Microsoft Surface Book review

I’ve always wanted Microsoft to build a laptop.

Some days I’ll be seated on my couch, other days I’ll be seated on the floor of a convention center or press event, so I need a laptop that just works and won’t annoy me when I’m in the middle of writing an article. The Surface line (from the RT right through to the Surface Pro 3) has always been a compromised mixture of tablet and laptop. They’ve never really worked well in my lap, the trackpad and keyboards weren’t as good as a laptop, and battery life hasn’t been ideal for a portable machine. I could use them fine at home on my desk, but every time I took them on the road with me I just ended up irritated because they weren’t real laptops.

Microsoft now thinks it has an answer, and it’s calling it the Surface Book.

Microsoft claims it’s the “ultimate laptop” that’s designed to go head-to-head with Apple’s MacBook Pro and premium Windows laptops. While the Surface Book is primarily a laptop, it’s also a tablet thanks to a display that detaches into something like a digital clipboard. Starting at $1,499, the Surface Book is clearly priced at the high-end of the laptop market, and the 1TB of storage model tops out at $3,199. That’s a lot of money to spend on a computer. I want a Surface that works like a laptop, has a great trackpad and keyboard, and actually lasts me a working day.

Since Microsoft is calling this a laptop, let’s judge it first as a laptop.

Looking at the Surface Book for the first time, it’s easy to compare it to the MacBook Pro. There’s a big trackpad, nice key spacing on the keyboard, and an overall sleek combination of black and silver. All of this resembles a MacBook Pro, but Microsoft isn’t exactly copying Apple here. Just as it did with the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has picked magnesium for the materials on the Surface Book. It’s almost soft to touch, and it doesn’t feel as cold and harsh as the aluminum on a MacBook. Microsoft is going for premium here, and it’s pretty clear it’s aiming for those tempted by Apple’s well-designed hardware.

I’ve found opening up the Surface Book requires two hands because it’s magnetically sealed together to ensure nothing moves around while you’re carrying it. That’s not because the tablet portion will ever fall off, but more to protect the hinge. Once open, the Surface Book’s 13.5-inch display is the slightly odd centerpiece. I say slightly odd, because it looks a little tall and unconventional at first. That’s because Microsoft has picked a 3:2 aspect ratio instead of the wide 16:9 or 16:10 ratios found on most laptops.

MICROSOFT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB ON THE KEYBOARD AND TRACKPAD

It took me a couple of days to really get used to it, and it reminded me of using Google’s Chromebook Pixel. Watching movies isn’t ideal on the Surface Book because you get letterboxing, but reading web pages is a joy because of all the additional vertical space. I spend a lot of time reading content on the web, so I’ve fallen in love with this oddly shaped display. I’ve also fallen in love with the color reproduction and the viewing angles. Colors really pop, and blacks don’t wash out at all thanks to the 1700:1 contrast ratio. Windows 10 is designed with a dark theme, and it looks great on this beautiful display.

Microsoft has paid a lot of attention to the trackpad and keyboard on the Surface Book, which is exactly what you’d expect from a premium laptop. I’ve always found the trackpad on the Surface Pro 3 to be a little fiddly and too small, but the Surface Book is the complete opposite. It’s a big glass surface that feels just like a MacBook trackpad to me. Scrolling is smooth around Windows, but I’ve noticed some stuttering in both Chrome and Edge. Google’s Chrome trackpad scrolling is always terrible on every Windows laptop I’ve used, but bad Microsoft Edge scrolling is new to me. Microsoft tells me it has an update coming to address both the Chrome and Edge scrolling issues, and hopefully the company can make scrolling there as smooth as it is in the rest of Windows.

Typing on the Surface Book is a weird experience at first. There’s not very much key travel, so the keyboard feels a little hard. It took a few hours of typing to get used to it, and now when I switch back to other laptops their keyboards feel mushy in comparison. The Surface Book’s keyboard spacing is pretty ideal, and I wish other laptop makers would pay as much attention to getting the keys just right. I really can’t fault Microsoft’s keyboard here. After years of making great keyboards for desktop PCs, it has done a good job with its first real laptop keyboard.

