If you have installed Windows Server 2019 / Windows Server 2016 StandardEvaluation or DatacenterEvaluation edition to try the new features of the Microsoft server platform (you can download Windows Server 2019 Free Trial or Windows Server 2016 Evaluation here after registering), you have 180 days to test it. During this period, all features of Windows Server 2019/2016 are available to you.
At any time, you can display the grace period expiration date for your Windows Server Evaluation edition:
Slmgr /dli
You can see the product name, description (TIMEBASED_EVAL channel) and activation expiration time.
slmgr /rearm
You can extend your Windows Server trial period for up to 5 times. Thus, the maximum lifespan of Windows Server Free Trial can be extended to 3 years = 180 days * 6 (however, under the terms of using Evaluation versions of Microsoft, you shouldn’t use the trial version for commercial purposes).
After the expiration of the trial period, the system starts asking for activation and shutting down every hour with the following events in the Event Viewer:
Log Name: System
Source: USER32
Event ID: 1074
Description:
The process C:\Windows\system32\wlms\wlms.exe Server1 has initiated the shutdown of computer Server1 on behalf of user NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM for the following reason: Other (Planned)
Reason Code: 0x80000000
Shutdown Type: shutdown
Comment: The license period for this installation of Windows has expired. The operating system is shutting down.Or:
Log Name: Application
Source: WLMS
Event ID: 100
Description: The license period for this installation of Windows has expired. The operating system will shut down every hour.Also, you see the notification Windows License is expired on your desktop.
This article should help you if you performing productive tasks in the evaluation version of Windows Server and want to upgrade it to full Windows Server edition, while keeping your data and without need to completely reinstall the operating system.
If you try to specify the KMS or the Retail/MAK product key for the Windows Server Evaluation edition, the following warning appears: “This edition cannot be upgraded”.
When you try to install the retail key using the slmgr tool (slmgr /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx) you will receive the error:
Error: 0xC004F069. On a computer running Microsoft Windows non-core edition, run ‘slui.exe 0xC004F069’ to display the error text.
But not everything is so sad :).
You can use DIM to verify if you are using Windows Server Evaluation edition. Run an elevated command prompt and execute the command:
DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
As you can see, the Current Edition line indicates that the current Windows version is — ServerStandartEval.
Get the list of Windows Server editions to which you can upgrade your current Eval edition:
DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions
As you can see, the current ServerStandardEval edition has been upgraded to the following Windows Server 2016 / Windows Server 2019 editions: ServerDatacenter or ServerStandard.
Upgrade Restrictions for Windows Server Evaluation
Here are some upgrade restrictions that you need to know before converting Windows Server Evaluation to the full edition:
- You can convert only the full GUI version of Windows Server. Server Core or Nano Server can’t be converted this way;
- You cannot upgrade a server with a domain controller role (Active Directory Domain Services role). You must demote the DC and uninstall this role first;
- It is unable to upgrade from the Windows Server Eval Datacenter to Windows Server Standard Full.
Windows Server 2016: Converting Evaluation to Licensed Version
To upgrade Windows Server Evaluation to a full version, you need to use a public KMS (GVLK) key for Windows Server 2016. The conversion is performed via the command prompt using DISM. For example, to upgrade your Eval edition to the Retail version of Windows Server 2016 Standard, use the command:
dism /online /set-edition:ServerStandard /productkey:WC2BQ-8NRM3-FDDYY-2BFGV-KHKQY /accepteula
If you specify your retail or MAK key instead of a public GVLK key in the DISM command, an error will appear:
Error 1168
The specified product key could not be validated.
Check that the specified product key is valid and that it matches the target edition.
DISM /set-edition command, it hangs by 10%. In this case, we recommend you find and stop the Software Protection Service and disable Internet access (you can even disconnect the Ethernet cable from the LAN).DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /ProductKey:CB7KF-BWN84-R7R2Y-793K2-8XDDG /AcceptEula
After you run this command, wait for the message Command completed successfully (in some cases it may take several hours!!!). After that restart your server and make sure you have a full Standard edition installed.
winver.exe
If a KMS server is deployed in your local network, you can use it to activate your Windows Server OS with the following commands:
slmgr /ipk WC2BQ-8NRM3-FDDYY-2BFGV-KHKQY (it is a GVLK key for Windows Server 2016 Standart, another product key is used for Datacenter, it is listed above)
slmgr /ato
If there is no KMS server, you can specify your MAK or Retail product key for Windows Server and activate the OS as usual: via the Internet or by phone.
