hoak

Does anyone know if you can get DirectX 10 running on Server 2008? Or is it perhaps a 'silent' part of the 'Desktop Experience'?

Does anyone know anything about the planned driver support in Server 2008; i.e. will it use Vista drivers, XP, Server 2003 drivers, or have some bastard version specific driver mutato-poo like Server 2003 all it's own that requires drivers (and installers) compiled specifically for Server 2008?

All I know of are GETMAIL and BLAT, and GETMAIL does POP3... If you find something better I'd be interested as well; in fact any CLI applications you know of as I perfer them in many cases over GUI for a slew of reasons (that I won't post here as someone will take exception to every one).

I agree Butch, my chief beef though is the Explorer File Manager UI is such a bloated screen real estate wasting turd, and lacks configurability to remove/hide those wasty ugly features I don't need and that make basic file navigation inefficient.. I'm sure all the id*t features are great for people unfamiliar with file browsers, that have poor eye-hand coordination, low vision, or that are severely mentally impaired -- but for some of us familiar with navigating OS file systems; it's a huge waste of screen space, inefficient to use (requiring redundant mouse clicks and excessive window management) -- and is aesthetically ugly to anyone that values and appreciates design form that follows function. Some of these issues prevail over the Vista GUI design as a whole (or more likely -- lack of design and engineering); and using the Vista interface leaves me with the impression that it was thrown together by something like a conference room full of UI Artists that hated each other that were were turned loose to do as they will so long as tehy please a Special Olympics Medal Winner as their target User and/or team Manager. Making applications more accessible to physically and mentally impaired Users is a worty aim, but when it comes at the expense of utility, performance, and just basic functional efficacy -- it's not an improvement -- and I know I'm not the only person that thinks the Vista UI looks like a G-String on a fat hairy man, ergo "eye sore", i.e. The Emperor's New Clothes...

Does anyone else find the Vista File Explorer to be an awkward, poorly laid out and ugly file browser? IMHO this is a giant leap backward from what has been offered since Windows 9x - Server 2003... Granted we can still use switches to force improvements on the layout, you still end up with something that's a gross waste of screen real estate (actually the entire UI has this problem), ugly, and forces the display of a lot of useless features you have to maneuver around. I've long since uninstalled my copy of Vista and given the DVD to a friend, but have since wondered if the Windows 9x or Windows XP explorer.exe could be used on Vista if renamed to something like FileManager.exe?

Vista is such a silly feature porker I think you should call it Bloat Float Wiper -- or something equally/more humorously depreciating of what a silly parade float of features Windows has become in the latest Vista 'incarnation'...

I know Gurgelmeyer was having some health issues, in addition to burning the candle at both ends working hard at the Hotstream project and his job... If anyone here knows or is in touch with Gurgelmeyer IRL; wish him well, and thank him on behalf of all of us!

I agree Aegis, the reasons to buy/own Vista is just way too few, and what do you really get for your money in the way of truly new technology? Little/nothing I can see; all the new technology in Vista is directed toward integration, aesthetic swill, and DRM... With features and benefits like a sloppy interface that's a screen real estate hog, and essentially clones/rips off ideas developed for Linux/UNIX window managers nearly a decade ago (and found to be functionally useless)... The same interface also uses and cripples OpenGL the free open 3D API that DirectX is trying to compete with... An activation scheme that will disable the OS and require you to purchase a new copy if you upgrade your motherboard... The list goes on...and while curious, I'm not impressed... It looks to me like Microsoft's OS development is being run by Marketing Weenies, Attorneys and Bureaucrats, not Engineers...

Spooky, I well realize that Vista services don't individually confer much of a performance difference, but combined some do a great deal. The point of using a KillAll.CMD script is you scarcely need any Vista services to run a game on vista, and any services you stop will automatically restart when needed, all will restart automatically on the next reboot, and you can even force a default start of all serives with with another script that just uses the opposite command: NET START "Service Name 1" NET START "Service Name 2" NET START "Service Name 3" ...where STOP is relpaced with START; I've been doing this for years on Server 2003 for running games and game servers and only need 5 or so services running... The point of using a script is it encourages you to be agressive and experiment with stopping literally everything you don't need for gaming with zero risk because no changes are made to your system. Of course you can do the same thing manually but it's rather tedious... Even on Server 2003, some games see little or no performance benefit as the games just don't use that much in the way of resources -- but some games BF2 is one obvious example can see stunning imporovements in performance, stability, and more uniform frame rates. Stopping services once started does not confer all the performance advantage of disabling the service completely becuase you're unloading it from memory and that area of memory it was loaded into will likely remain somewhat fragmented -- but it's a risk free, easy, low drag way to take multiple loads of several system resources.... The kinds of performance improvements on Windows XP/2003 you see from this kind of tweaking isn't the vaunted higher frame rates (though on some games you do see that), generally what you see are things like less hitching, more consistent frame rates, more consistent pings, faster load times of maps, greater game stability... I'd be very surprised considering the memory footprint and CPU utilization of some of Vista's servervices if this did not apply to Vista as well....

Has anyone tried disabling teh butt-load of services it runs by default to see the impact on performance? You don't even have to change your services settings, you can just manually stop them or write a script with with lines for each service you want to stop like: NET STOP "Service Name 1" NET STOP "Service Name 2" NET STOP "Service Name 3" Where "Service Name" is the exact name of the service as it appears in the Services Manager (and include the quotes). After services are stopped this way, teh'll automatically restart when needed or on the next reboot. Vista may actually be able to run games faster then XP if some of the sludgy services are out of the way as some are rather enormous resource pigs...

