I am writing this blog post in Word 2007 because apparently you can’t install the Windows Live tools on Windows 2008 Server without some gymnastics that I haven’t gotten to yet. Maybe this will just work as a long term solution, we’ll see.
So, here is my install experience.
-
Download all Vista x64 drivers available from Dell, now with NVidia support.
- Dell_multi-device_A17_R174292.exe
- GSAS10NA103-00.exe
- M1330A12.EXE
- R140135.exe
- R154164.exe
- R171692.exe
- r173082.exe
- R173506.exe
- R182249.exe
- R185840.exe
- R186621.exe
- R186858.EXE
- R200275.EXE
- Install Windows 2008 Server from the MSDN disc using x64 Standard Server.
- Install drivers for the m1330.
- Boot Windows, get no wireless card.
- Spend 3 hours looking for drivers for my Dell 1505 wireless card.
- Order a different wireless mini card from eBay ($26).
- Turn on Wireless Connection Service. Get wireless card working 1 minute later.
- Enable the Hyper-V role, understanding I will get no Hibernate or Sleep feature for my laptop.
- Wonder vaguely what the undiscovered devices are in Device Manager.
- Follow this blog post to make everything look like Vista. Love me some Aero.
- Get mad at Live Writer because MSFT is actually trying to ensure people running Windows Server don’t use it as a desktop.
- Get mad some more about Blue Tooth, but then follow these instructions.
- Write blog post in Word.
Forgot about that ‘wireless disabled by default’ thing. that threw me for a while too.
While the Windows Live Suite installer doesn’t work on WIndows Server 2008, Windows Live Writer itself does.
It isn’t the newest version, but you can get the Technical Preview we released of WLW a few months back at:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/0/9/809604cd-bd08-42c8-b590-49c332059e64/writer.msi
That will install on Windows Server 2k8.
In the future, we plan to review the current Windows Live Installer ban of server OSes.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
I agree, I love Server08 as a desktop OS but I hate the hoops I have to jump through whenever I try to install anything non-server-y.
By the way, if you ever get a zune you’ve got a similar set of gymnastics in front of you, as well. I lost hours a few weeks ago trying to get a Zune to work with Server08.