Hey all. I just finish download Server 2003 and I have one question. I don't want to rebild everyfiles on my CustomOS which I all of my time passes by. The project i started based on XP Home, and I want to "upgrade" it. I want system installation files transport to lited Server 2003 i386 folder. Can I? I mean there won't be any crashes, unharmony, etc? Cos every knows that Server 2003 has never kernel, it's new build. And I don't want to make risk

try and see -_-

just remember, whenever you install update or service pack
system files get replaced and your modifications may be gone

i know. so trying and trying.

If you want to brand it as XP, there are tools out there *cough*TweakNT*cough*, I have done that for the INAIK.
You can then use sysprep [downloadable from MS] and ImageX on a WinPE disc to create a WIM.

Dont just copy files over, some of them will make it keel over (e.g. Shell32, NTOSKRNL)
Just port the damn resources.

Data structure changes between 2600 and 3790; that's why the NRK or NTOSDrop won't boot 5.1.2600 variants of XP but will boot the 5.2.3790 ones [x64, converted from 2k3].

2k3 was specifically optimised for server usage; a lot of stuff I can imagine has been omitted / changed.

Personally I think that they should have allowed you to remove the GUI like on a lot of *NIX server OSes, for performance reasons. Server Core doesn't help particularly; it's still got a GUI.

Look at the structure of an XP x86-64 install, since it's NT 5.2 based and could be seen as "Windows 2003 Professional"