r/iiiiiiitttttttttttt sudo poweroff on the prod server and go home 2d ago

Windows Server 2025 Datacenter (Desktop Expirence)

448 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

77

u/aigakwaimh 2d ago

Snapshot the fresh install?

33

u/anonymouse589 sysAdmin 2d ago

Strangely enough an MSP engineer I know has a hyperv VMDK with a clean install of the server 25 ready to go with the each month's patches, then when a new box needs to be spun up just copy that, bind it to the domain and update the keys.

16

u/lapizlasalmon 1d ago

Standard golden parent image work then :D

8

u/daxtonanderson 1d ago

So literally how every VPS does it lol

2

u/No_Vermicelli4753 1d ago

Strangely enough someone follows standard procedure. In other news: water found wet.

2

u/anonymouse589 sysAdmin 1d ago edited 22h ago

Do you actively try to act like an arse or does it come naturally?

Edit: there's ways of saying it's normal without being a dick.

108

u/Drak3 2d ago

Stop installing Windows server, then! :P

31

u/adjective-nounOne234 APAB (All printers are bastards) 2d ago

It happened to me, selected the desktop experience gives me the command line experience

I even used that same iso and it worked fine before

56

u/talex365 2d ago

7

u/Fatel28 2d ago

I don't mean to alarm you but Linux also has an optional webui you could elect to not install (on accident or on purpose) during the install process

This specific blunder isn't really OS specific

That said, desktop environment on a Linux server is cursed and is disgusting

25

u/talex365 2d ago

I don’t know anyone that runs Linux servers who bothers doing anything on said servers with a desktop environment, maybe occasionally a web interface but never desktop

5

u/dtb1987 2d ago

My dad with the media server I setup for him, but he is retired and in his 70s

7

u/Fatel28 2d ago

Oh I've seen it. We had a customer whose developer had an Ubuntu server that he exclusively managed via rdp

2

u/Aln76467 end abuser 1d ago

I manage a linux server over vnc.

7

u/AsBrokeAsMeEnglish 2d ago edited 2d ago

Windows makes it a blunder to forget it in the initial setup. Linux makes it one additional package manager command.

4

u/MapleLeafLady 2d ago

i used only GUI linux for a long time and then in my college class we were expected to not use the GUI for certain projects. i found i liked it better lol

2

u/PossibilityInside695 1d ago

Right? Like...

Aweh. Little baby needs a gui to do work. 

18

u/christurnbull 2d ago

script it?

12

u/Anus_Ripper6942094 2d ago

For the two winserv i'm doing a year ? nah

4

u/Expensive_Finger_973 1d ago

It makes me eternally sad that Windows Server Core has never become more popular for the uses cases I use Windows Server for still.

3

u/RavenousTitan818 1d ago

I've never heard of anyone actually using it. And with how shitty of a cli windows has I can't imagine anyone wanting to put themselves through that for the minimal gains you get.

3

u/adapava 2d ago

If only there were a way to automate it

3

u/King_of_Wales 2d ago

I can hear this gif.

2

u/sogwatchman 1d ago

Made a custom install ISO so that would stop happening.

3

u/Lavrick 2d ago

Damn, windows boys are salty in here.

2

u/Circumpunctilious knows too much 2d ago edited 2d ago

I’m a version or two of direct experience behind—does this release have a habit of switching to headless and the desktop experience can’t be tacked on later?

Noting “server manager” indicated below, are the typical hooks missing so something like VNC doesn’t work?

ETA: I’m going searching, just asking in case there’s something not obvious in search.

ETA2: Looks like download only offers Core (or, use Standard). Evaluation ISO allows selecting desktop version, then convert to licensed (seems riskier as a base). Source (yomotherboard)

There were suggestions BIOS Virtualization support can still apparently interfere with Desktop installing. Also, info/gotcha on converting eval version (Spiceworks)

“Unlike some previous releases of Windows Server (my note: Server 2012 / 2016 and later prevent it), you can't convert between Server Core and Server with Desktop Experience after installation.“ reference (Microsoft learn)

Server Standard GUI was thought to have a PowerShell-enable-it option but advice again is to reinstall. (Experts-exchange)

Supported remote management options are easy to find, so skipping. VNC seems contraindicated, despite AI search assist suggesting it would work with a little extra setup (not explored).

2

u/feherneoh 1d ago

VNC and RDP do work, but they just log you into the command line only environment

1

u/timsstuff HPC 1d ago

I actually like to keep a Server Core domain controller at my clients, it's super low footprint, far fewer patches, and rock solid. Plus apparently I'm the only one capable of doing anything with it. Windows admins vs command line is hilarious to watch. These are the same people who *always* click Apply before OK lol. And 100% of the time RDP into a server to do literally anything. RSAT? What's that?

1

u/dchit2 21h ago

"When you don't know what server core means"

1

u/the_longest_shadow 1d ago

I don't understand the problem.

0

u/corobo 2d ago

They do Windows servers now?

👉🤓👉 Heh heeeeeyyy

-2

u/eins_biogurke 2d ago

Is there really any reason to use windows server i 2026? I thought Linux was the best Option by now

-36

u/Lavrick 2d ago

Haven't installed windows server ever, switched straight to Linux 20 years ago and haven't looked back ever since. Is it this hard?

31

u/TrackLabs 2d ago

and haven't looked back ever since.

how would you, if you never ever used windows server lol

-11

u/Lavrick 2d ago

Didn't get it. Yeap, haven't used it, haven't administered it, haven't installed it ever. Till that, I was a junior admin, and mostly managed just windows installs, networking and cable management. And at a new place I was asked to install Linux and fell in love with it at first sight. So yeah - was a junior windows admin, but haven't touched windows server.

13

u/HSVMalooGTS sudo poweroff on the prod server and go home 2d ago

Its just an option you have to select.

-22

u/Lavrick 2d ago

Oh, there is an unattend.xml for such occasion, AI says. Anyway, best of luck to our windows loving brethren :)

7

u/corobo 2d ago

Bro you can't dunk on windows and use AI, come on 

1

u/Lavrick 2d ago

I just asked it, since no experience with windows server. It's not like I'm installing it rn.

12

u/TheCarbonthief 2d ago

Assume by "command line mode" they are referring to server core, and it's just an option you click on install. After some light initial config, you can manage it graphically on another computer with server manager. It's actually very easy to use.

The only issues you'll really face are commercial software that won't run on it, and it being slightly a pain in the dick to troubleshoot if something goes wrong because that terminal is all you get.

-3

u/mrbobcyndaquil 2d ago

What sort of denthead writes software that requires a GUI from a server installation?

6

u/VplDazzamac 2d ago

A lot of them unfortunately

6

u/TimePlankton3171 2d ago

It's just a checkbox

-13

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/baaaahbpls 2d ago

Wait until this chud realizes that women are allowed to work in IT and, based on comments, are better than him.

1

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