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Another option without Edge, Cortana and Candy Crush is Windows Server 2019 which is what I have on my Dev PC. I’ve always run desktop server when I could - ba

Another option without Edge, Cortana and Candy Crush is Windows Server 2019 which is what I have on my Dev PC. I’ve always run desktop server when I could - back to NT4 - initially to avoid any differences between local behaviour and deployed, though this is not really ever the case now. So now it’s for this reason - to avoid the cacophony of recent Windows versions, weird behaviour from updates and the like. I don’t know offhand how much a license is, mine is MSDN.

ocdtrekkie 7y ago
There are a number of challenges with using Server as a desktop OS. Sometimes utilities I want to use are $20-40 for a desktop PC, and $1000+ to install on a server OS, even though they are the same software. Sometimes apps just won't work because they are checking what OS you are using and don't like it. Recently I tried setting up a Windows Server 2019 install... to use as a home server... on my Intel NUC, only to discover that the Ethernet driver on the NUC has been intentionally omitted from Windows Server compatibility, because Intel wants you to use enterprise class hardware with Windows Servers. (If you plug in a USB to Ethernet dongle that uses a Realtek chip, Windows Server works fine on the NUC, but this is hilarious. There are also bad-hack ways to modify the Intel network driver so it installs on the Server OS.)
- stuartd 7y ago
  I have had a few issues like that with software over the years, but nothing that there weren’t alternatives for. Never on hardware though. But you’re right, it can be a challenge.
- user5994461 7y ago
  Last I worked on that, drivers had to be quite explicit about which OS version they support. Intel wouldn't be able to make drivers compatible with Windows Server 2019 given the OS was probably just released and the driver probably predates it.
  - ocdtrekkie 7y ago
    The drivers won't install on any version of Server for this chipset. And Intel has stated the reason why, it is an intentional choice.

ocdtrekkie 7y ago

There are a number of challenges with using Server as a desktop OS. Sometimes utilities I want to use are $20-40 for a desktop PC, and $1000+ to install on a server OS, even though they are the same software. Sometimes apps just won't work because they are checking what OS you are using and don't like it. Recently I tried setting up a Windows Server 2019 install... to use as a home server... on my Intel NUC, only to discover that the Ethernet driver on the NUC has been intentionally omitted from Windows Server compatibility, because Intel wants you to use enterprise class hardware with Windows Servers. (If you plug in a USB to Ethernet dongle that uses a Realtek chip, Windows Server works fine on the NUC, but this is hilarious. There are also bad-hack ways to modify the Intel network driver so it installs on the Server OS.)

stuartd 7y ago
I have had a few issues like that with software over the years, but nothing that there weren’t alternatives for. Never on hardware though. But you’re right, it can be a challenge.
user5994461 7y ago
Last I worked on that, drivers had to be quite explicit about which OS version they support. Intel wouldn't be able to make drivers compatible with Windows Server 2019 given the OS was probably just released and the driver probably predates it.
- ocdtrekkie 7y ago
  The drivers won't install on any version of Server for this chipset. And Intel has stated the reason why, it is an intentional choice.