The ATI ES1000 is a legacy, server-grade graphics chip found in many older generations of Dell PowerEdge, HP ProLiant, and IBM System x servers. While these servers are highly durable, finding compatible graphics drivers becomes a major challenge when upgrading them to modern operating systems like Windows Server 2016. Because AMD/ATI ended support for this hardware long before Windows Server 2016 was released, the operating system does not include a native driver, often leaving administrators stuck with the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. This limitation restricts screen resolution to 1024x768 or lower and causes noticeable UI lag.

The ATI ES1000 (also known as the Radeon 7000 series-based ES1000) is a 2D-only, 16MB VRAM graphics controller. It supports:

The simplest and most reliable option is to use the driver that Windows Server 2016 installs by default, known as the "Microsoft Basic Display Driver" (BasicDisplay.sys).

If you are using Dell iDRAC, HP iLO, or IBM IMM for remote console access, these systems rely on their own integrated chips. Keeping the default Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is often the safest choice to ensure the remote management console remains functional without risking OS instability.

: Windows Server 2016 strictly enforces driver signing. If the legacy driver lacks a modern signature, restart your server, press F8 during bootup, and select Disable Driver Signature Enforcement .

For a proper Server 2016 experience with the ES1000 chipset:

| Tool | What to Measure | Target for ES1000 | |------|----------------|-------------------| | (Windows System Assessment Tool) | DWM frame rate | >15 fps acceptable | | PassMark PerformanceTest (2D score) | Bitmap rendering, fonts | Score > 80 | | Task Manager (GPU tab) | Video memory usage | Under 16 MB |

: There are zero official WHQL-certified drivers produced by AMD specifically for Windows Server 2016 and this controller.

Type the second command and press Enter: bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING ON

If you are running a GUI-intensive workload on Server 2016 (such as a Remote Desktop Session Host) and the ES1000 lag is unacceptable:

Given the age of the ES1000 chipset, many administrators choose to avoid driver installation entirely.

Since the driver might not have an automatic installer for Server 2016, a manual "force" installation is often required:

Incorrect driver installation can cause the console to go black upon login.

1. The Top Solution: Microsoft Basic Display Driver (Recommended)