Microsoft has opted for premium laptop specs inside the Surface Book. On the base model I’ve been testing, there’s 8GB of RAM paired with Intel’s latest Core i5 processor, and it’s fast. Basic web browsing, a little bit of Photoshop, and regular desktop apps all perform well. I’ve also been testing a 16GB of RAM model equipped with a Core i7 processor. I haven’t noticed any drastic changes between the two models for my basic work needs, but in gaming the Core i7 model benefits from the Nvidia GPU installed in the base. Drivers aren’t supplied directly from Nvidia yet, so it’s difficult to measure performance fully, but my old Steam collection of games runs well. This should be enough to cover most games on basic settings, which is unusual for most convertible machines.

The really unique and interesting part of the Surface Book is the new fulcrum hinge. It snakes around the base and display of the Surface Book, and it looks awesome, like something out of an Alien movie. It has individual notches that extend to let you adjust the screen angle, and they sound like they’re unpeeling as you fold it out. While the hinge isn’t infinitely adjustable, it has enough viewing angles to cater for my desk and lap usage.

Because this is also a tablet, it makes this new hinge a little compromised. The hinge isn’t resistive enough like a regular laptop, so it bounces and wobbles a little if you’re typing in your lap or you touch the display while you’re using it as a laptop. A lot of 2-in-1 Windows laptops have the same problem, and even though Microsoft has probably done the best job yet, it’s not perfect. It feels a little top-heavy sometimes, and I’ve noticed this more in my lap at weird angles than on a desk. Most of the weight is traditionally in the base of a laptop, with little in the display, but the Surface Book has balanced this as best it can with the fulcrum hinge.

THE SURFACE BOOK GAP IS AN UGLY PROBLEM

The problem with the hinge is that it also reveals the main weakness of the Surface Book. If you close the Book down, the display doesn’t sit flush with the keyboard, leaving an unsightly gap. It also makes the Surface Book a lot bulkier than a regular laptop. Dust, hair, and all sorts of other nastiness from my bag now gets regularly deposited onto the Surface Book keyboard because of this gap. It’s ugly, but it’s a compromise that allows Microsoft’s laptop to also convert into a tablet.

Microsoft has built a little button on the keyboard that unlocks the screen from the base. It’s like one of those crazy buttons you press to enter a secret room, and it lets you pull off the display and use it as a giant tablet. Microsoft has built an entire PC into this display that doubles as a touch screen and supports a stylus. While the base unit and display combine into a laptop that’s not exactly lightweight at 3.34 pounds, the tablet section feels manageable at 1.6 pounds.

Because of the 3:2 aspect ratio, it really feels like you’re holding a piece of paper (except, of course, for the weight). I think that’s exactly how Microsoft designed this, and why the company keeps calling it a "digital clipboard." The only time I’ve used it in this mode is literally to take notes, because using it as a tablet to play games and watch movies is a little awkward without a kickstand or case to prop it up. You can reattach the base the opposite way around to create a stand, but I never did that because it turns it into an even more bulky tablet.

The new Surface Pen is greatly improved thanks to a more resistive tip, but there’s still a slight lag that will irritate artists who want to draw on this professionally. It’s fine for note taking though, and there's even an eraser on the top now. You can even hold the button down to activate Cortana, but I found it didn't always detect my voice very well. The Surface Pen also snaps magnetically to the side. That’s better than a pen loop, but it still always falls off in my bag.

While the tablet is a fully functional PC when detached, the base is more than just a keyboard and trackpad. There are two USB ports, a full SD card reader, a mini DisplayPort, and an additional Nvidia GPU on some models. It’s a battery dock for the tablet. Once you’re done using it as a tablet, you can simply dock the Surface Book back in and it stays coupled together with magnets and a "muscle wire" lock that secures it firmly in place. It’s a clever piece of engineering, but it relies on battery power to activate. You can remove the display when it’s powered off, but if you drain the battery, you’ll have to wait until it’s at least 10 percent before you can undock it again.

Windows 10 also does a good job of switching between a touch-friendly mode and one more suited to a keyboard and mouse, especially if you enable it to do so automatically. There’s still a lack of good touch apps for Windows 10, but I like the idea of switching between using a laptop and straight into a tablet. It’s pretty seamless and apps snap back to their positions when you revert to laptop mode, so you can carry on working without issue. I’ve found that Windows 10 still doesn’t make enough use of the pen — I just can’t fit it into my regular workflow. I tried to write an email with just the pen to send a note to someone, and it doesn’t even activate a drawing mode. I tried to send a OneNote page instead and that failed. Microsoft is really advertising this as a clipboard, but Windows 10 isn’t ready to let everyone just use a stylus and take notes everywhere as it’s still a limited experience.

