I would like to do an inplace upgrade from Server 2008 Enterprise x64 to Server 2008 R2 enterprise. After downloading the trial version of 2008R2 from the Microsoft website, I initiated an upgrade to my existing Server 2008 enterprise x64 server. Everything went well, but it is telling me I have 180 days left for tyhe trial. I thought an upgrade from 2008 enterprise to 2008 R2 enterprise was a free upgrade. What am I doing wrong? ... and how do I correct it? Thanks

I would like to do an inplace upgrade from Server 2008 Enterprise x64 to Server 2008 R2 enterprise. After downloading the trial version of 2008R2 from the Microsoft website, I initiated an upgrade to my existing Server 2008 enterprise x64 server. Everything went well, but it is telling me I have 180 days left for tyhe trial. I thought an upgrade from 2008 enterprise to 2008 R2 enterprise was a free upgrade. What am I doing wrong? ... and how do I correct it? Thanks Server 2008 was released in Summer of 2008. Server 2008 R2 was released in September 2009. They are different versions. Server 2008 is comparible to Windows Vista where Server 2008 R2 is comparible to Windows 7. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/roadmap.aspx Server 2008 R2 is a Major Release, not an upgrade release. However, Server 2008 to Server 2008 R2 is a compatible upgrade and wouldn't give any hiccups... Do you have any backups to restore? Also... was your Server license purchased on a Microsoft Open License agreement? If it was purchased on an Open License Agreement with Software Assurance, yes you can upgrade but you must download it from the Microsoft Volume License Service Center. https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/Home.aspx Trial versions are non-production, so a volume license key would not suffice that installation. In fact the only supported installation you would have would be to wipe the system and recover from backups to Server 2008, then upgrade. Alternatively, you could use your backup data to perform a migration, however it will be more difficult than a standard upgrade with a Product release version. Steve Kline Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Server Administrator Microsoft Certified Product Specialist Microsoft Certified Network Product Specialist This posting is "as is" without warranties and confers no rights.

Hi, Upgrading Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2 isn’t for free. You need to buy a legal Windows Server 2008 R2 upgrade key to achieve this. The version of Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation is a trial product just for test purpose which doesn’t require a product key, but you can only use it for 180 days. After the 180 days evaluation period expires, you will need to uninstall the evaluation software and install a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008 R2. Since you have already upgraded to Windows Server 2008 R2 evaluation, you should back up the server data, reinstall Windows Server 2008, buy an upgrade key to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2, then restore the data to the new OS. Best Regards DalePlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Thank you for the clarification. It is too bad Microsoft is not very clear on their Server 2008 website regarding how this works. I think I saw on CNET that the upgrade was free and found nothing to the contrary on the Microsoft website. Why can't I just buy Server 2008 R2 and use the key to activate my current version. Won't it operate the same as a fresh isntallation? Are features deleted from the evaluation version? Thanks. I hate to start from scratchChuckN

There is a description on the download website of Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation that clarifies uninstalling the eveluation version after the grace expired. I quote the overview of the description here: This software is for evaluation and testing purposes. The evaluation is available in ISO format. Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions are available via the same download. You will be prompted for edition installation at setup. Evaluating any version of Windows Server 2008 R2 software does not require entering a product key, however will require activation within 10 days. Failing to activate the evaluation will cause the licensing service to shut the machine down every hour (The 10 day activation period can be reset five (5) times by using the rearm command. See below for further information on activation rearm). After this time, you will need to uninstall the evaluation software and reinstall a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008 R2. I understand that uninstalling Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation version and installing a fresh one needs a complicated tasks, but I'm sorry to say that this is the policy and by design, you should read the description carefully. I don't know whether it works by buying a legal product to convert Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation to a legal OS. You maybe could call Microsoft Activation Center for a better assistance. Best Regards DalePlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

BTW, you could read the following KB: Windows Server 2008 R2 evaluation version http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-US;2021579 Best Regards DalePlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.