i hear ya it was more of a client decision than mine.  i would have ran linux mandrake server and set up the database that way IDK some folks like microsft i guess.  There is always the option to upgrade back to the GUI and retain and software uinstalled with 08 so it is one of those wait and see what the client wants or if they change their minds gotta love the customer service attitude front u have to put up  LOL

Imaging windows 7 using Symantec Ghost

bootdisk

ok these are the 2 links u will need to ghost a win 7 machine.  
1. Do ur fresh load of Windows7
2. Download and install KB3AIK EN version 1.0
3. Set up xml answer file.
4. Copy XML file onto removable media(flash drive/whatevr) or map share (try not to lose this file!!)
5. Load WIndows 7 again (yup!)
6. When it gets to the screen that asks u for the computer name hit CTRL-SHIFT-F3 this boots it into audit mode.  Install all ur software u want on the image
7. Copy xml file per instructions on brian lee jacksons web page see above link
8. Follow step 13 to the tee!! basically running sysprep with some hashes in place
9. Create Ghost image
GHosting
1. create a network boot disk at the above bootdisk site
2. boot the disk
3. map to ur ghost folder share
4. run ghost.exe with the "-fni" hash should look like this "ghost.exe-fni"
5. Hopefully u know ghost now u can deploy the image u sysprep with WIN7 using ghost.  Any questions fell free to ask me

Command line server 2008.  Like a linux server it is nice for open source.  Just wondering if there are any quirks i should look for??  I like it so far.  Forcing me back to my command lione roots    its secure

I never messed with Vista too much(thank god) but it seems that our good friends at Microsoft have decided that Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 use version 1 of the profile formatting. Windows Vista and up use Version 2 of profile formatting. There are differences between V1 and V2 profile formatting (not sure what yet) but they are not compatible. I have not found any type of “version upgrade” utility.

What happens is that when a user first logs onto a Windows 7 machine, it will create another copy of the profile on the server. The new profile will be named “username.V2”. In playing around with a student account on Friday, if you edit the user properties in AD to reflect the roaming profile to have a .V2 on it (\\server\profiles$\username.v2), when you log on again, it will create another copy of the profile named “username.V2.V2”. So, you do not need to update any account profile settings. If you delete the original account profile, it will create the new profile with the username.V2 format. I did not try logging back onto an XP machine to see if the profile would stay updated/synched. But from what I have read so far (just a few things), the OS will determine what profile gets used. I know that Microsoft has the USMT (user state migration tool) but I have not used it as of yet. I little scared LOL. I have 600 users and 1100 PC's and i am in a good rythm in my roll out.

I will look more into this when I get time. If for some reason we will need to store two versions of roaming profiles, it may take up server disk space if users are keeping folders on their desktops.  Migrations. Always fun huh!

It is not saving the user.dat file properly therefore app data is not folloing the users as well as other settings.  Is there a patch??

I don't know if this bothers anyone else but I drives me crazy when someone in front of me takes 9 million years to scan 5 items and if they have produce OMG! then they have to us the LOOK UP FUNCTION then it becomes ROCKET SCIENCE.  I had a guy in front of me last week he had a bluetooth headset attached to a TREO PALM phone.  Now while he was scanning few items he gets a call right at the point where he was gong to scan his tomatoes "the infamous look up function".  So he answers it with the head set but stops scanning (SO MUCH FOR MULTITASKING, defeating the purpose of the hands free deal),  so shortly there after he gets a text (WHICH IS STILL ON THE DEFAULT SOUND, BEGINNER RED FLAG), which he begins to try to figure out (he forgot his manual) then he realizes Oh gee I am still in line and begins to figure out the LOOK UP function which he needs help on too.  If that wasn't enough he gets an email as well, YUP Default sound too. AWESOME.  I won't get into his age or stereo type or ethnicity those who know technology can fill in the blanks.  Some folks just have to have beeps and buzzers to look cool.  I don't care if certain folks want others folks to think they have cool stuff or whatever.  I don't care who has fancy friggin phones either.   JUST if you are technologically challenged STAY OUT OF THE SELF CHECK LINE PLEASE DO US THE FAVOR.  Oh yeah and figure your cool phone out some other time, in this guy's case a rainly DAY!