I downloaded Small Business Server Essentials 20011 and installed it on my Server, went into Control Panel and activated it. After "activating", I rebooted and it says 3 days left for activation. I called MS tech support and requested help, there I was walked through using the command prompt for activating. After doing so, the pop up window said 57 days left until activation. However in the Control Panel, it still shows only 3 days left. I'm worried the OS will lock me out after 3 days passes. How do I get it to activate for the Trial period MS says I'm supposed to have ? Help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, did you also enter the license key before activating it? Also be aware that SBS has it's own forum: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/smallbusinessserver/threadsBest regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

Hi, "You do not need to enter a product key to evaluate any version of Windows Server 2008 R2 software, however activation is required within 10 days. Failing to activate the evaluation will cause the licensing service to shut down the machine every hour." For more information, please refer to the following link: Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 System Requirements http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/system-requirements.aspx You simply need to activate online. When the software asks for product key, click next to use the default product key. Then the product will be activated for 180 days. You may also read the following blog for how to extend your activation grace period. How to Extend Your Activation Grace Period on Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 (Activate Now Message) http://blogs.technet.com/b/danstolts/archive/2009/09/16/how-to-extend-your-activation-grace-period-on-windows-server-2008-and-2008-r2-activate-now-message.aspx For further assistance, please submit a new question to the following forum which is the best resource for you. Small Business Server 2011 Essentials http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/smallbusinessserver2011essentials/threads Regards, Please 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.