It’s worth noting here that I’ve run into a number of software issues with the Surface Book. I experienced blue screens on the machine nearly every day. Microsoft tells me this is related to the SSD, and that the company has a fix in place for retail units. I’ve also experienced problems with the trackpad gestures and scrolling failing after I’ve used it in tablet mode and reattached the keyboard. Microsoft’s docking app to control the detaching of the tablet also occasionally crashes. I’ve also been unable to test Windows Hello, a feature that lets you log in with just your face, on the Surface Book as the drivers aren’t ready yet. Together with the software crashes, it feels like Microsoft might be rushing to get the Surface Book ready in time.

BATTERY LIFE IS INSANELY GOOD

Battery life is one of the key parts of a laptop for me. While the tablet portion should last around 4 hours, Microsoft claims up to 12 hours if you’re using it as a regular laptop. It’s not lying. During our own Verge battery test running in Chrome we found the Surface Book lasted nearly 13 hours for the base model without the additional GPU. It’s incredibly rare for a Windows laptop to have great battery life, and I’m amazed it lasts me a full working day. With a mix of usage outside of just surfing the web, I’ve found it lasts around 7 hours. That’s watching HD movies, using Photoshop, and surfing the web with Twitter open all day. It takes around 2 hours to charge the tablet itself, and around 4 or 5 hours to charge both. Because the keyboard and tablet both use the same Surface connector, you can use a single cable to do both, or just charge them combined in the regular laptop mode.

Is the Surface really the ultimate laptop that Microsoft claims it is? Nearly. I say that because sometimes I’m using the Surface Book and I just wish Microsoft had made a pure laptop. The display wobble can be irritating, and the weird gap when it’s closed means I have to clean the Surface Book every day. If Microsoft can fix the hinge in future versions and make it a lot less bulky then this could be great. It has a beautiful display, amazing battery life, and the keyboard and trackpad feel great. But even though that’s everything I want in a laptop, the accommodations Microsoft made to enable the tablet end up making the laptop experience less than ideal.

I rarely used it as a tablet, partly because Windows 10 really doesn’t make enough use of the stylus to make it feel natural, but also because most of my work requires a keyboard. I suspect that’s the same for most people buying a laptop. The lack of Windows 10 tablet apps means I still reach for an iPad or even a large phone if I want a tablet experience, and until that situation improves it’s still really hard to buy into this whole hybrid concept. I really like it as an idea, but right now it’s just that: an idea. It feels like the Surface Book has a detachable display because Microsoft needs it to be different, not because you actually need to remove it. Having a removable display doesn’t make this the "ultimate laptop."

Microsoft can clearly make a laptop that competes with the MacBook Pro with all the best ingredients, but it just needs to find a better recipe to combine all its innovative hardware. The Surface Book is seriously impressive, and as a hybrid it’s probably the best out there.

If Microsoft had just made a laptop, I suspect I'd be calling it the best Windows laptop out there, but it didn't. While it's great Microsoft is pushing the idea of a tablet and a laptop hybrid constantly, I'm still hunting for the perfect mix of hardware that really shows this is the future.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update: the 10 best new features

In just a few short days, Microsoft will be celebrating Windows 10’s first birthday. It has been a busy year that has seen a number of Windows 10 updates with new features and improvements, but the biggest one is arriving on August 2nd. Microsoft’s free Anniversary Update to Windows 10 includes some highly requested features, but overall it’s full of minor additions that really make the OS feel a lot more polished. I’ve been testing Windows 10’s Anniversary Update for months now, and I’ve witnessed it progress to a point where it’s ready for the masses. Here are the 10 best new features coming to Windows.

WINDOWS INK

Windows Ink is without a doubt the best part of the Anniversary Update. When I reviewed the Surface Book, I found it irritating and surprising that ink support in Windows 10 was so limited. Windows Ink improves things a lot. It’s essentially a central location to find built-in or third-party apps that work with your stylus. You can use the new sticky notes to note down reminders, and they’ll even transform into true reminders as Cortana understands what you write.

I’ve found the new sketchpad is useful if you simply want to doodle, or draw a guide to something for friends and family. The new virtual ruler seems like such an obvious addition, it’s hard to imagine inking without it. You can use it to draw shapes or just straight lines, and it’s the perfect blend of touch and stylus input. The screen sketch feature is equally useful, as it automatically takes a screen grab and lets you ink all over it and quickly share it. I’ve used this many times to share my notes on a product or picture I’ve seen, and it’s encouraged me to pick up and use a stylus that I haven’t used for months.

