This page maintained by Larry Samuels MS MVP for Windows XP    

     The Unofficial FAQ         

for

Windows Server 2003

This page will attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about running and tweaking Windows Server2003—including those not covered by the official FAQ

All information is provided “as is”—use at your own risk.

Please post submissions to microsoft.public.windows.server.general or email submissions to larry@mvps.org

Windows Server 2003 was released April 24th,2003

All licenses for beta releases expired upon the commercial release of the software. Please plan accordingly.

Notice—the following is an important update

Based on customer and partner feedback, Microsoft has removed several
old audio drivers from Windows Server 2003. The drivers remove
support for older audio devices which are not expected to be in newer
server systems.

If you are running Windows Server 2003 on an older server or on a
desktop machine with any of the removed devices, and need audio support,
you will be able to obtain the drivers via Windows Update after the
final version of Windows Server 2003 is released. Microsoft
recommends disabling the audio device if not needed on machines running
Windows Server 2003 to ensure stability and security.

Updated audio drivers will not be available via the Microsoft Dynamic
Update service, so it is recommended that the drivers be downloaded via
Windows Update.

Listed below are the audio devices supported in Windows Server 2003:
 

ac97ali - ALI Southbridge chipset integrated audio
ac97intc - Intel ICH chipset integrated audio
ac97sis - SiS Southbridge chipset integrated audio
ac97via - VIA Southbridge chipset integrated audio
cwcwdm.sys - Cirrus Logic (Crystal) Sound Fusion CS 4280/461x
cwrwdm.sys - Cirrus Logic (Crystal) CS4281
emu10k1b.sys - Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live
es198x.sys - ESS Allegro/Maestro3
essm2e.sys - ESS M2E
rthwcls.sys - Conexant Riptide

Listed below are the drivers that were removed. These are currently
planned to be available from Windows Update :
adm8810.sys - Aureal audio device
adm8820.sys - Aureal audio device
adm8830.sys - Aureal audio device
admjoy.sys - Aureal gameport device
aztw2320.sys - Aztech audio device
ctlsb16.sys - Creative SoundBlaster ISA
cwbase.sys - Cirrus Logic ISA audio devices
cwbmidi.sys - Cirrus Logic ISA audio devices
cwbwdm.sys - Cirrus Logic ISA audio devices
ds1wdm.sys - Yamaha DS-1
es1370mp.sys - Ensoniq ES1370
es1371mp.sys - Ensoniq ES1371/73/CT5880
es1969.sys - ESS Solo
ess.sys - ESS ISA audio devices
maestro.sys - ESS Maestro
nm5a2wdm.sys - NeoMagic NM5
nm6wdm.sys - NeoMagic NM6
opl3sax.sys - Yamaha OPL3 ISA audio driver

I don't think people realized that the audio
service is enabled out-of-box on Standard Server. You must enable the audio service

only for the  Enterprise Server builds

Q: Are there conduct guidelines for the newsgroups?

Q: Why do games not work on the Windows Server?

Q: Why doesn't DirectX acceleration work in Windows Server 2003?

Q: I am running RC1 through VMware; why is it so
sluggish/why does my mouse jump/ why does the interface lock up?

Q: Why can't I install Windows Server 2003 64bit on my system? The CD
won't boot or I get "not a valid win32 application" when running setup.

Q: How do I enable hardware acceleration for my video card?

Q: Why doesn't my Scanner or camera work properly anymore?

Q: The desktop in Windows Server 2003 is boring. How do I enable themes?

Q: My sound does not work. All drivers are installed and the Device Manager
reports it is working properly. Why isn't it working?

Q: Help--I cannot burn cds in Windows Server 2003.Why not?

Q: How do I disable the "Shutdown Event Tracker"?

Q: I heard there is a security problem with the File Transfer Manager. How do I upgrade to the latest version ?

Q: Is there a way to change from "APM" to "ACPI" without installing Server again?

Q: How do I activate the TELNET service?

Q: If I've activated my server and then blow the drive away and reinstall on exactly the same hardware (without _any_ physical changes) and re-activate,do I use up one of my precious activations? ie. does it mean 10 _activations_ or 1 activation on each of 10 different hardware setups with the ability to re-use an activation?

