’ve used the server converter and the result is awesome,maybe the server 2008 result the best operating system from microsof,thanks for the guide and the help…i have a problem with messenger,msn loose the connection every 5 minutes and it’s a bit annoying,somebody can halp me?
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
sawo,
What a wonderful idea. Great work. Is it possible to run this on a laptop? I just bought a 64 bit HP-dv7 laptop and installed 2008 server in place of Vista originally there. I’ve since been told it will never work on a laptop because of hard wired driver requirements etc. I’m not an IT guy (just a programmer) and so am a dummy when it comes to this. I am having trouble getting it to even recognize the built-in card. Do I have to give up and restore Vista or will your application do the job?
I appreciate any help. Thanks.
Frank Fox
Hendersonville, Tennessee
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I have driverpacks succesfully integrated into install using vistatool.
Alot of things like Desktop Experience can be enabled in the Answer file .
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
[...] Existem duas maneiras de fazer isso. A primeira e mais simples é utilizando um conversor criado por um site especializado no assunto, o win2008workstation.com. Ele faz automaticamente, de maneira simples e rápida, a maioria das ***coisas*** descritas aqui. O arquivo têm 11 MB e pode ser baixado daqui. [...]
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Great piece of software, but others are right, you need to change the buttons so that they check for status. If the tweaks are already applied, change the button to say “disable”, if the changes are not applied, label the button as “enable”.
December 25th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I play with this stuff all the time and report on it for my blog, but HEY THIS IS COOL! I used to run Windows Server 2003 with a bunch of mods as my primary desktop, but I REALLY want to go server 2008 and this gets me closer. I will install a version on a computer around here in the next couple days and I will write a full story and credit your blog with links and everything. Thanks again for a great post!
December 26th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Be aware that some apps (e.g. free AV, Windows Live) will refuse to install on a Server OS.
The rearm feature is borderline illegal, it’s not intended that you “obtain” the install media and get a free OS, and doubtful that anyone would be “evaluating” Windows Server for 3/4 of a year…
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I’m in the middle of the process of converting one of my workstations to a Windows Server 2008-based machine, and this tool will probably save me some time – although there’s some things missing which I’d like to see in an upcoming version, I’ve dropped you an email.
Cheers
January 5th, 2009 at 11:03 am
没中国人··？？？
January 5th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
好东西，十分感谢，拿走了~
Thank you very much~
January 8th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
GrEAT toOLLL!! thanks!
January 10th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Look likes so nice,thank you.
January 10th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Yeah, but what about sp2 beta? If I do a fresh install, does sp2 come before modifying server 08 or is it better after?
January 12th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Please report working / not working hardware and software (both games and applications) on http://www.ntcompatible.com they have a database for this since ages (for all possible windows operating systems…)
January 13th, 2009 at 10:13 am
[...] that’s what I did. I installed the very short list of software above. I used windows-server-2008-workstation-converter to make the server more suitable as a workstation. Visual Studio is incredibly fast on the new [...]
January 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
is this working on R2 ?
January 18th, 2009 at 11:34 am
[...] gleichen Ergebnis. Kann Windows Server > 2008 keine WLAN-Adapter? er kann. Schau mal hier rein http://www.win2008workstation.com/wo…ion-converter/ Damit kannst du alles N
January 24th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I just used the program try the the theme button…rebooted now I get Uxtheme.dll was not found. I’m going to reinstall Server 2008 and give it another shot.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Got the broken UXtheme.dll problem as well, has to reinstall to get working again, thank goodness I hadn’t activated yet! What exactly does the UXtheme part of this program do? Does anyone know why that part of the desktop conversion program is not working for some of us? I’m running Server 2008 Enterprise x86
Arris: By default Uxtheme only allows signed msstyles themes. This patch will also allow 3th party msstyles. If the Converter patch didn’t work, it is possible to restore the backup of the Uxtheme.dll in Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Also added this info in the article.
February 7th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
[...] http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/07/17/windows-server-2008-workstation-converter/ [...]
