Will this work?

finsfree

Member
I want to run Server2003 virtually.

My question is will it run just like it was the only os installed on the machine and can I run a small business with it? This will be my domain controller and I will have Exchange running on it also.

The base os (not virtually) is Windows Vista 32bit.

The reason for doing this is I am being cheap and don't want to spend the money on a server case and motherboard. Because If you where to load Server 2003 on any old machine you would have problems with finding drivers...if they are available at all.;)
 
What CPU do you have? It's always better to have one that supports virtualisation, though it should run fine without.

My question is will it run just like it was the only os installed on the machine
Yep. The virtual machine appears to the OS just like any other physical computer. It has no "knowledge" of the host OS as such, though with guest additions you get certain amount of integration between the host and the guest to make your life easier.

and can I run a small business with it?
Well, that depends a lot on the software and whatever other needs you/your business might have... but in general, it's possible and doable.
 
it will work but your wasting a lot of resources

why not install it over the vista or dual boot it with vista?


the drivers shouldnt be a problem
 
it will work but your wasting a lot of resources

why not install it over the vista or dual boot it with vista?


the drivers shouldnt be a problem
Well, since he wants to set up a server, I suppose he'd like to have both the server OS and the "working" OS that he currently uses running at the same time.
 
Well, since he wants to set up a server, I suppose he'd like to have both the server OS and the "working" OS that he currently uses running at the same time.

thats a bit crazy is it not?

running a fully functional server whilst running extra processes on the host?


personaly i think its a daft idea but it will work
 
thats a bit crazy is it not?

running a fully functional server whilst running extra processes on the host?


personaly i think its a daft idea but it will work
Well, depends on how much power he has. If he's got a CPU with VT, it's pretty much guaranteed to be fast enough. With 2 or more cores, the performance hit shouldn't be too big if you give the guest OS only 1 core (enough for a small business server I should imagine) unless he's big on multitasking and running some really heavy apps.
 
Sorry I was out of town.

The specs on my PC:
-Quod Core AMD 2.3GHz
-8GB RAM
-1GB Video Card
-Power supply is 450W
-Asus Mother Board

Like I said, I wanted the go this route because of driver issues. You can load Server 2003 on anything PC, but good luck trying to find the drivers... If you went to that vendors web site you would not see drivers for the computer that was meant to be a workstation or home PC.

This is why I am asking this question.
 
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ive never had any haslsle with drivers for 2003.

i would imagine maybe video/graphics cards could be a problem but you would only need onboard graphics
 
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