Q: Can Windows Server 2003  be installed to Windows' Dynamic disks?. The setup program says I have no usable volumes

FYI: The new version of the TS client can save its session settings to an RDP file; get more info here

LINKS TO QUESTIONS FROM THE OFFICIAL FAQ

Q: Are there conduct guidelines for the private newsgroups?
A: Yes.  The goal of these guidelines is to keep the Consumer Preview Program on a professional business level, and to maximize its utility to all testers as well as Microsoft. The ultimate goal is to work together to deliver a rock solid, great release of Windows! Thanks for your help.

Please do not send direct email to anyone helping out from Microsoft unless they ask you to send them something specifically or if you need to convey confidential information. Please post in the newsgroups if possible so that everyone can learn the answer.

Please read the newsgroups and announcements before asking a specific question - it may have already been asked and answered. Please use the search feature of your newsreader.

Please treat other testers with respect, both in the newsgroups and offline. Please don't send unsolicited direct email to other testers.

Please keep postings relevant to Windows beta testing. A little bit of fun and community is great, but excessive or random postings should be avoided.

Please keep all postings on a professional level. If what you are about to post wouldnt be appropriate for your corporate or school email system or for you to repeat in a staff meeting, then its probably not appropriate for these newsgroups. You can criticize Microsoft, our products, features and business decisions, but you should not criticize or directly attack Microsoft employees or other testers.

HTML postings are OK if it helps to communicate your message more clearly using formatting. Please refrain from using fancy signatures, bitmaps or backgrounds, however. In other words, as long as the size of the HTML posting is not too large, it's OK. This is primarily to be a courtesy to people on modem dial-up lines. Also, please don't post large bitmaps as attachments - if you need to send a large bitmap to Microsoft, file a bug and attach it.

Submitted by Larry Samuels (based on a question from the official FAQ)     Back to top    

Q: Why do games not work on the Windows Server 2003 Beta?

A: There are two correct answers for this question:

Official Answer: Windows Server 2003 does not support game applications. Many of the functions needed to play games are either disabled or not present at all. Enabling this functionality is an unsupported configuration. Simply said: don't play games on Windows Server 2003. Period.

Unofficial Answer: Many games work well with Windows Server 2003, but require special steps be taken to ensure adequate gameplay. You must enable graphics acceleration, enable DirectX, and enable the Windows Audio service. Instructions for enabling these services can be found elsewhere in the Unofficial FAQ, or will be added shortly. 

Submitted by Larry Samuels (based on a question from the official FAQ)     Back to top

Q: Why doesn't DirectX acceleration work in Windows Server 2003?
A: There are two correct answers for this question:

Official Answer: This is by design. Graphics Acceleration is disabled by default, which disables DirectX functionality. This is to enhance server stability and is not needed in standard server scenarios. Re-enabling such functionality is not a valid server testing scenario.

Unofficial Answer: To enable Direct X, you must first enable graphics acceleration. To do this, right click on the desktop and go to Properties, Settings, Advanced, Troubleshooting, and set the Hardware acceleration bar to Full.

To activate Direct3D and DirectDraw (DirectX), go to Start/Run and type "dxdiag". Click OK. Click on the Display tab, then click on the Enable button for DirectDraw and Direct3d.

Submitted by Larry Samuels (based on a question from the official FAQ)     Back to top

Q: I am running Windows Server 2003 RC1 through VMware; why is it so
sluggish/why does my mouse jump/ why does the interface lock up?
A: Same as the unofficial answer to "Why doesn't DirectX
acceleration work in Windows Server 2003?" - turn on hardware acceleration.

Submitted by Alex K Angelopoulos     Back to top

Q: Why can't I install Windows Server 2003 64bit on my system? The CD
won't boot or I get "not a valid win32 application" when running setup.
A: Windows Server 2003 64bit version will only run on 64bit processors, and not
all of those.
Currently it will only run on Itanium or Itanium II processors
 

 Submitted by Larry Samuels     Back to top

Q: How do I enable hardware acceleration for my video card?