THIS IS THE BEST PART OF THE ANNIVERSARY UPDATE

Unfortunately, Windows Ink isn’t the perfect solution for solving all the limitations of pen input in Windows 10. I still can’t use the built-in mail client and immediately start writing handwritten email, and the pen still doesn’t feel like it’s a core part of Windows 10, despite Microsoft’s work to integrate it more into Edge, Cortana, and apps like Maps and Office.

MICROSOFT EDGE EXTENSIONS

If you’re a fan of Chrome extensions, then you’ll be glad to hear that they’re heading to Microsoft’s Edge browser. The Anniversary Update brings support for extensions, and it’s now up to third-party developers to fill the Windows Store with their add-ons. They’re very similar to Chrome extensions, and ones like AdBlock, 1Password, LastPass, and EverNote are already available.

Microsoft has also added in web notifications for Edge, allowing websites to push notifications to the Windows 10 Action Center (notification center). You can also now right-click on the back button to see history of a tab, and right-click a tab to pin it in place. Microsoft is also improving battery life with Edge, and claims it’s up to 70 percent better than some competitors. Overall, Edge still has some odd rendering quirks that makes it feel unfinished, but Microsoft is getting closer to providing a browser on Windows that could convince many to switch from Chrome.

CORTANA IMPROVEMENTS

Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, debuted on Windows 10 last year, and the software maker is bringing it to the lock screen with the Anniversary Update. You’ll be able to ask it to make a note, play music, set a reminder, and lots more without ever logging in. Cortana is also getting a little more intelligent, with the ability to schedule appointments in Outlook or options to send friends a document you were working on a week ago.

I still rarely use Cortana with my voice, and I’d like to see Microsoft focus on an Alfred competitor for Windows that really enhances the power of Cortana and taps into the company’s focus on productivity.

DARK THEME AND UI TWEAKS

I love the new dark theme in Windows 10. Microsoft hadn’t fully completed the Windows 10 UI last year, but it’s starting to look a little more polished now. Most laptop displays and monitors have black bezels, and the continued use of a dark mode across the OS just bleeds naturally into the corners. You can switch on what I call even darker mode in settings, and it will switch built-in apps that typically use a white background over to black.

Microsoft has also tweaked the Windows 10 UI in more ways than just a dark theme. The all apps list is now an integral part of the Start menu, and Live Tiles are now chase-able. This means if you see something like a news story on a Live Tile, you’ll go directly to that news item when you click the Tile instead of simply opening the homepage of an app.

The Action Center (notification center) has also been improved, with badge icons in the task bar that correspond to the number of outstanding notifications. You can also reorganize the number of quick actions in the Action Center, with 14 available to choose from to get easy access to settings like VPN, tablet mode, quiet hours, Wi-Fi, and more. Microsoft has even improved the system clock in Windows by adding a calendar with a full list of your own events.

TABLET MODE LOOKS A LOT MORE LIKE WINDOWS 8 NOW

Elsewhere, if you’re a fan of tablet mode then you can now choose to automatically hide the task bar when you’re using a tablet. This lets apps take full advantage of the screen just like they used to in Windows 8, and Microsoft has also improved the all apps view on the Start screen so it’s full screen and easier to navigate.

SET YOUR TIME ZONE AUTOMATICALLY

I’ve always been jealous of the automatic time zone switching in OS X, and astonished that Microsoft has never added a similar feature to Windows. With the Anniversary Update to Windows 10, it’s finally here. If you’re traveling abroad for vacation then you’ll never have to worry about manually adjusting your PC clock again. It sounds like the most minor feature, but more often than not it’s the small things that add up and make a difference. Microsoft hasn’t enabled the automatic time zone switching by default, so you’ll need to enable it from the settings app.

WINDOWS HELLO FOR APPS AND WEBSITES

Windows Hello is one of the best features that Microsoft added to Windows 10. It uses a special camera (usually found on the latest PCs and laptops) to scan your face and let you log into Windows without using a password. It rarely fails for me, and it’s so solid and seamless I have it enabled and use it daily. Microsoft is making Windows Hello even better in the Anniversary Update, with integration into apps and websites.

