This guide covers adding easy to use GUI’s and functionality to Windows Server Core and Windows Server Hyper-V Core 2008-2012.

First start by downloading the installation package, I have already bundled everything you will need into 1 easy to download package but if you would like to download everything separately the items you will need are listed below, note that some items are optional and up to the Admin. Core Quick Launch supports all of these applications so if you would like both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox for example CQL will open them both, if you only plan to use one browser then only download and install the browser you need.

• Core Quick Launch – ITTechTools.net
• Chrome Setup – google.com (Optional Browser 1)
• Firefox Setup – mozilla.org (Optional Browser 2)
• A43 File Explorer – a43filemanager.com (Optional Explorer 1)
• Cubic File Explorer – cubicreality.com (Optional Explorer 2)
• 5Nine Hyper-V Manager – 5nine.com (Optional HVM 1)
• PSHVM30 Hyper-V Manager – pshvm30.codeplex.com (Optional HVM 2)
• Core Configurator 2.0 Server Management – coreconfig.codeplex.com (2008 Core Config)
• Corefig Server Management – corefig.codeplex.com (2012 Core Config)
• 1 Additional Custom Application of your Choosing

You can download all of these and more at the following URL

http://files.ittechtools.net/IT_Admin/Server-Core/CoreSetupFiles.zip

Once downloaded you will need to unzip them and move them over to your Hyper-V machine. You can do this easily through Kaseya if there is an agent on the server by using the Live Connect File Manager. If this is not possible you can create a shared directory on the Core Server with the following commands then connect to that share from another machine on the network and copy the files and folders into the shared folder for later execution.

cd /
md C:\share
net share share=C:\share /GRANT:Everyone,FULL
CACLS C:\share /E /G Everyone:F

 That will create a simple shared folder called “share” located on the C: drive.

Kaseya File Manager

Most of the pictures I have show the first installations from the temp directory, you can just change the directory on the command line or move the unzipped CoreSetup folder with the following command

Move “C:\share\CoreSetup” “C:\temp\CoreSetup”

First run the installer for your browser, I use Chrome
The command is quite simply “ChromeSetup.exe”

After this completed I would install a file explorer, I like to use Cubic Explorer
The command to install Cubic Explorer is “CubicExplorer_Setup.exe”

Next install Core Quick Launch, This will allow you to quickly launch these applications we just installed and more from a GUI interface, The command is “CoreQuickLaunch-Setup.exe”

At the end of the installer check the box to run the program now

Once Core Quick Launch opens go ahead and click the button to open Cubic Explorer or if you installed a43 File Explorer you can choose that option. Now we have a GUI file explorer so the rest of the installation process will be quite simple, navigate to the folder where you stored the CoreSetup folder and install the remaining executables.

Note: Core Config, Corefig and PSHVM30 do NOT have installers, you simply drag and drop the folder into the root of the C: drive.

Once this is complete I have one more setup step for you, if you would like to have any of these programs startup when you log in or boot up the server then we will need to make an entry in the registry. I have already created several .REG files that can simply be clicked in your file explorer program which will import the settings into the registry automatically. These files are located in C:\Program Files (x86)\IT3\CoreQuickLaunch\includes.

You will find .REG files for CoreConfig, Corefig and CoreQuickLaunch, if you would like to add a registry entry for a different program I have one quick word of advice to give. When you launch Regedit.exe from a command prompt window make sure you are running the command from within a 64 bit command prompt window and not 32 bit, there are in fact 2 different registries for a 64 bit system and you will see this if you open the registry from either command prompt and make an entry in one and it will not show up in the other. I do however believe this is only for items within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

If you have Server 2012 I have found some bugs in Corefig which will cause several errors on launching, it seems no matter the command window I launch from or Powershell window I will receive several errors that will prevent the application from running. My work around is the edit the “Start_Corefig.wsf” file.

At the bottom of the file change the 3 False statements to True on lines 382, 388 & 394. Save and close, you will receive some errors when starting but the application will open anyway and near as I can tell it looks to be about 95% functional.