A: Right click on the desktop and go to Properties, Settings, Advanced, Troubleshooting, and set the Hardware acceleration bar to Full.

Submitted by Larry Samuels     Back to top

Q: Why doesn't my Scanner or camera work properly anymore?

A: Windows Server 2003 incorporates a new service named Windows Image Acquisition(WIA). Since most servers are not equipped with scanners or cameras, the Windows Image Acquisition service is disabled by default to reduce system resources used by the operating system.

If you want to make your Imaging device work under Windows Server 2003 then you first need to enable the Windows Image Acquisition Service. To do so, go to Services (under  Start/Programs/Administrative Tools) and find the Windows
Image Acquisition Service. Right click on it and go into its properties.
Change the Startup Type dropdown list value from disabled to automatic and reboot prior to installing your devices drivers and plugging it in.

Submitted by Paul Murphy     Back to top

Q: The desktop in Windows Server 2003 is boring. How do I enable themes?

A: The Luna theme is disabled by default to reduce system resources used by
the operating system. If you want to enable it (at a small hit to
performance), follow these steps:
1>click Start, then Run, and type "services.msc" (without quotes) and
click OK
2>find the "Themes" service (without quotes), right click and select Properties, select
"Automatic" instead of "Disabled" (without quotes) in the startup type box
3>Click Apply.
4>Click Start
5>Click OK.
6>Right click on the desktop
7>Click Properties
8>Click on the Themes Tab and you will now be able to select a theme called
Windows XP - select  it, click OK and the Luna Theme will appear.
Note that this can be further customized under the Display
properties/Appearance Tab.

submitted by Paul Murphy and Larry Samuels     Back to top

Q: My sound does not work. All drivers are installed and the Device Manager
reports it is working properly. Why isn't it working?
A: The windows audio service needs to be enabled. To enable it:
1>click Start, then Run, and type "services.msc" (without quotes) and click
OK
2>find the "Windows Audio" service (without quotes), right click and select Properties, select
"Automatic" instead of "Disabled" (without quotes) in the startup type box
3>Click Apply.
4>Click Start
5>Click OK.

 Submitted by Larry Samuels (with some nice editing tips from Paul Murphy)     Back to top

Q: Help--I cannot burn cds inWindows Server 2003.Why not?
A: The IMAPI CD-burning COM service needs to be enabled. To enable it:
1>click Start, then Run, and type "services.msc" (without quotes) and click
OK
2>Find the "IMAPI CD-burning COM" service (without quotes), Right Click and select Properties,
Select "Automatic" instead of "Disabled" (without quotes) in the startup
type box
3>Click Apply.
4>Click Start
5>Click OK.
Submitted by Larry Samuels     Back to top

Q: Is there a way to change from "APM" to "ACPI" without installing

Windows Server 2003 again?

A: Right click on My Computer

Properties

Hardware

Device Manager

Click on the + beside Computer

Right click on the HAL name & select Properties

Driver

Update Driver

Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)

Don't Search

You may need to unselect the "Show Compatible Hardware" - and then select

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC

Remember: If there is anything referring to an APIC in your system BIOS, set

it to "enabled" to allow an arbitrary number of IRQs (eg, IRQ 21, IRQ 19,

etc)

And more important: Windows detected your PC as NOT being ACPI compatible

for a reason. If you install the wrong HAL, the fix is a bit hackish. IF you

need to ask how to change the HAL, you won't be able to figure out the fix.

So it might seem a little glib, but if anything I've said here seems a bit

dangerous to you (it should) don't change the HAL.

DISCLAIMER: This post should not be read by anyone and the actions listed in

it should not be executed by anyone. Just because it works for me doesn't

mean it works for you. Your mileage may vary. Don't bitch me out if you do

this and your computer turns into a furry animal that humps your leg and

eats your cheetos.

Submitted by Chris Louth     Back to top                                                                                                                                         

Q: How do I disable the "Shutdown Event Tracker"?
A: Start > Run
MMC
File > Add/Remove Snap-in...
Add...
Group Policy Object Editor
Add

Finish

Close

OK

Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Dbl-Click "Display Shutdown Event Tracker" and select Disabled.
OK

File

Exit

Submitted by Darren Clarke     Back to top   

Q: How do I activate the TELNET service?

