Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

Skip to content

How to upgrade Windows 2012 R2 evaluation to full version ?

Home/Hyper-V/How to upgrade Windows 2012 R2 evaluation to full version ?

How to upgrade Windows 2012 R2 evaluation to full version ?

I installed a new server in my LAB using evaluation iso and now I would like to convert this server to the full version. This article will provide step-by-step guide for this easy procedure.

In order to complete this instruction you must have the following:

  1. Windows Server installed using server evaluation iso.
  2. Valid and legal Windows Server key

The upgrade steps are the following

  1. Login to the server console you want to convert to the full retail version.
  2. Verify that this server is running an evaluation version. To do this, do either of the following:
    • Easy – Hit the Windows Key and type in System and select Settings from search or…
    • GUI – Graphical User Interface – From the Start screen, open Control Panel. Open System and Security, and then System. View Windows activation status in the Windows activation area of the System page. Click View details in Windows activation for more information about your Windows activation status.
    • CUI – Character User Interface – From an elevated command prompt, run slmgr.vbs /dlv; evaluation versions will include “EVAL” in the output.
  3. From an elevated command prompt do the following:
    • Determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition.

Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

Figure 2

  • Determine the possible Target edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions.
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

    Figure 3

  • Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition: /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, where the edition ID is the edition you wnat to your server convert to and a retail product key is your valid server key. The server will restart twice.
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

    Figure 4

    Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

    Figure 5

  • Verify the current server edition – use preferred method from step 1.
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 evaluation to Standard

    Figure 6

    I hope you will find this post useful. Feel free to add your comments and rate this article.

    [yasr_visitor_votes size=”medium”]

    Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

    I’m a Citrix Architect with 20 years experience in Microsoft and Citrix infrastructure. I have been working with Citrix since Metaframe 1.8 and my primary focus is on Server, Desktop and Application virtualisation with a preference for Citrix products. I’m an enthusiast of Citrix XenDesktop and Provisioning Server.

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Page load link

    Windows Server 2012 R2 provides a wide range of new and enhanced features and capabilities spanning server virtualization, storage, software-defined networking, server management and automation, web and application platform, access and information protection, virtual desktop infrastructure, and more.

    Benefits

    At the heart of Microsoft’s Cloud OS, Windows Server helps customers transform the datacenter, taking advantage of technical advances and new hybrid cloud capabilities to increase resilience, simplify management, reduce cost, and speed delivery of services to the business.

    Windows Server 2012 R2 is a proven, enterprise-class cloud and datacenter platform that can scale to run your largest workloads while enabling robust recovery options to protect against service outages. It helps accelerate time to value by simplifying your underlying infrastructure and allowing you to reduce cost by taking advantage of industry-standard hardware. Windows Server 2012 R2 helps you build, deploy and scale applications and web sites quickly, and gives you the flexibility to move workloads between on-premises environments and the cloud. It enables you to provide flexible, remote access to corporate resources while managing identities across your datacenter and federated into the cloud, and it helps you protect critical business information.

    Languages

    • Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese,    Russian, Spanish

    Editions

    • Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter on Microsoft Azure
    • Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter | 64-bit ISO
    • Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter | 64-bit VHD

    Can you upgrade server evaluation to standard?

    You can convert the evaluation version of Windows Server to the retail version. If you have installed the evaluation of Standard edition, you can convert it to the retail version of either the Standard edition or Datacenter edition.

    Can Windows Server 2012 evaluation be activated?

    Windows Server 2012 Evaluation problem needs to first be converted to a full retail version before it can be activated with a serial key.

    Is Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard supported?

    SQL Server 2012 will reach the end of support on July 12, 2022, and Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 will reach the end of support on October 10, 2023. After this date, these products will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, or technical support.

    What is the difference between Windows Server 2012 Standard and R2?

    When it comes to the user interface, there's little difference between Windows Server 2012 R2 and its predecessor. The real changes are under the surface, with significant enhancements to Hyper-V, Storage Spaces and to Active Directory.