Install, upgrade, or migrate to Windows Server

Applies to: Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008

Extended support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 ends in January 2020. Learn about your upgrade options. To download Windows Server 2019, see Windows Server Evaluations.

Is it time to move to a newer version of Windows Server? Depending on what you’re running now, you have lots of options to get there.

Clean install

The simplest way to install Windows Server is to perform a clean installation, where you install on a blank server or overwrite an existing operating system. That is the simplest way, but you will need to back up your data first and plan to reinstall your applications. There are a few things to be aware of, such as system requirements, so be sure to check the details for Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2012.

In-place upgrade

If you want to keep the same hardware and all the server roles you have set up without flattening the server, you’ll want to do an In-place Upgrade, by which you go from an older operating system to a newer one, keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact. For example, if your server is running Windows Server 2012 R2, you can upgrade it to Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019. However, not every older operating system has a pathway to every newer one.

For step-by-step guidance on upgrading, review the Windows Server upgrade content.

Cluster OS rolling upgrade

Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade enables an administrator to upgrade the operating system of the cluster nodes from Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016 without stopping the Hyper-V or the Scale-Out File Server workloads. This feature allows you to avoid downtime which could impact Service Level Agreements. This new feature is discussed in more detail at Cluster operating system rolling upgrade.

Migration

Windows Server migration is when you move one role or feature at a time from a source computer that is running Windows Server to another destination computer that is running Windows Server, either the same or a newer version. For these purposes, migration is defined as moving one role or feature and its data to a different computer, not upgrading the feature on the same computer.

License conversion

In some operating system releases, you can convert a particular edition of the release to another edition of the same release in a single step with a simple command and the appropriate license key. This is called license conversion. For example, if your server is running Windows Server 2016 Standard, you can convert it to Windows Server 2016 Datacenter. Keep in mind that while you can move up from Server 2016 Standard to Server 2016 Datacenter, you are unable to reverse the process and go from Datacenter to Standard. In some releases of Windows Server, you can also freely convert among OEM, volume-licensed, and retail versions with the same command and the appropriate key.

Operating System Upgrades

An audio device’s driver and registry settings can frequently be preserved across operating system upgrades. The discussion below presents some guidelines for accomplishing this.

Preserving Audio Settings

An audio adapter driver can keep track of its current device settings—chiefly volume levels and mute settings—in the system registry. The driver typically stores these settings in the system-supplied driver key (represented by the INF keyword HKR) under the subkey «Settings». When the user alters these settings through a control panel or other audio application, the driver updates the appropriate registry entries. Each time the system boots, the driver restores the device settings from the registry.

When upgrading from Windows Me/98 to Windows XP or Windows 2000, the Windows installation program is unable to preserve these settings.

However, when upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows Me, or from one NT-based operating system to another (for example, from Windows 2000 to Windows XP), the installation program leaves the driver’s existing registry settings intact. Users largely prefer this behavior because it preserves the adjustments they have made to the system over time instead of forcing them to try to restore their settings manually each time they upgrade the operating system.

Some proprietary drivers, however, blindly overwrite these registry settings with defaults each time they are installed. A better approach is for a driver to determine at installation time whether certain driver-specific registry entries already exist. If they do exist, the driver should preserve the settings that are contained in these entries instead of overwriting them.

The directives in the add-registry section of the driver’s INF file specify whether existing registry entries should be overwritten. For more information, see the description of the FLG_ADDREG_NOCLOBBER flag in INF AddReg Directive.

Migration DLL

During an upgrade from Windows Me/98 to an NT-based operating system (Windows 2000 and later), the Windows installation program treats a device driver that was installed under Windows Me/98 as incompatible and discards both the driver and its registry settings.

In addition, if the Windows 2000 setup program finds no in-box driver support for the device, the program immediately prompts the user to provide the driver software. In Windows XP and later, if the setup program is unable to find a suitable driver either in-box or at the Windows Update site, it waits until the upgrade has completed to inform the user of the missing driver.

