When you first install Windows Server 2008, you may quickly wonder why it lacks the eye candy in Windows Vista. In fact, by default, Windows 2008 looks a lot like Windows 2000. Well, if you want the eye candy found in the Vista Aero theme, you can have it in Server 2008, too.

Actually, you can have much more than that. Windows 2008 offers a feature called DESKTOP EXPERIENCE, which is not installed by default. It not only includes the Windows Vista Aero Theme, but also includes many of the programs that are bundled with Vista, such as Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Media Player, Video for Windows (AVI support), Windows Photo Gallery, Windows SideShow, Windows Defender, Disk Cleanup, Sync Center, Sound Recorder, Character Map.

If you are using it strictly as a server, there is no reason you would normally want these things, but if 2008 is your desktop computer, too… why not have them.
So how do we get all of this installed and enabled? Watch this video to learn how...

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Am I The Only One?
written by Phyb3r, July 17, 2008

Am I the only person who found this guy's mouse obnoxious?

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Nice
written by César, July 07, 2008

Perfect! Thanks a lot

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addition to lou's post:
written by khildin, July 01, 2008

goto services

goto themes service, change from manual to automatic, apply

then start the service.

then right click desktop, select Personalize, then themes

pick Windows Vista theme.


FIRST you have to go to servermanager and add a feature: desktop experience. After reboot follow the steps above

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How to enable Aero and Visa theme:
written by Lou, June 12, 2008

goto services

goto themes service, change from manual to automatic, apply

then start the service.

then right click desktop, select Personalize, then themes

pick Windows Vista theme.

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Mr
written by Arvind, May 31, 2008

Hey Guys i have enabled the DESKTOP EXPERIENCE stuff. but still the Vista Theme is not shown.. I restarted the Computer as well.. But no change.. I uninstalled and did again with no improvement.. Help Please..

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it IS Aero
written by Michael Kovnick, April 13, 2008

The Vista basic theme *IS* Aero, and as such, this shows you how to enable the Aero theme in Win2K8. Many poeple think that Aero refers to the see-through windows that are part of the eye candy in Vista, but that is the 'Glass' effect in the Areo theme, not the Aero theme itself. Using VMWare, there is no way to enable the Glass effect because the video drivers for VMWare cannot handle it.

But so it is clear... in the same way that the default theme in XP was Luna, the default theme in Vista is Aero. MS has the default Windows theme in its servers, which we commonly associate with Windows Me or Windows 2000. But in Windows 2003, there was a way to enable the Luna theme, and in Windows 2008 there is a way to enable the Aero theme.

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WARNING!
written by era32, April 13, 2008

This is NOT aero, but only Windows Vista Basic theme!

What on Windows AERO in WINDOWS SERVER 2008 (I'm get original version)

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Great! more windows server 2008 to desktop workstation video
written by pickla, March 10, 2008

more windows server 2008 to desktop workstation video

thanks

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!
written by Oocil Lebon, February 20, 2008

Dam #@$%@ all over the web... What sorta supa jack visits a site named "VideoTutorials.com" expecting a writeup? Sheese... somebody call the idiot police

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Video tutorials suck, just write it down...
written by Jon, February 06, 2008

Video tutorials are a huge waste of time. Just post the damn steps in text please for faster consumption. Or at least post the text for people who can read!

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