Windows Server 2003

[beatsme]

does anybody know if this will run on an Intel Mac? Is there any reason to think it wouldn't, assuming I installed all the right drivers, etc...?

 

[Queso]

Windows Server 2003 is essentially the "big brother" version of Windows XP, so it's worth a try. Don't spend any money until you know for certain though.

 

[beatsme]

Windows Server 2003 is essentially the "big brother" version of Windows XP, so it's worth a try. Don't spend any money until you know for certain though.

here's the kicker: as an MCSE student, I can get a free copy of it...a free copy of XP, too. Well, not free...I already paid for it/them as part of my tuition.

So I figure, why not?

 

[Queso]

Good stuff. Post the results here.

Whether the software works I mean, not your MCSE test scores

 

[beatsme]

Good stuff. Post the results here.

Whether the software works I mean, not your MCSE test scores

hehehe...no doubt.

keep you posted

 

[FabioC]

Yes, it can work, but not out of the box. You'll have to get the boot camp installer EXE to cough up the drivers.

http://blog.netnerds.net/2006/08/macbook-run-windows-2003-server-sp1-on-your-macbook/

I will be running 2k3 on my Mac Pro when it gets here and wouldn't touch XP with a 10-ft pole.

 

[beatsme]

Yes, it can work, but not out of the box. You'll have to get the boot camp installer EXE to cough up the drivers.

http://blog.netnerds.net/2006/08/macbook-run-windows-2003-server-sp1-on-your-macbook/

I will be running 2k3 on my Mac Pro when it gets here and wouldn't touch XP with a 10-ft pole.

do you think this is substantially different than installing it on a Mac Mini? I'm wondering if this link/instruction set is specific to the MacBook...

 

[FabioC]

do you think this is substantially different than installing it on a Mac Mini? I'm wondering if this link/instruction set is specific to the MacBook...

It's basically the same thing. You just have to pay attention to the hardware drivers and make sure you install the appropriate ones for the machine. As far as the steps go, it should be no different.

 

[wetrix]

I've had success with installing Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2 Standard Edition on a Jan 2008 Mac Pro (8x2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM). I've installed Server 2003 a Mac Mini (1.83 Ghz), MacBook (Late 2006) and an iMac (early 2008) and didn't find the information available online to be greatly helpful, so hopefully this post will help somebody like me sometime in the future.

To set up Windows Windows Server 2003 R2 on a Jan 2008 Mac Pro:

Boot OS X and run Boot Camp Assistant as usual.
Install Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 as usual (comes as 2 discs, but only requires the second disk upon your first successful log in so this isn't a problem with bootcamp).
Eject the Windows installation CD in the windows explorer by right clicking the D: drive and selecting Eject.

Insert Leopard DVD (won't run in Server 2003 without the next tweak).
Copy Windows Drivers from OS X Leopard DVD
Install Orca MSI (http://www.technipages.com/download-orca-msi-editor.html)
Use Orca MSI to remove WinXP requirement condition
Run Boot Camp driver installer
Once this is done, everything should be installed except ethernet and SMBus.
Run Intel Chipset Installation Utility.exe (http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/cs-013541.htm)
If ethernet cards are still not installed, run Boot Camp\Drivers\Intel\IntelEthernetInstaller.exe

Now all devices as listed in the device manager should be happy.

Troubleshooting:

1. I tried installing Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition (non R2, non SP1 or SP2) on the Mac Pro and kept getting BSOD during the late Windows installation stages. As mention above, I did not have this problem with the iMac, Mac Mini or MacBook and I'm guessing it was the video card, though it could likely be a chipset/processor problem as 2003 was a long time ago. Installing the R2 version worked flawlessly and this is the way I would recommend to go. Students can get this free from dreamspark.com. I'd be very keen to hear from anybody who has managed to install the non R2 version on a 2008 Mac Pro.

2. With Windows 2003 Server (non R2, non SP1 or SP2) on a Mac, you can't install Windows Service Pack 1 without a registry edit because it thinks there is not enough space on the C: drive. This occurs because it doesn't quite understand where the boot drive is. Do the following registry edit:

1. Click Start - Run - Type “regedit” and press enter.
2. Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup]
3. In the right pane, Right-click and select New - String value
4. Name it as “BootDir” and set its value to “C:\”

Then presto, you should be able to install SP1.

 

[steveza]

I won't double post so have look here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7182097/