Windows Server 2008: Install Desktop Experience to Utilize Vista Theme

Contributor Icon Contributed by shamanstears Date Icon August 27, 2007  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

If you are tired of using the Windows Classic theme on your Server 2008, you can install Desktop Experience so that you can enjoy the eye candy goodness of the Vista theme. Desktop Experience will also install Windows Media Player, Windows Sidebar and photo gallery. Follow these steps to install Desktop Experience and liven up your server:


1. Click Start and select Server Manager

2. When the Server Manager window appears, go to the left pane and select Features.

3. On the right, click the Add Features link.

4. Check the Desktop Experience checkbox

5. Click Next.

6. Click Install

7. When the installation is complete, Windows will notify you that you must restart your server to complete the process.

After you have rebooted, go to Services and make sure that the Themes service is started and set to Automatically Start (thanks DTron!). After that, you are ready to change the theme on your server.

1. Right-click the desktop and select Personalize.

2. Select Theme.

3. From the Theme Settings window, use the Theme dropdown and select the Windows Vista theme.

4. Click OK.

So you go from a boring look like this:

To a much better visual experience:

Previous recipe | Next recipe |
 
  • Anonymous
    This tech recipe is missing a very critical part for enabling the Vista Theme (and Aero GUI) in Windows Server 2008:

    See the bottom of this following MS Web page for the info specific to Server 2008, but the other info is useful as well for getting the Vista + Aero going.

    http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/...

    In short, I discovered (after much banging of my head :evil: ) that the Windows Service "Themes" must be started (and set to start automatically) before you'll be able to select the Vista Theme in the Windows appearance personalization section (described in the bottom of this Tech Recipe.

    Oh, BTW, nVidia has a Vista-Ready checking Web application/page you can use to see if your computer's hardware is powerful enough for Vista + Aero. That it at:
    http://www.nzone.com/content/nzone/srl/nzone_sr...
  • MulberryTree
    To find Services: Under the Server Manger:
    Configure>Services>Themes>Properties
    Yeah, I'm sure most of you are thinking duh, but I had trouble finding it.
  • vishal
    thanx
  • rayson
    doesn't seem to work on mine
  • JJ
    UGH, I prefer windows classic. If you are in the biz, ie, a software developer, you might. But the way you make it sound, it's a no-brainer, and in my opinion, I'll stick with classic.
  • I love the aero themes. I'm not much of a developer like the poster who I think will be above me in this post, but I'm a sucker for shiny aero icons :P

    Oh, and I love the fact that Server 2008 is free to students :)
  • pankaj mourya
    this is a best themes
    please send me themes for me free
  • raj
    nice site
blog comments powered by Disqus