February 15th, 2009 at 1:59 am
10 out of 10 and I will give you a twelve!
Great!
Cheers!
February 17th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I am Mainly a gamer,playing Call Of duty 4 and 5. Play with Photoshop some, convert the occasional video and surf the web.
What issues will I run into if I install the 64 bit version?. Will video card drivers work ok? Games install?
Any other gamers out there with some input?
Arris: In 99% of the cases all Vista (x64) drivers will run fine and as you can see at the Games Compatibility List 99.9% of the games run (even better than in Vista). PhotoShop also doesn’t have any problems in Windows Server 2008 (x64). You can first try it in dual boot if you are still not convinced!
March 6th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Thanks for the tool, it’s a miracle. One thing, has anyone noticed their System Event Log not update since running the converter? I haven’t found a solution yet.
March 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Hmmn, doesn’t work at all.
Have a brand new install of server 2008, got this converter and ran it, but everything I click on gives me the error:
“Application attempted to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy. To grant this application the required permission, contact your system administrator (I hate shit like that from MS, I’m the damn admin!)
If you click Continue the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue”
So I hit continue and nothing happens.
So ofcourse as per the Readme I ran “ServerManagerCmd -install NET-Framework-Core”
And still the same
March 21st, 2009 at 7:52 am
Do not delay the activation, otherwise you’ll end up with “an unauthorized change has been made to windows” and the shit that comes with it.
March 21st, 2009 at 7:52 am
follow up: only applies to SP1 and up I believe
March 26th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Thank you, first and foremost for the good work! I tried the 1.1v on the Windows 2008R2 with partial success. Do you have a converter and time bomb stopper for the Server 2008R2?
Thank you again!
April 4th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Uxtheme.dll killed my computer but tried after reinstall os and worked
April 7th, 2009 at 11:10 am
[...] ダウンロードはここから。 [...]
April 15th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
[...] Server 2008 should be the safest of all Windows OS’s at this moment. You might be interested in this page and the little tool they’ve uploaded. Vista with more muscle and less bling bling I say ;p [...]
April 17th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Windows 2008 is a great OS and eventually its going to replace Windows 2000 and windows 2003 as Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 replaced Windows NT. Better learn it and be prepared to support it. Now the next questions is where to start it? So go ahead and click on the link http://learnwindows2008.blogspot.com. Its perfect link to complement all the reading you do.
Happy learning.
April 19th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
It’s work??
April 19th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
when I change the windows server 2008 to workstation the domin work?
April 27th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
If you have an NVidia Quadro NVS type video card and are getting BSOD (blue screens of death) when you boot. Try downloading a new version of the driver, but instead of running the setup, expand it with 7zip or IZArc. Then, open the Device Manager, browse to the video driver and choose the “update driver” option and point to the folder where you extracted the drivers. This worked much better than the executable at correctly installing the driver on Server 2008.
April 30th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Please update your application for Windows Server 2008 SP2 RTM (“available” as of today)… it gave me a BSOD.
May 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
It would be helpful if you could include updated uxtheme as well!
May 7th, 2009 at 1:15 am
Great Job! Can I know how to translate it into other languages? I assume it is using language files because there are two txt files: en and fr. But don’t know how to load them.
Thanks again!
May 18th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Does this work on Windows Server 2008 R2?
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:38 am
Will this converter application work with Windows Server 2008 x64 **SP2**?
May 28th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Will there be new version of uxtheme64 for Windows X64 Servicepack 2?
May 28th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Thanks for the tool, it’s a miracle. One thing, has anyone noticed their System Event Log not update since running the converter? I haven’t found a solution yet.
June 4th, 2009 at 4:45 am
[...] to test this configuration. http://www.win2008workstation.com/ was particularly helpful with its automated tool to turn on all the Vista goodness. I also wanted to take a look at the Hyper-V role, but the PC [...]
July 6th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Will there be new version of uxtheme64 for Windows X64 Servicepack 2?
someone have it ??
