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Is there a way to run a full installation of Windows Server 2012 headless? I am aware that I could potentially uninstall the GUI but I'm looking for a more 'seamless' solution where I could easily switch between GUI and CMD between reboots.

What I'm looking for is something similar to Ubuntu server where you can switch into the GUI by doing a 'startx' and vice-versa.

EEAA
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reggaemahn
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  • Why the downvote? – reggaemahn Dec 02 '15 at 14:19
  • what exactl;y are you trying to do - install or manage without the gui? – Jim B Dec 02 '15 at 17:13
  • I have a full install, i.e. with GUI. I'd like to boot headless to keep it running without the gui overhead but occasionally boot into gui fir maintenance tasks etc. – reggaemahn Dec 02 '15 at 17:20
  • Again, why on earth has this question been downvoted? – reggaemahn Dec 02 '15 at 17:20
  • in that case the accepted answer is incorrect you can certainly add the gui on at any time. There is no requirement for windows to have a monitor or keyboard attached. – Jim B Dec 02 '15 at 23:54
  • @JimB How would I go about doing that? The xml file you mention, is it a configuration file? – reggaemahn Dec 03 '15 at 10:43
  • The unattend file is for the install (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff699026.aspx) see this thread for how to manage the GUI https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/6eb62cdc-ae43-48b1-873e-9903c3bc73a7/powershell-to-add-gui-to-server-core-servercorefullserver?forum=winserver8gen – Jim B Dec 03 '15 at 14:17

1 Answers1

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No, Windows just doesn't work that way.

longneck
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  • Is server core still a thing? That's perhaps about as close as one could get. – EEAA Dec 02 '15 at 14:00
  • headlessunattend.xml still exists in 2012, and that can be configured to install the gui (or not) as desired. The WAIK has documentation on how t do headless installs. – Jim B Dec 02 '15 at 17:13