You'll need to edit boot.ini and add an entry for Windows XP.
Windows Server Backup utility
To function as a server a computer must be running as a WINDOWS based server i.e windows 2000, windows NT, windows 2k3, windows 2k8 editions of server installed on computer the server could be Linux based as well.
remote desktop client
File services
I assume you mean the OS on the server, if you want to go with windows your looking at windows server 2003 / 2008, windows small business server, windows home server. However alot of admins prefer linux, try FreeBSD.
.NET Framework is part of the Operating System rather than the hardware. It can be installed on Windows based systems..NET 1.1 comes preinstalled in Windows Server 2003, .NET 3.0 in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, .NET 3.5 in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Yes, there is no problem installing that version of .NET on the server.
Print Services
servermanagercmd.exe -showroles
1) Make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements to install Windows Server 2008. 2) Buy Windows Server 2008. 3) Put the DVD in the drive and reboot your machine. 4) Boot from the DVD 5) Install Windows Server 2008
If you have installed Windows software, you can learn from tutorials installed on your computer. Other resources are available all over the internet that will teach you the tips and tricks so you can operate Windows like a pro!
Most server monitoring solutions will not discriminate on what they monitor. Something like NetCrunch 8 is installed on a Windows device, but can monitor Mac, BSD, Linux, etc.