July 15th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Hi, is it possible to slipstream these updates to a custom installation ISO? Like in vlite or something? Thanks
July 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
sounds gr8…cheers buddy
July 28th, 2009 at 5:48 am
I cannot figure out “change directory to %windir%\System32 and rename the UxTheme.backup file back to UxTheme.dll” with the command prompt. What is the exact command I have to enter? The OS is on my c drive. Thanks!
Arris: Here are the commands you need:
rename uxtheme.dll uxtheme.patched
rename uxtheme.backup uxtheme.dll
Good luck!
August 9th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I have a feature request for the 2008 workstation converter, I would like it have the option to set the local computer password policy to not require complex passwords and have no password expiration
When setting up the systems I sometimes keep forgetting to run
gpedit.msc
Local Computer Policy | Computer Configuration | Windows Settings |Security Settings | Account Policies | Password Policy
Maximum password age 0 days
Password must meet complexity requirements Disabled
September 10th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Thank you so much for a really neat utility that did EXACTLY what I was spending many hours trying to achieve. Your tool did almost everything perfectly. The only thing that did not work was the Sidebar did not load automatically. CONGRATULATIONS!
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:28 am
Thank you again!
November 11th, 2009 at 1:19 am
great work! saved my day thanx
November 30th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
[...] vraiment la joie en terme d’ergonomie mais c’est jouable. (pour les curieux, je vous conseille Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter [...]
December 11th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
For anyone looking into making Speech Recognition work with Windows 2008 server, this topic explains it all (be sure to thank Jason) => http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.speech_tech.sdk/browse_thread/thread/615fce70bd01a21d/5d341d6dcc891ddf?lnk=raot
The guy behind Windows 2008 Workstation Converter automated good part of that. What you need:
1. Speech Recognition DLLs from Vista machine (Windows/Speech & Windows/System32/Speech folders)
2. Windows 2008 Workstation Converter, download it from this site
3. Additional registry entries; I made this one after failing to activate Speech Recognition with just steps #1 & #2 => http://www.mediafire.com/?zn5jzzfvyzz
After you have all that:
1. Copy Vista DLLs to Speech and System32/Speech folder (WITHOUT overwriting existing dlls).
2. Then start Windows 2008 Workstation Converter, on Other tab click on Enable Speech recognition.
3. Finally, by double clicking import all .reg entries.
4. Control Panel -> Text To Speech -> Speech Recognition -> check ‘Run Speech Recognition at Startup’
5. Restart machine
And Speech recognition should work… I’m using it from C#.NET on my server now.
One final notice – this only works on 32bit version of Windows 2008!!!
Arris: Looks good, thanks for your comment!
January 8th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Hey Mile,
Is possible to publish your registry entries again. The link you post directing to mediafire isnt valid.
Thanks!
January 8th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Hey Mile,
Is it possible to publish your registry entries again? The link you post directing to mediafire isnt valid.
Thanks
January 10th, 2010 at 3:17 am
same thing for me – could you please post again the reg info for the speech reco? The link points to nothing to download. Thanks a bunch!
January 13th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Will it work on the Server 2008 “R2″ version? That O’S is very attractive-NOT and costly. But I prefer Debian now. Its free and power efficient.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Wish I would have seen this before spending the time to do it all manually!
Great job though!
February 12th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Broke my computer due to the uxtheme.dll. You should probably remove that function until you find out a way to implement it without destroying windows.
February 12th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
[...] Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter Posted February 12, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Convert your Windows Server 2008 to a Workstation! » Blog Archive » Windows Server 2008 Workstatio… [...]
February 14th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Same problem as Jetboy above,not able to use because of the following error:
“Application attempted to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy. To grant this application the required permission, contact your system administrator
Tried downloading SDK for Dot Net 2.0 and could not configure .net permissions. Help.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:26 am
Спасибо. Прочитал с интересом, и вообще полезный у Вас блог
March 12th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Хорошо написано, спасибо за топик.