I do this often but a little less complicated than what is proposed here. * Start with an Ubuntu Server base * Install tasksel: sudo apt install tasksel * In

I do this often but a little less complicated than what is proposed here. * Start with an Ubuntu Server base * Install tasksel: sudo apt install tasksel * Install the Xubuntu core desktop: sudo tasksel install xubuntu-core * Install XRDP: sudo apt install xrdp Then two small changes to make XRDP work: * sed -i 's/allowed_users=console/allowed_users=anybody/g' /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config * echo "startxfce4" > ~/.Xclients Give the machine a reboot and you're good to go. You can log in with an RDP client and continue configuring as you see fit.