Upgrade Windows Server 2008 R2 to 2012 R2.
Hello comrades, system administrators! In the next article, we’ll look at an in-place upgrade from Windows Server 2008 R2 to 2012 R2. So let’s get started.
The first step in any update is to obtain the installation media. If you’re using a virtual machine, then it’s as easy as adding an ISO to a virtual CD-R drive using Hyper-V machine settings or the VMware console. If you are upgrading a physical server, just unzip the ISO and copy it to either an additional drive or flash drive, or you can just run it from a network share.
In our scenario, I am running the installation from a network share. In both cases, the update process is the same; there is no difference between a virtual machine OS and a physical server OS as we all know very well.
Upgrade Server 2008 R2 to 2012 R2
Therefore, as I mentioned earlier. I unpacked the ISO using WinRAR.
After that, I just ran setup.exe from inside the OS. A little tip – make sure you don’t have other users logged into the server in any way, RDP or console, as the prerequisite check will fail and you’ll have to go through the setup again.
In the installation wizard, we will download the latest updates that are required to bring the server to the latest compatible state to upgrade to Windows Server 2012 R2. This is a very important step that most people choose to ignore, but it will save you the hassle after the upgrade.
Next, we will select the Windows Server 2012 R2 version. In our case, we are migrating from Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition to Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition.
After that we read the EULA from top to bottom, as it is very important. Click “Next”, and we will get to the eternal crossroads, where we need to choose, update or format. Since we want to update, we will of course choose Update!
Once you select Update, there is no turning back. The train left the station. The update process has started. Well, not quite. First, it will perform a compatibility check, and if all goes well, you will see the following screen.
Then click “Next”, take a deep breath, watch and wait for the new version of Windows to be installed on top of our old one.
If all goes well, we will be greeted by the Windows Server 2012 R2 boot screen and the Finalizing Settings window. This process will take a while, so even if it sometimes seems like it doesn’t do anything, take a break, come back later, and then log into your new OS.
Thank you for taking me on this journey to upgrade Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2012 R2. See you later! Enjoy!