You won’t need your password for websites if you have a new PC that supports Windows Hello. Just sit there and let it scan your face or your fingerprint, and then you’re in and ready to go.

WINDOWS 10 APPS ON XBOX ONE

The Xbox One is finally getting Windows apps. It feels like a promise that was made years ago, but it’s finally coming true with the Anniversary Update. As Windows 10 now powers the Xbox One, Microsoft will start rolling out an update to its console to provide support for Cortana on Xbox One and the new universal apps.

We’re expecting to see a solid number of new Xbox apps as a result, and a few have already started appearing. Netflix is using a universal app across Windows 10 devices and Xbox One, and Microsoft has started moving its MSN Weather and Groove Music apps across. Most of the apps we’ve seen so far look identical to their Windows 10 counterparts, and developers shouldn’t have to do too much work to adapt for the bigger displays traditionally used with the Xbox One.

BASH IN WINDOWS

Microsoft surprised the developer world when it unveiled bash for Windows earlier this year. If you’re a developer then Bash on Windows 10 is a big deal, for everyone else it’s something you won’t really use. Microsoft is essentially adding the Linux command line to Windows 10, and it’s a great addition for Linux developers that need access to all their tools on Windows. It’s an optional Windows feature you’ll need to go in and enable, but once it’s setup you’ll receive updates if Microsoft tweaks it in the future. It might even help convince some developers to create apps for Microsoft’s platform.

PROJECT TO PC

Microsoft is adding a new "project to PC" option in Windows 10 Anniversary Update. It’s similar to remote desktop, but it allows you to easily find a PC to project to from a phone or another PC. You’ll be able to project what you see on your own display onto another machine, and use its keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals. It seems like a feature that is more suited to the business environment, especially if you want to show a colleague a document but don’t necessarily want to share the contents directly with them.

NEW SKYPE APP

It feels like Windows 10 has so many Skype apps it’s difficult to know which one to choose. While there’s a desktop app and integration into the Messaging app in Windows 10, Microsoft has created a new universal app that’s designed to be the future of Skype on Windows 10. It’s not totally feature complete yet, but for your basic Skype video and audio calls it works well. It launches instantly, and you’ll get notifications for calls and messages straight within Windows 10 whether you have it open or not.

SYNC YOUR PHONE NOTIFICATIONS TO YOUR PC

Alongside Windows Ink, syncing phone notifications to your PC has to be one of the best additions to Windows 10 Anniversary Update. If you have a Windows 10 or Android phone then you’ll be able to use Cortana to sync notifications from all your phone apps up to your PC. You can even reply to messages, dismiss notifications, and quickly send photos from a phone to a PC.

WINDOWS AS A SERVICE

Overall, I’m impressed with Windows 10 Anniversary Update. After just a year, Microsoft has managed to update Windows 10 with a solid amount of new features. This is the exact promise of Windows as a service, and it’s encouraging to see it in action. There are still many bigger things I’d love to see in Windows, but it’s often all these small additions that make for a better operating system overall. I’ve touched on most of the obvious feature additions, but Microsoft has also made a lot of fundamental improvements behind the scenes to better support multiple monitors and DPI scaling, improve battery life, and generally make Windows that bit faster.

Even with Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Windows 10 isn’t complete. This is just the latest update, and more features and changes are coming later this year and beyond. It feels like the big promise of Windows 10 across multiple devices is finally here, and Microsoft is now building on top of what that means.

Microsoft says it has two big Windows 10 updates planned for 2017

Microsoft only started rolling out Windows 10's Anniversary Update this week, but it's already discussing future updates for the operating system. A new blog post detailing update changes for IT professionals sheds some light on Microsoft's plans for Windows 10. "This will be our last feature update for 2016, with two additional feature updates expected in 2017," says Microsoft's Nathan Mercer.

Understandably, Microsoft isn't detailing exactly what features are coming just yet, but the next big feature update to Windows 10 is rumored to release some time early next year before spring. Codenamed "Redstone 2," the Windows 10 update may coincide with hardware updates to Microsoft's Surface Pro and Surface Book devices. Microsoft is already working on Redstone 2, with internal builds out for testing.

Redstone 2 should be the more significant update out of the two, and the second "Redstone 3" update will arrive later next year. Microsoft originally released Windows 10 last July under the "Threshold 1" codename, and issued its first big update in November (codenamed Threshold 2). This week's Anniversary Update (codenamed Redstone 1) marks the second big update to Windows 10 since its introduction last year, and it appears Microsoft looks set to settle on two big updates per year for Windows 10 moving forward.

