Windows Server instead of Consumer Windows?

[Urzu1000]

Hey guys! I've been testing out the technical preview of Windows 10 since it came out last September, and it's about to be released in the next month or two.

I'm naturally going to clean install my two home computers that I've been testing it on, but I can't decide if I want to just install Windows 10 Professional, or Windows 10 Server.

I do not 'need' Windows 10 Server, but I'm interested in learning the ins and outs of it. My concern is that there may be some drawback which I am unaware of. What should I be aware of prior to going in with this?

TL;DR Will I experience any realistic drawbacks of using Windows 10 Server over Windows 10 Professional on a normal PC?

 

[Rogue Leader]

The only drawback of Windows 10 Server is that it will probably cost $600 vs regular windows being in the $130 price range. That and there also is no such thing as Windows 10 Server, but Windows Server 2016, which will be released in early 2016.

There is a lot you can learn from it, but its hard to really see all the benefits without a few computers and users to test it with (if thats your goal). Some software doesn't play friendly with the server edition as well. Just keep that in mind if a game or a graphics card driver gets bent out of shape.

 

[TwoDigital]

You'll find some software won't run because it isn't supported on that version of Windows. There may be no good technical reason why it won't work, but installers sometimes check for your version and refuse to run. Technical support from 3rd-party vendors may be limited as well. It's also heavier (uses more CPU and memory behind-the-scenes) than Windows 10 as there are more services. That said, there are some really nice features for Windows Server if you need any of them. The license is more costly than a desktop OS... I'm assuming you have an MSDN subscription or something that you are leveraging to get a serial number for it?

 

[Urzu1000]

That's one expensive license. I didn't assume it would be greater than $400. That said, I'm just going to be using the technical preview for a bit to get a feel for it. If I really end up liking it, I'll pony up.

Is program compatibility (due to version check) a common problem, or is it fairly obscure?

 

[orlbuckeye]

There is no need to buy Windows server 2016 unless you going to have multiple users. MS server OS's have tools built in for servers(multiple connections). We are now using Windows Server 2012 R2 at my work and it's basically Windows 8.1 server. The Metro screens are where the system tools are and the application are installed on the desktop.

 

[whoratesit]

The server editions have a lot of the multi-media functions disabled by default. With a bit of hacking around you can get most of the MM features back (media player, thumbnail image previews etc). Lots of consumer software won't install on a Server edition. Lots of utilities (partition, disk recovery etc) won't run on the server edition unless you pay extra for the server versions of the software.

The Server editions are generally more stable, have enterprise features (remote desktop server, email server, file sharing addins) and have less bloat by default but overall for a home PC the server editions are just not worth the hassle.

 

[Urzu1000]

Alright. I think I'm going to go with Windows 10 Professional after all, but I'll probably install Server 2016 as a dual-boot to try to learn a bit more about its feature set.

Thanks for all your help guys, I appreciate it