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You Need to Know : How to Converting existing Windows Server 2012 versions

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  Hi all :

  At any time after installing Windows Server 2012, you can run Setup to repair the installation (sometimes called “repair in place”) or, in certain cases, you can convert to a different edition.

  You can run Setup to perform a “repair in place” on any edition of Windows Server 2012; the result will be the same edition you started with.

  For Windows Server 2012 Standard, you can the system to Windows Server 2012 Datacenter as follows:

  From an elevated command prompt, determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition.

 

  Make note of the edition ID, an abbreviated form of the edition name. Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition:<edition ID> /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, providing the edition ID and a retail product key.

 

  And press Enter :

 

  Note : About KMS Client setup key , you can find it from : https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx

  Press Y and the server will restart twice. When you logon again , the version is converted to Datacenter :

 

 

 

   Enjoy!

   Justin Gao

   Microsoft (China)

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Thanks Ryan. You are right.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi Raghu: You can use Dism /online /get-targeteditions command in Powershell to check your target OS version. You can not downgrade Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition to Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

    • Anonymous
      June 23, 2016
      Hi,I have installed Win 2012 R2 Standard Edition and make it as Domain Controller and not activated. Since i was having license only for Win 2012 R2 DataCenter. I convert the edition from standard to Datacenter by following the above procedure and by using the Datacenter Product key and after restarting the system i found no issue. Edition is change to DataCenter and it is activated. Any Advice.Thanks.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    thanks

  • Anonymous
    September 23, 2012
    Generous delication and Sharing for the new sophisticated Tech, we would learn more than. Much appreciated,

  • Anonymous
    September 25, 2012
    Hi Justin, is it possible also convert from Datacenter to Standard edition ?

  • Anonymous
    March 25, 2013
    Hi i have Server 2012 Standard, how can i downgrade to Server 2012 Essentials ?

  • Anonymous
    December 06, 2013
    Hi Justin, I am trying to license my ServerStandardEval.  I have tried your method and is says that "this Windows image cannot upfrade to the ediion of Winsows that was specified. The uprgrade cannot proceed. Run the /Get-TargetEditions" When I run the Get-TargetEditions it tells me I can upgrade to standard or datacenter. Conflictin information??  Any thoughts?

  • Anonymous
    December 10, 2013
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 21, 2014
    Thank You !!

  • Anonymous
    May 16, 2014
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 16, 2014
    Never mind. I realized what I did wrong. I needed to put what my target licensed edition is and not what I currently had. Replaced ServerStandardEval with ServerStandard and it licensed right up.

    Hope this helps someone else!

  • Anonymous
    July 04, 2014
    I have win 2012 server Standar Evaluation, and I need to convert in Normal Standar providing a serie, WITHOUT reformat and resintall... how can I do ti?

  • Anonymous
    August 12, 2014
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    December 02, 2014
    Thnk you, very good,,, thanks

  • Anonymous
    February 07, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    June 02, 2015
    Hi, If I do the upgrade from WS 2012 Standard R2 to Datacenter, Could I lost my configuration? or my CAL License.

    Thanks

  • Anonymous
    June 03, 2015
    Hi Marco :
    Upgrade not change your configuration and CAL license.

  • Anonymous
    June 08, 2015
    Thanks Justin!

  • Anonymous
    June 10, 2015
    Further, If I do the upgrade from WS 2012 Standard R2 to Datacenter, my installed programs Could lose functions?

  • Anonymous
    June 10, 2015
    No, don't lose any functions or configuration :)

  • Anonymous
    June 16, 2015
    Luis C asked my question Justin Gao answer it perfectly. The problem is solved. 2 hours on the telephone to Microsoft gained me the words to Google, convert edition. Thank you VERY MUCH.

  • Anonymous
    July 22, 2015
    Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for!

  • Anonymous
    August 11, 2015
    Hello,
    If that server already added role and promote it to a domain, what is the problem if we convert the Evaluate to Full retail?
    Thanks

  • Anonymous
    October 14, 2015
    Will this also work for 2008 R2?

  • Anonymous
    October 16, 2015
    Hi I have Server 2012 Standard in trial mode. Can I convert it to Essentials with new key?.

  • Anonymous
    October 26, 2015
    How to upgrade the Preview Version into Proper Retail OS of DC Edition. Unable to do so, following is the result:

    DISM /Online /Get-TargetEditions

    OS edition is Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

    The Output result is:

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The current edition cannot be upgraded to any target editions

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  • Anonymous
    November 13, 2015
    Thats it! This helped me a lot! It worked.
    Even in the MS TechNet-Site they have a wrong syntax (...product-key: instead of ...productkey)

  • Anonymous
    November 19, 2015
    Will this work from Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 (The free Hypervisor from Microsoft) to DataCenter Server 2012 R2?

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2015
    Hi Albert Kon:
    Yes, also worked for Windows Server 2008 R2.

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2015
    Hi Aca:
    No, you can't.
    You can not downgrade Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition to Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2015
    Hi Danish:
    Preview edition isn't complete edition, so you can't use this command.

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2015
    Hi Robert:
    Essentially, Hyper-V server is a server core edition of the Windows Server OS, and thus all the rules that apply for Windows Server Core installations (such as not being able to be upgraded from server core to full server) applies all the same to Hyper-V server.

  • Anonymous
    January 02, 2016
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 05, 2016
    Yes...had to put the target (ServerStandard) to get it to work. Thank you!

  • Anonymous
    January 05, 2016
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 05, 2016
    Hi Paulin:
    Please refer this link : https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn303416.aspx
    Use upgrade option.

  • Anonymous
    January 29, 2016
    Hi Justin, thanks for the post. I was almost angry, but then I realized that I type Standar, without the d behind. Its all works now.

  • Anonymous
    July 21, 2016
    Thank you, converted all my Server 2012R2 Standard to Datacenter without issues. I was also able to convert my Domain Controllers (without demoting them) I used DISM /Online /Get-TargetEditions on my Domain Controllers and it showedC:\Windows\system32>DISM /Online /Get-TargetEditionDeployment Image Servicing and Management toolVersion: 6.3.9600.17031Image Version: 6.3.9600.17031Editions that can be upgraded to:Target Edition : ServerDatacenterThe operation completed successfully.

  • Anonymous
    October 05, 2016
    Justin, Thank you so much this worked perfectly!

  • Anonymous
    January 30, 2017
    Just verified, you CAN convert Windows Server 2016 Essentials to 2016 Standard. Thank you SOO much for this. One of my technicians setup our RDS server for our Billing department with Essentials... Brilliant.Cheers!

  • Anonymous
    May 08, 2017
    Maybe it's not the right place to make this questions but i'm going to do. I have installed Windows Server 2012 Standart Evaluation and i haven't purchased it yet. Before i make the purchase i want to know if is any type of license that i can update later to Windows Server 2016? Thank you!

    • Anonymous
      June 12, 2017
      hi Klevis :There is have not.