Windows 10's first major update is now available

Microsoft has been testing a fresh update to Windows 10 for the past few months, and now it's ready to release it to everyone. More than 110 million machines are now running Windows 10, and they'll all be offered the update today. The update includes a number of fixes and UI changes that were originally planned for the final version of Windows 10.


One of the noticeable differences is a new colored title bar for desktop apps. All apps now feel a little more similar to the ones designed specifically for Windows 10, and Microsoft has also improved the context menus throughout the OS to make them a little bigger and darker to match the general theme. Another big change is the introduction of Skype integration with dedicated Messaging and Skype Video apps. They're both available from the Windows Store, and they're designed to offer basic access to messaging, audio, and video calls without having to download the full version of Skype.

Most other changes are fairly minor, including improved system icons. Microsoft is allowing Windows 10 users to now install apps to external storage, and some tablet mode improvements allow you to swipe down to close apps and snap apps more easily. Microsoft is also improving its Edge browser and Cortana in the Windows 10 Fall Update. Edge now syncs favorites, settings, and the reading list, alongside a new tab preview feature. Cortana will now work without a Microsoft Account, and the digital assistant can now understand inked notes in the Windows 10 Fall Update. The update is rolling out today from Windows Update.

Windows 10's Anniversary Update is now available

Microsoft's Windows 10 Anniversary Update is here and ready to download. The software maker first started testing its Anniversary Update back in December, and now all Windows 10 users get to experience the new features and improvements free of charge. Chief among them is a new Windows Ink feature. Microsoft has supported inking in Windows for years, but Windows Ink is a dedicated hub designed for devices like the Surface Pro 4, and other 2-in-1s with styluses. Windows Ink will work with your fingers, for doodling and inking on screenshots, but it will obviously work better with a dedicated stylus.

Windows 10 Anniversary Update also includes a number of UI improvements to the Start menu, notification center, taskbar, and overall dark theme. Microsoft is also tweaking Cortana to allow the digital assistant to work on the lock screen and answer queries. If you're a fan of Microsoft's Edge browser, it's also getting extension support today. Extensions like LastPass, 1Password, AdBlock, and EverNote are all available, and more should arrive in the Windows Store in the coming months. Windows 10 Anniversary Update is available from Windows Update immediately, an ISOs are also available (or an easy clean install tool) if you're interested in clean installing the update to your system. For an overview of the best new features check out our Windows 10 Anniversary Update review right here.

How to Install Windows Server 2016

System Requirements for Windows Server 2016

Processor:

1.4 Ghz 64-bit processor

RAM:

512 MB (2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience install option)

ECC (Error Correcting Code) type or similar

Disk Space:

32 GB

Note that the above is only the minimum recommended specifications from Microsoft.

For me, I would definitely make sure the disk space for the C Drive is 80 Gigs or more. The reason being that the patch updates will fill it up very quickly. If you had set up your C drive as 32 GB, you will find that you will run out of space very quickly even without installing any applications on it.

As for the processor and RAM size, it will depend on the purpose of the server.

With virtual machines, you may try allocating the minimum cores and RAM that you can get away with to get the server up and running. You can always easily add those resources later on.

Booting Up from the Installation DVD

Insert the DVD and start up the server. If you are using a virtual machine and not a bare metal server, attach the ISO of the Windows Server 2016 installation DVD to the virtual machine and power on the virtual machine.

After the virtual machine or server boots up from the DVD, it will display a screen to configure the language and keyboard settings.

Language Selection

Select the appropriate information from the drop down selection lists and click Next .

Start the Installation

Click Install now .

Enter the product key for your copy of Windows Server 2016 and click Next .

Windows Server 2016 Standard or Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience)

With Windows Server 2016, the Windows Server 2016 Standard installation is actually what we have known to be the Core installation in the past. The core installation is a server without the GUI installed.

The Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience) installation is the server with the Windows 10 GUI and Server Manager installed.

The release version of Windows Server 2016 DOES NOT ALLOW you to change between the two modes of installation AFTER the choice is made. The only way to change is a complete re-installation (at least for now anyway).

I would suggest that the Windows Server 2016 Standard installation is picked so that we can start to learn how to manage Windows Server via PowerShell. This is the direction Microsoft is going. You would pick Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience) if you have supporting applications that must be running on a server as an application and not able to be run as a service.