Although a driver cannot avoid the loss of its registry settings during such an upgrade, Microsoft recommends the use of a migration DLL to reinstall a compatible driver transparently to the user. For this purpose, Microsoft provides the Devupgrd migration DLL, which is included in the Setup Plug and Play samples in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). The sample includes a help file that describes the migration DLL.

The migration DLL should be used only with WDM drivers that are initially installed under Windows Me/98 but are also capable of running on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Note that the migration DLL cannot upgrade drivers from Windows Me/98 to Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or later. It can only upgrade drivers from Windows Me/98 to Windows XP or Windows 2000.

During the upgrade from Windows Me/98 to Windows XP or Windows 2000, the migration DLL does the following:

Reads the device driver’s migration information from its location in the Windows Me/98 registry.

Adds the necessary information to the driver’s INF file to ensure that the device installs properly under Windows XP or Windows 2000.

To make the migration information available later to the Windows XP or Windows 2000 setup program, the INF file that installs the device under Windows Me/98 should do the following:

Copy the migration DLL to an INF-specified backup directory and add that directory’s path name to the Windows Me/98 registry.

Add to the registry the device IDs that identify the devices that can migrate.

Save backup copies of the device driver files (.sys and .inf) into INF-specified backup directories and add those directories’ path names to the registry.

During the upgrade, the Windows XP or Windows 2000 setup program adds the backup directory names to the INF search path for the registered device IDs.

As discussed above, the setup program discards the driver’s registry settings during an upgrade from Windows Me/98 to Windows XP or Windows 2000. The driver reinstallation that is performed with the help of a migration DLL is a «clean install» in which the driver’s volume, mute, and other settings assume their initial, default values.

Create a task sequence to upgrade an OS in Configuration Manager

Applies to: Configuration Manager (current branch)

Use task sequences in Configuration Manager to automatically upgrade an OS on a destination computer. This upgrade can be from Windows 7 or later to Windows 10, or from Windows Server 2012 or later to Windows Server 2016 or later. Create a task sequence that references an OS upgrade package or feature update and any other content to install, such as applications or software updates. The task sequence to upgrade an OS is part of the Upgrade Windows to the latest version scenario.

Starting in version 2103, you can upgrade by using a feature update deployed with the task sequence. This integration combines the simplicity of Windows servicing with the flexibility of task sequences. Servicing uses content that you synchronize through the software update point. This process simplifies the need to manually get, import, and maintain the Windows image content used with a standard task sequence to upgrade Windows. The size of the servicing ESD file is generally smaller than the OS upgrade package and WIM image file.

Prerequisites

Before you create the task sequence, make sure the following requirements are in place:

Required

An OS upgrade package is available in the Configuration Manager console.

Starting in version 2103, you can also use a feature update. In this case, the OS upgrade package isn’t required. For more information, see Requirements for a feature update in a task sequence.

When upgrading to Windows Server 2016 or later, select the Ignore any dismissable compatibility messages setting in the Upgrade Operating System task sequence step. Otherwise the upgrade fails.

Required (if used)

Synchronize software updates in the Configuration Manager console.

Add applications to the Configuration Manager console.

Requirements for a feature update in a task sequence

Synchronize the software update point to include the Upgrades classification. For more information, see Configure classifications and products.

For a deployment package that contains the feature update, distribute it to a distribution point that the client can access. For more information, see Download software updates.

If the feature update isn’t already downloaded, you can manage the deployment package when you deploy the task sequence.

When you deploy the task sequence, you can also select the option of No deployment package for the feature update. When clients run the task sequence, they download the feature update from peers or the Microsoft cloud.

The option to Pre-download content for this task sequence doesn’t apply to feature updates.

Review the configuration of the following client settings in the Software Updates group, which are applicable to this scenario:

Specify thread priority for feature updates: In most instances, set this value to Normal.

Enable Dynamic Update for feature updates: Use this setting to use dynamic update to install language packs, features on demand, drivers, and cumulative updates during Windows Setup. Clients download these other updates from the internet.

Allow clients to download delta content when available: If you use Windows Delivery Optimization, the content that the client downloads may be much smaller.

