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Oddly enough, this setup is objectively slower than my office system with a 32 bit, dual core, 2GB server and a strung together network of way too many switches and wireless access points. I would expect it to be faster. I'll have to work on that some more.

Desktop vs Laptop? I'm guessing. Not really a comparison. Desktop processors are much faster. How much RAM do you have on the T61P? You'll want 4-8GB on an SBS 2011 Essentials Production Server.

I hate wireless. Basically use it for internet access. Never for file sharing or db access.