Is it possible to fully manage Windows Server 2016 from a PowerShell command line? Definitely, but it will take getting used to. With the GUI, we can simply go through the menu options to find the utilities we need to be able to configure the settings we want. With PowerShell, you are going to have to be Googling a lot to find out which cmdlets are required to do what in the beginning. But with time, a few of the common cmdlets will become second nature.

Accept the license terms, and click Next .

Select Custom installation since this will be a new installation.

Select the Drive partition where you want Windows installed and click Next. It is possible to re-partition the drive at this point by clicking on New since Drive 0 has unallocated space. If we merely highlight it and hit Next, which is what we are going to do here, it will utilise the whole drive for the partition and format it automatically. If you have existing partitions, you can delete them, or even extend them before selecting the destination to install Windows. Or you can highlight one of the existing partitions and click Next.

On completion, Windows will ask you to change the Administrator password. This is the screen that is presented if the Windows Server 2016 Standard installation was chosen. Highlight Cancel and hit Enter for now. We want to experiment a little bit and have some fun.

Windows will now ask you to Select a user. Close this window by clicking the X button.

The next screen is a bit scary. It’s just a black screen.

Press Ctrl Alt Delete and you will be presented with a Window asking to change the Administrator password.

Type in the new password. Use the arrow key to move down to the Confirm Password field. Re-enter the same password and hit Enter.

That’s our Windows Server 2016 Standard installation completed!

Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience)

If we had chosen the Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience) installation, the installation steps would be :

Select the Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience) option, then click Next .

The installation process will commence by copying the files and will finish the installation by asking for a new password for the Administrator account.

The installation has now completed. The Desktop Experience is the Windows 10 user interface.

Enter the Administrator password to log in.

Server Manager will launch after you have logged in.

Windows 10 Look and Feel.

That’s our Windows Server 2016 Standard (Desktop Experience) installation completed!

Apple Drops Hints About Working on Self-Driving Cars

Apple has just sent a strong hint about its efforts developing a self-driving car. Up until now, Apple has been extremely secretive about the so-called Project Titan. However, little doubt is left after Apple submitted a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), where the tech giant recognizes it has heavily invested in automated systems.

Long has been rumored about Apple developing zero-carbon cars and self-driving cars. However, nobody had certainty about the matter. Now, it is almost an undeniable fact after the letter that Steve Kenner, the company’s head of product integrity – and former global director of automotive safety at Ford – sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, making reference to the federal government’s automated vehicle guidelines released last September.

A render of what the Apple Concept Car could look like. Image Credit: www.teratime.it

“The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation”, stated the letter sent by Apple on November 22nd.

Apple’s project Titan 

Apple’s electric car project was codenamed ‘Titan.’ Apple has not yet made comments on plans to make electric cars. Nonetheless, rumor has it that Apple has long been investing in developing that project.

Some say it was approved by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook back in 2014. Even Steve Jobs had plans to develop and build a car, according to Apple’s board member Mickey Drexler, assuring that the idea surfaced when Tesla debuted its first electric car model.

The truth is that Apple has been terribly cautious and private about its work developing a car, which it seems has been undergoing for several years. However, even if no comment on the subject has been published by the company, it appears as if Apple cannot deny it anymore, not after what it stated in the letter to the NHTSA, where it provided comments on the federal government’s automated vehicle guidelines.

The policy, which was published in September, has also received comments from other companies working on autonomous cars such as Ford and Google.

Apple on Self-driving software and sharing data 

The letter also suggests that rather than working on an electric car, Apple is working on a self-driving software, looking forward to partner with other already strong car-producers.

This change is part of the plan proposed by Apple’s executive Bob Mansfield, who returned from retirement to lead the Titan division after Steven Zadesky, who was leading the project decided to leave the company earlier this year.

Another breaking news is that Apple is perfectly willing to share data, while some other companies have been pushing back the government’s request for companies to accept data sharing.

“Apple agrees that companies should share de-identified scenario and dynamics data from crashes and near-misses,” Kenner writes in the letter. “By sharing data, the industry will build a more comprehensive dataset than any one company could create alone.”

Apple also asked the government measures to promote innovation, saying that guidelines should be voluntary assumed, thus avoiding passing rules or mandates. 

A ride in Ford’s first self driving car