T61P and windows server 2008?

[tzmueller]

I have been using windows 2003 standard with my T61p for a while now and it works great (so I can use the full 4GB of memory).

Has anyone tried to install Windows 2008 server on a T61p? I am just wondering if the Drivers and Thinkvantage software for XP will work with Server 2008 or would I need to use the Vista drivers and software?

[johnp126]

also u can have all the 4gb in use and apps generally work ok

[erik]

i installed 2008 beta 3 on my T61p last year and found it was missing compatibility with a good number of drivers.   the latest version might be better but i would recommend trying it before buying it if at all possible.

considering the fact that vista is based off of the server 2003 base code, i can't think of a compelling reason to use server 2008 on a thinkpad.   vista x64 would suit you just fine and includes IIS7 if you actually need web serving capability.   i've used 2003 on my thinkpads since 2003 and after switching to vista 64 have no desire to go back to a server OS.   plus, i can't see server 2008 running any faster than an optimized installation of vista x64.

[dfumento]

I was at a Microsoft conference last week and people there are running Windows Server 2008 64-bit which allows the use of the Hyper V virtualization (release candidate of Hyper-V released today -- it is still in development).
You use the Vista 64 drivers with WS 2008.
A lot of software only wants to run on a server along with the fact of the super efficient Hyper V virtualization means I'm installing it on my laptop.

[bill bolton]

would I need to use the Vista drivers and software?

Yes, you would.... but unless you have a very specific need to run server level code on a non-server level hardware platform for some reason, it doesn't really make much sense in the overall Vista operating system family.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[masterus]

Hi Everyone,

I have installed Windows Server 2008 Standard on my T43.
Almost everything works fine..I still can't find all drivers to: Fast-Irda and Supporting Microsoft function in Bluetooth.
About AntiVirus..ESET NOD32 AntiVirus Bussines Edition works great.
When have a time I will post screenshots.

Regards,

[crashnburn]

i installed 2008 beta 3 on my T61p last year and found it was missing compatibility with a good number of drivers.   the latest version might be better but i would recommend trying it before buying it if at all possible.

considering the fact that vista is based off of the server 2003 base code, i can't think of a compelling reason to use server 2008 on a thinkpad.   vista x64 would suit you just fine and includes IIS7 if you actually need web serving capability.   i've used 2003 on my thinkpads since 2003 and after switching to vista 64 have no desire to go back to a server OS.   plus, i can't see server 2008 running any faster than an optimized installation of vista x64.

Erik - Werent you running Server 2008 on an X61 Tablet? I am not sure but I remember this thread where you and someone else were RAVING about the ROCK SOLID LEAN ness of 2008.

I have been considering installing Server 2008 on my T61 & X61T since then. Thoughts?

How is Server 2008 compared to Server 2003. Is it leaner, meaner, cleaner?

I remember the most stable and rock solid & clean OSes were
Win NT Server 4 Sp6
Win 2000 Pro
Win 2000 Server

I still remember the months and months of leaving Windows 2000 on my work machine and not having to reboot until I really messed a lot of things.

The one thing that I fell in love with on Windows 2000 was...

It would allow me to KILL an app versus a dying App take over it. I have not had the same kind of HOLD on XP.

I personally run XP Pro in Windows Classic look and feel. I never did like the EXTRA SHINE / BLUE / FLASHYNESS of XP.

Thoughts on which OS to install to make the most of the 4G RAM, but not at the cost of just adding a heavier OS which takes away the extra RAM benefit.

I want a lean mean machine that is SOLID. I want to be able to HIBERNATE and RESTART for months together and have functional
WiFi
Sound
Bluetooth etc

[erik]

haha, well... it looks like i'll have to eat my words.   a few months after making my post above, i got everything working properly and switched both my X300 and thinkstation D10 over to 2008.

i've not yet owned an X-series tablet and haven't tried 2008 on one.

after having used 2008 for a few months, i'd say that 2003 is probably more stable and less problematic.   2008 is no different than vista in terms of its quirky behavior, although with less processes running i now prefer 2008 over vista.

the only reason i haven't gone back to 2003 is because i actually like many of the new features in 2008/vista.

btw, having the bluetooth radio enabled on my X300 will cause it to wake back up from sleep under 2008.   i have to turn the radio off before closing the lid.

[Marin85]

That´s a surprise I remember erik was a big fan of Server 2008. Actually. because of his posts I became interested in Server 2008 some time ago, but then I didn´t have the time or will to play a bit around with it. Now I have it back on my ThinkPad and I like it much more than any Vista setup I´ve already had I was actually about to start a thread on it when I saw this one.
I don´t have T61p, but I´m a little bit surprised that you guys are experiencing such issues. I have never experienced any driver issues with Server 2008 and my Z61p (both x64 and x86). The only compatibility issue I experienced was with Skype where the solution was just to use older releases of it. Anyway, I can surely imagine that things look different on different machines.
At the beginning I had a great enthusiasm with Vista Business/Ultimate x64, you know, my first 64bit OS, expectations for more speed and so on, but after a while I don´t think it´s any better than the x86 edition (I can´t utilize more than 3GB of RAM anyhow), what is more, there are still some basic apps that are far from well supported for 64bit (I often experience ICQ crashes and there also seems to be a problem with Adobe Flash). I didn´t find Server 2008 x64 to behave any better than Vista x64 I guess this is somewhat a common thing with M$ 64bit OSes...
I´m now playing with Server 2008 x86 (actually one can´t install so much RAM in a current TP as the x86 edition can support) and I have to say I´m very pleased with its behavior It runs exactly as smooth as I´d like it to, not less, not more, and I didn´t do much of tweaking, just a few basic things. With Server 2008 I see for first time a real benefit of my 7K200 (I was very happy when I upgraded from my Toshiba 120 to 200 GB 7K200 but I was a bit disappointed with the performance gain under Vista by now). And the Windows folder is not 12 GB like in Vista Ultimate but just the half of that, so I have some more GBs spare

Just my two cents...

Marin

(Maybe I´ll start soon another thread about Server 2008 (x86) in the Vista section to share some more experiences.)

[erik]

That´s a surprise I remember erik was a big fan of Server 2008.

initially i didn't give 2008 a fair chance.   i've since learned my lesson.

[barrywohl]

That´s a surprise I remember erik was a big fan of Server 2008.

initially i didn't give 2008 a fair chance.   i've since learned my lesson.

Erik, I followed your lead and installed Vista Ultimate x64 on my 4gb T61p about six months ago. It has been perfect for me. It took me a while to find a Nikon 64 bit RAW driver, but eventually I found one.

What advantages does Server 2008 x64 have over Vista Ultimate x64 sp1?

I do plan to migrate my business from Server 2000 to Server 2008 sometime in the next year. Server 2000 is working fine, but Dell won't warrant my Poweredge 2600 boxes past this coming October, so I'm shopping for new servers.

[crashnburn]

the only reason i haven't gone back to 2003 is because i actually like many of the new features in 2008/vista.

Elaborate?

[crashnburn]

4G RAM, Rock Stable Machine: XP-64? Vista-64? Server 2003? Server 2008?