A: The service is disabled by default.  You can modify start state and

start it from the Services applet, or from a console use the following:

sc config TlntSvr start= auto

net start TlntSvr

CONFIGURING FOR NON-Win2K/XP/Windows Server 2003 Clients

The telnet server requires NTLM authentication by default.  To

deactivate this and use only password authentication, use tlntadmn

(which is no longer in the Admin Tools folder- run it in a console

window):

tlntadmn config sec=-NTLM

Also, switching to streams mode may make display easier for Unix/Linux

clients; do this with

tlntadmn config mode=stream

Submitted by Alex Angelopoulos     Back to top

Q: I heard there is a security problem with the File Transfer Manager. How do I upgrade to the latest version ?
A: Follow the instructions below:

Current Version Info:
Version: 4.0.0.72
Release Date: 2002/06/21

Please click here to upgrade to the latest version and launch FTM.

Determining what version you have installed:
You can check your current version by launching the File Transfer Manager client, viewing the control menu from the upper left corner of the window and selecting the "About" option. To launch File Transfer Manager Client, follow the below steps:

Open a command window (Start, Run and type cmd or command depending on version of Windows)

Change Directory to %SystemRoot%\Downloaded Program Files\

Type TransferMgr.exe <enter>

 This will launch the File Transfer Manager Client. If TransferMgr.exe does not exist in the above path then you don’t have FTM installed.

If you don’t intend to upgrade, but are looking for removing File Transfer Manager (FTM), follow the below steps:

From within Internet Explorer click on "Tools" -> "Internet Options"

In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the "Settings" button

Click the "View Objects" button

In the explorer window, right-click the item "DLC Class" and choose Remove

In the pop-up window, click “Yes”

Close all the windows back to Internet Explorer

Open a command window

Change Directory to %SystemRoot%\Downloaded Program Files\

Delete the following FTM files by typing in Del <FTM file Name> <enter>

  ftm_en-us.xml
  ftm_LanguageList.xml
  grTransferCtrl.dll
  grTransferMgr.dll
  TransferMgr.exe
  TransferMgr.cnt
  TransferMgr.hlp

Check for any folders titled: "Conflict.x" (where x is a number). If any exist, open them and check the files inside. If any are FTM files, then delete the entire folder

Close the command window

Submitted by Larry Samuels (direct copy of MS instructions)     Back to top

Q: If I've activated my Windows Server 2003 and then blow the drive away and reinstall on exactly the same hardware (without _any_ physical changes) and re-activate,do I use up one of my precious activations? ie. does it mean 10 _activations_ or 1 activation on each of 10 different hardware setups with the ability to re-use an activation?

A:No--you can install unlimited times on the same hardware and it only counts
as 1 of the 10 allowed activations.

Submitted by Larry Samuels (direct copy of MS instructions)     Back to top

Q: Can Windows Server 2003 be installed to Windows' Dynamic disks?. The setup

program says I have no usable volumes.

A: Yes, the Diskpart.exe utility will prepare dynamic drives for the

operating system.

Say you used Windows Disk Management to convert your hard drives to dynamic

disks. Now the installer does not recognize any volumes on those disks. You

don't want to reformat because you have valuable files on those drives. The

same obstacle was manifest with Win XP, see Knowledge Base articles Q283421

and Q300415.

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q283421

Error Message About Partition Appears When You Install Windows XP to a

Dynamic Volume

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q283421

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - Q300415

A Description of the Diskpart Command-Line Utility

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q300415

Submitted by Jeff     Back to top

Another reference item that's not frequently asked but is not well-known.

The new version of the TS client can save its session settings to an RDP

file; this is just a plain text file which the client reads to decide

things such as desktop size, fullscreen or not, and so on.  There is no

official reference on it yet, but here are the settings I have been able

to track down so far:

http://dev.remotenetworktechnology.com/ts/rdpfile.htm

Submitted by Alex Angelopoulos     Back to top

     LINKS TO THE OFFICIAL FAQ    

NOTE— These links will only work if you have a username/password for windowsbeta.microsoft.com