Known issues with feature updates in a task sequence

Create a new task sequence

If you need to create a new task sequence, you need an OS upgrade package to complete the Create Task Sequence Wizard.

To create a task sequence to upgrade an OS to Windows 10, you typically use the steps in the Process section. The task sequence includes the Upgrade OS step, as well as additional recommended steps and groups to handle the end-to-end upgrade process.

You can create a custom task sequence and add the Upgrade OS step. If you choose this method, also add the Restart Computer step after the Upgrade OS step. Make sure to use the setting for The currently installed default operating system to restart the computer into the installed OS and not Windows PE.

If you have an existing Windows 10 in-place upgrade task sequence, edit or copy it. Then change the Upgrade OS task sequence step to install the feature update.

Export, import, and migrate task sequences

If you export a task sequence with the Upgrade OS step that uses a feature update, the exported task sequence doesn’t include the feature update content. When you import the task sequence, readd the Upgrade OS step with the feature update.

This behavior is similar if you migrate a task sequence with a feature update between hierarchies.

Create prestaged content file

You can’t currently use the action to Create prestaged content file for a task sequence with a feature update.

Create standalone media

Standalone media isn’t supported for a task sequence with a feature update. When you try to create standalone media, it fails with entries similar to the following in CreateTSMedia.log:

Process

To upgrade the OS on clients, create a task sequence and select Upgrade an operating system from upgrade package in the Create Task Sequence Wizard. The wizard adds the task sequence steps to upgrade the OS, apply software updates, and install applications.

In the Configuration Manager console, go to the Software Library workspace, expand Operating Systems, and then select Task Sequences.

On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Create group, select Create Task Sequence.

On the Create a New Task Sequence page of the Create Task Sequence Wizard, select Upgrade an operating system from an upgrade package, and then select Next.

On the Task Sequence Information page, specify the following settings:

Task sequence name: Specify a name that identifies the task sequence.

Description: Optionally specify a description.

On the Upgrade the Windows Operating System page, specify the following settings:

Upgrade package: Specify the upgrade package that contains the OS upgrade source files. Verify that you’ve selected the correct upgrade package by looking at the information in the Properties pane. For more information, see Manage OS upgrade packages.

Edition index: If there are multiple OS edition indexes available in the package, select the edition index you want. By default, the wizard selects the first index.

Product key: Specify the Windows product key for the OS to install. Specify encoded volume license keys or standard product keys. If you use a standard product key, separate each group of five characters by a dash ( — ). For example: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX . When the upgrade is for a volume license edition, the product key may not be required.

This product key can be a multiple activation key (MAK), or a generic volume licensing key (GVLK). A GVLK is also referred to as a key management service (KMS) client setup key. For more information, see Plan for volume activation. For a list of KMS client setup keys, see KMS client setup keys in the Windows Server activation guide.

Ignore any dismissable compatibility messages: Select this setting if you’re upgrading to Windows Server 2016 or later. If you don’t select this setting, the task sequence fails to complete because Windows Setup is waiting for the user to select Confirm on a Windows app compatibility dialog.

On the Include Updates page, specify whether to install required, all, or no software updates. Then select Next. If you specify to install software updates, Configuration Manager installs only those updates targeted to the collections of which the destination computer is a member.

On the Install Applications page, specify the applications to install on the destination computer, and then select Next. If you select more than one application, also specify whether the task sequence should continue if the installation of a specific application fails.

Complete the wizard.

When the task sequence runs on a device, the Configuration Manager client creates several scripts to control the task sequence behavior in various scenarios. When the task sequence completes, the client doesn’t remove these scripts until the computer restarts. These script files don’t contain sensitive information.

Customize

The default task sequence template for Windows 10 in-place upgrade includes other groups with recommended actions to add before and after the upgrade process. These actions are common among many customers who are successfully upgrading devices to Windows 10. For more information, see In-place upgrade recommendations.

Next steps

The pre-cache feature for available deployments of task sequences lets clients download relevant OS upgrade package content before a user installs the task sequence. For more information, see Configure pre-cache content.