# Windows Server 2003 & Gaming?



## R_Kimble (Feb 9, 2005)

Is 2004 server ok for gaming? I have two 36 gig raptors and two 250 gig WD drives. I plan on putting Windows 2003 server on the two 36 gig raptors in RAID 0 

and putting all my data on the two 250 gig drives with them installed as individual drives on the VIA controller?

I'm using a ASUS A8V Deluxe Mobo with the Promise and The VIA controllers.

Is this a good way to do this? Or does someone have a better way?

Thanks,

Robert


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## Joe4pal (Dec 13, 2004)

*I wouldnt use it*

It's a good Os for buisness but I dont think your going to be able to find any games that would run on it not to mention when you try to use them over the net.


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## R_Kimble (Feb 9, 2005)

That is what I was thinking? How about dual booting 2003 Server and XP Pro? Any thought on this, like which order they should be installed? Do they have to be on seperate partitions?

Thanks


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## boss42971 (Mar 1, 2005)

*You can dual boot*

You can dual boot them if you have Windows XP professional version. Home version is, I believe, unsupported for dual booting. You install Windows XP then install Windows 2003 server. This way the the Ntldr and NtDetect.com will recognize both OSs on the boot options. They should be installed on seperate partitions


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## R_Kimble (Feb 9, 2005)

Is there a Promise Controller RAID driver for Win 2003 Server? I have not been able to locate one yet? I have the Promise Fastrak 378 controller? The drive I want to install server on is configured in RAID 0

Thanks


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## Millsy (Feb 4, 2005)

*cough* ah hem.


Windows 2003 Server is perfect for all your gaming needs.

The only game that does not work in Windows 2003 that is in this pile, is Mechwarrior 2 Mercs. Which also doesn't work in XP.











Also for raid, most of the time, either the Windows 2000, or XP drivers will work. And promise has released RAID drivers for Windows 2003 on at least a few raid controllers. (My Asus A8V Deluxe has drivers for both onboard raid controllers)

And there is NO performance loss when gaming with Windows 2003. I've been using it since December 2002, (.NET RC1) and Haven't had any other OS installed.


to enable the different services you will need, go HERE It's a very handy website regardless.


The only problems I've ever had, also appear on XP (Halflife 2 when it came out was buggy as all hell) and Running my ASP.net/SQL server/games/VS.net etc my only crashes were from a faulty Motherboard.


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## ICFire (Oct 19, 2004)

Hmmm...a Tribes player huh, what was your game name?

Oh, and I agree 2003 works quite well as a game server.


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## Millsy (Feb 4, 2005)

Same as my nick here  I didn't play much tribes though. Mostly Counter-strike, Infiltration, UT2004, 1942.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Seems like a waste to use Win2K3 for gaming.


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## Millsy (Feb 4, 2005)

Why? I have it running as a Webserver, SQL Server, 24/7. It's also my ASP.net development machine, and video/graphics editing.

It does all that, and keeps doing it flawlessly when I have some time and fire up any game I choose without having to reboot.

It can do everything XP can do and more, comes default more secure, with less bloat, better memory management etc.


It's not like XP is some magical OS that is meant only for gaming and desktop apps, and 2k3 is set in stone only good for being a server. It's just got a few services disabled. I personally like a stable gaming OS.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Not saying XP is a magical OS. It's just if you had a hick-up because of one of those games. Hmmm, there goes your Webserver and your SQL Server. My time is more valuable than having to rebuild a server because of some flakey game.


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## Millsy (Feb 4, 2005)

Well I don't think anyone would use their production server as a gaming station, that would be pretty stupid. But on a development machine, you always have to accept the fact that something could completely screw up your OS when you are testing.

Regardless of the name, Win2k3 "Server" makes a far better workstation OS than XP in my opinion. Students, and developers who are going to have easy access to 2k3 have no reason not to use it on their main system.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Millsy said:


> Well I don't think anyone would use their production server as a gaming station, that would be pretty stupid. But on a development machine, you always have to accept the fact that something could completely screw up your OS when you are testing.
> 
> Regardless of the name, Win2k3 "Server" makes a far better workstation OS than XP in my opinion. Students, and developers who are going to have easy access to 2k3 have no reason not to use it on their main system.


I can tell your a programmer and not a network admin.
Win2K3 is a little pricey to used as a workstation OS.


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## Millsy (Feb 4, 2005)

It's expensive unless you are a student or a programmer, or if you get an MSDN subscription. Then it's perfect.


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## ICFire (Oct 19, 2004)

Then there's this special for developers.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/se/

Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional Special Edition

$799 Full
$549 Upgrade

Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition
SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition
Visual Studio Tools for MS Office System
MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training E-books
Voucher for 50% discount on cert test


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## fps_dean (Apr 13, 2006)

I find 2003 makes and excellent client OS for non-gamers, but it is pricey. It is VERY fast and much more stable than XP, 2000 or any other version of Windows.

As for gaming you are at the mercy of whoever is making your drivers. Gaming may work with a slight loss in fps, major fps loss, or if you drivers work 100% properly, then you should get an additional few fps.

ATIs drivers will get you maybe 10fps at 640x480 with all the settings down, but if you use Omega's ATI drivers you should get the same if not better performance on most ATI cards in 2003 as you would with the same Omega drivers in XP (Omega's drivers are much faster and more stable anyway - if you have an ATI card, these are a must. The new version also fixes many problems that some cards had with previous versions and add support for more cards!).

Nvidia's drivers for newer cards seem to work fine in 2003. You can even get SLI to work in 2003 (although for whatever reason it likes to turn SLI off randomly when you boot, forcing you to reboot and turn hardware acceleration back up).

You will have to enable video acceleration and directX acceleration for your sound and video card. If you don't know how to do that, read on.

You will have to go into display properties, go to settings and to advanced. In the troubleshoot tab, you will have to drag the slider for hardware acceleration all the way up. And after you install sound drivers and enable sound (go to the control panel, to sound, check the box and reboot) you will have to run dxdiag -> start>run, type dxdiag, and hit ok. In the display tab, enable everything, and in the sound tab slide the slider up all the way to "full acceleration."

Also Windows 2003 shouldn't need drivers for a Promise controller as they are already included with Windows 2003 and have worked perfectly with every Promise controller I have used 2003 with. If not the XP drivers will work.

I have to get it to work with my SLI-rig. I am having blue screening issues in 2003 (and XP too) which seems to be a Windows error (poor irq management or lack thereof) that as far as I can tell right now there is nothing I can do about. ....oh and I definitely do get significantly better fps in 2003(like +5 to all games).


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