Found it: How to integrate software updates into your Windows installation source files

Is there an officially sanctioned method for manually slipstreaming updates like "WindowsServer2003-KB911927-x86-ENU.exe" similar to slipstreaming Service Packs? I've searched high and low, and seen mention of a method -- but can't find the steps needed...

quinriva, yes I'm well aware of the default DirectX configuration on Server 2003 and have reset these. But as I said earlier in the thread; depending on your video card and driver (typically Nvidia) you will see DirectX 3 reported in the driver properties, and all DirectX 9 files in the DirectX control panel. The issue is only with some application and games built for DirectX 8.1 and older... Muppet Hunter, I have tried slipstreaming SP1 (see the title topic post), this is where the problem began, as Server 2003 sans SP1 does not have issues iwth any older DirectX applications. I have not tried your intall trick and will give that one a whirl. softice offers another rout that seems to get DirectX 9c updated correctly (on SP1), but does not resolve the compatability issues with some older DirectX applicatons.

Jimminy! This site is an endless source of pleasant surprises and amazing projects! Is this one your's tommyp! Thanks so much for link!

Wow jcarle what an outstanding program! My only disapointment is that it's only for Windows XP... Any chance you'll add support for the Windows Server 2003?

Wow boooggy that is a cool tool! Too bad it's for XP only, I'm a Server guy... But for XP systems that is just 'the stuff' I'd want!

Thanks guys! That's the sort of thing I was looking for. Though I still wonder if there is a some way to search Microsoft's sites and find official and complete lists of Updates and HotFixes per OS and patch level... It's a shame and at the same time fortunate for people like me that this sort of thing is left up to the efforts dedicated Enthusiasts like the guys that keep these posts up to date...

I know one can go to Windows Update and have their system auto-magically serviced by Microsofts site based on the the updates they choose, or go to the Microsoft Windows Update Catalog, select and download updates for various Microsoft Operating Systems (and versions). The problem, and what confuses me is that while a lot of updates are available on Microsoft Windows Update Catalog (some concatinated in various update and hotfix packages), it appears some are not, as when I build a slipstream disk with all the latest udates available from the Microsoft Windows Update Catalog, install the OS and check with Windows Update -- it still finds updates that have not been applied. One method I've used as a workaround is: · go to Microsoft Windows Update Catalog get updates and slipstream new disk · install the OS · go to Windows Update and find the updates not applied · use the 'Microsoft Security Bulletin' to search and find alternative download locations · slipstream these additional updates not available through Microsoft Windows Update Catalog But this is a ridiculously tedious and wasteful operation; there must be a better way other then choosing Linux? Is there some way then to get all updates for a particular Microsoft OS that may or may not be installed on the system you are gathering updates with that will get everything in one step for a slipstream setup that it update current complete?

Thanks nmX.Memnoch that's exactly what I was looking for! Is there a similar list of updates that followed SP1? Really appreciate your posting; this will help a lot!

Is it possible to selectively install all or most of SP1 by individual cumulative patches to troubleshoot SP1 issues? Are there switches for extracting individual patches in SP1 for selective install? Are all or most of SP1's fixes available seperately?

Glad you're back in the saddle Gurglemeyer! I don't want to trivialize coronary health in anyway; heart disease is chronic in my family; my Grandfather suffered no less then fifteen heart attacks and suffered massive cardiac damage, but lived to a ripe (in more ways then one) and active age of 82. Coronary medicine and proceedure is one of the most results oriented and successful fields of contemporary medicine -- so my hopes are high that your future will be long and bright, and that we can look forward to a Hotstream Project to address some of the many 'ouches' on the soon to be retired Windows Server 2003! Even if your priorities change, and fixing the many flaws of Windows System Internals that only you've been able to address -- you have many greatful Fans for all you've done with the Windows 2000 Hotstream Project!

Well I tried it using softice's proceedure on the previous page with the Feb06 DX9.0c redistributable and it seems to have messed up things even more -- now DiretX apps that were fine CTD... Apparently SP1 'locks' some DirectX component files so they can't be upgraded properly with any of the current DirectX distros out there. It's looking more and more like the Happy DirectX Uninstall tool might be the only sure path... Though I can't feature spending $12 to fix something Microsoft has broken... Surely someone on these forums knows what's going on between SP1 and DirectX 9 on Server 2003 and will eventually post... I hope!

Is there any manner of 'official statment' to that effect (I couldn't find anything)? It seems pretty odd as even Microsoft promots Server 2003 as a robust 'mission critical' client and DirectX is essential for so many multi-media applications...

Thanks apokok and softice -- I did get it to work... cluberti I do not believe that SP1 "removes" DirectX 9, but I do believe it somehow criples it; if you look at the status information reported by the DirectX Diagnostic Tool DirectX 9 appears in order on Server 2003 SP1, and in fact many games and applications that require DirectX 9 run fine. The problem appears in driver properties that report DirectX 3, and many older games and applications that specifically require DirectX 8.1 either are not seeing correct registry information they need to find what they need, or are not seeing file/file versions they need to run... This is a job for one of the Windows System Internals Gurus like the famous Gurglemeyer, he could get to the bottom of something like this and have it more sorted out then Microsoft.

Oh My! I didn't even know Gurgelmeyer was ill! I hope you are feeling spry, well, happy and having fun Gurgelmeyer -- if not this very moment, real soon! You've definately achieved the vaunted status of one of the top Gurus of Windows System Internals. Your contributions, hard work, and generosity have helped literally tens of thousands and that's a fact! What ever is keeping you down, get well soon! This forum would not be the same without you!