Windows Server 2019: Upgrading Evaluation to Full Version
To convert Windows Server 2019 EVAL to a full edition, you need to use the GVLK (KMS) keys for Windows Server 2019. You can upgrade Windows Server 2019 edition the same way.
Convert Windows Server 2019 Evaluation to Windows Server 2019 Standard:
dism /online /set-edition:ServerStandard /productkey: N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C /accepteula
Convert Windows Server 2019 Evaluation to Windows Server 2019 Datacenter edition:
dism /online /set-edition:ServerDatacenter /productkey:WMDGN-G9PQG-XVVXX-R3X43-63DFG /accepteula
14 comments
Why can’t the GUI method be made to function correctly?
Today you can upgrade Windows Server edition only through CLI. Maybe this will be fixed in the next Windows Server build (1803)….
Your screenshot shows ‘Removing Package..10%’ (set-edition) and your next instruction is to restart machine AFTER the command has been ‘run’. Does this mean immediately, at 10%, or waiting for completion?
Ah, my machine was waiting on 10% for ages (hence the question), but it has finally completed (typical MS progress bar!). I will continue to post this in case someone else has the same doubt (perhaps you could alter the step to say to wait until it completes/100%).
Also, thank you. It appears to have worked for me (virtual machine for eductional purposes).
Would you expect the same procedure to work for Server 2012?
Of course, you need to wait for the complete of dism /online /set-edition command. Only after that you must reboot the server.
Thanks for your comment. I updated the description in the article.
In Windows Server 2012, you can also perform the upgrade correctly, but you need to use the appropriate GVLK key.
Can I convert the cmd version? I bought the standard edition to learn but got it in cmd mode.
Thank you very much, this saved a lot of work after a project was fully implemented over an evaluation version by a contractee and I got the job to activate it; somehow, this time, the Microsoft phone support was not able to find anyone who knew this solution, at least in time, and your article worked quite well.
Thanks. Very useful.
It´s so frustrating 🙁
I installed the 2016 datacenter core eval version (14393.0.161119-1705). After we bought the retail keys it´s not possible to convert to the full version and I have to reinstall everything (Server Cluster with Storage Spaces Direct). Lost three days work only because MS has WRONG informations on their site.
This information is wrong:
“For releases of Windows Server 2016 prior to 14393.0.161119-1705.RS1_REFRESH, you can only perform this conversion from evaluation to retail with Windows Server 2016 that has been installed by using the Desktop Experience option (not the Server Core option). Starting with version 14393.0.161119-1705.RS1_REFRESH and later releases, you can convert evaluation editions to retail regardless of the installation option used.”
Source:https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/windows-server/get-started/supported-upgrade-paths#span-data-ttu-id26ee3-165konvertieren-einer-aktuellen-evaluierungsversion-in-eine-aktuelle-verkaufsversionspanspan-classsxs-lookupspan-data-stu-id26ee3-165converting-a-current-evaluation-version-to-a-current-retail-versionspanspan
DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
ServerDatacenterEvalCor
DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions says this version can´t be converted.
Even with the current newest eval version it´s not possible to concert the datacenter core version!
Thanks. Very useful.
Thanks. Very useful…
Thanks for the useful tips. In case it saves anyone some time, I can confirm that upgrading from Server 2019 Core Eval to Server 2019 Core Standard-or-datacentre fails, and the workaround that I had hoped to pull (install the GUI, do the Edition upgrade, strip the GUI out again) has also had the door slammed in its face by Microsoft apparently yanking this capability out of Windows when I wasn’t looking…..
https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2017/04/05/switching-between-windows-server-2016-server-core-and-desktop-experience/
So far as I can tell, the only path to get from EVAL-Core to Licensed-Core is through a rebuild.
Thanks very much for a very useful artical – just one thing I wanted to comment on – You mention above that a Windows domain contoller must be demoted first. Somehow I neglected to read that and performed this on a Domain controller running Windows Service 2016 Std Eval and it successfully ‘upgraded’ to Windows Server 2016 Standard.. so far with seemingly no detrimental effect on the domain – I panicked a bit after I read this a second time and spotted that limitation so perfomed a number of checks on the AD and systems logs etc. and all seems fine.
Same panick here at first. ToDo -> Convert Eval to Full on a Domain Controller. That is not supported! From elevated cmd prompt the installation of productkey was less then one hour. Hangs a bit at 10%. At first reboot of Domain Controller, the DC was incorrectly connected to private network instead of domain network. After gpupdate and a few (2x) restarts everything seems fine again. Sidenote: I did however had to reactivate Windows also through the GUI. Checked Winver.exe and seems fine.