10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation!

- 240 days Evaluation

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Server 2008 R2 Workstation activation, delay, desktop, rearm, rearm count, remove, slmgr.vbs, watermark Add Comment (70)
240 days Evaluation
Different License types
There are 3 different types of licenses with corresponding dvds for Windows Server 2008 R2: Volume License, OEM and Timebased Evaluation. All these licenses have different time
limits before you have to activate in order to continue using the Operating System. There is a possibility to reset the evaluation period for a few times which is called rearming. This
method is also explained in the Microsoft Knowledge Base . The different licenses with corresponding DVD-image, hashes and evaluation times are as follows:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation English (TIMEBASED_EVAL) Usable: (10 days + 5 * 10 days using rearm) + 180 days after activating = 240 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_eval_en-us-GRMSXEVAL_EN_DVD.iso (download )
SHA1: 799BF8DA077A3E842AA97C990E468B3AA7BDA4EB
MD5: 134F607CF4C633EF11D2576D1C635D08
Windows Server 2008 R2 OEM English (RETAIL) Usable without activation: 30 days + 3 * 30 days using rearm = 120 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_en-us_OEM-GRMSXFREO_EN_DVD.iso (only available for OEM manufacturers)
SHA1: 515A9E7F4C7DF41AACA6872CB806DABD15BF7D64
MD5: 4FFB420543F5A9265BE5EEDB6C4E55A2
Windows Server 2008 R2 VL English (VOLUME_KMSCLIENT) Usable without activation: 30 days + 3 * 30 days using rearm = 120 days
Filename: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_en-us_VL-GRMSXVOL_EN_DVD.iso (only available for MSDN and TechNet subscribers)
SHA1: AD855EA913AAEC3F1D0E1833C1AEF7A0DE326B0A
MD5: 0207EF392C60EFDDA92071B0559CA0F9
As you can see you can use the evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 for free for 6 months and even for more than 7 months if you use the rearm method described below!
Rearming
1. Check your remaining time by clicking Run in the Start menu and entering slmgr.vbs -dli. After clicking OK a window will show up which shows you the remaining time before
expiration.
2. If you have less than one day left rearm your license so you have 10 days left again. To do this click Run in the Start menu, enter slmgr.vbs -rearm and click OK. After a few moments a
window will popup that shows you the rearm has been completed and you have to restart your system.
Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation!
WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2 TO WORKSTATION MANUAL
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 2/14
3. After restaring your system verify that the rearm has worked by running slmgr.vbs -dli again. The remaining time should now be reset to 10 days!
Checking rearm count left
You can rearm the Evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 up to 5 times. To check how much rearms you have left click Run in the Start menu, enter slmgr.vbs -dlv and click OK
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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Activating
1. After you used all rearms its time to activate. To activate click Activate Windows online now Windows Activation assistant.
2. Wait until the online key verification and activation has finished.
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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3. If everything went right Windows will now be activated with a 180 days license and a watermark appears on your desktop.
Removing Desktop Watermark
1. Download watermark.zip (9KB) from win2008r2workstation.
2. After downloading the zip extract the zip, run install.cmd as an Administrator and follow the instructions on the screen. After a successful installation, reboot your pc to remove the
watermark. If you want to do this manually, open %SystemRoot%\System32\en-US\user32.dll.mui with a resource editor and replace the strings in the following resources with a space (
): 45.715, 45.716, 46.* and 47.739.
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 5/14
If you get a sharing violation error during the installation, try running it again in Safe Mode. I Couldnt test it myself because for some reason I cant get into Safe Mode. Please confirm this
works!
70 comments so far...
jesenice Said on August 17th, 2009 at 9:19 am:
Is this method (http://www.mcflymethod.com ) working on R2?
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 18th, 2009 at 11:37 am:
Can someone confirm this:
I installed Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM and tried doing the mcfly method but noticed that the SL UI service was gone and only SLUI.exe was left in the System32 folder and the
SLUA.exe and the SLUINotify.dll was gone.
I took ownership of the SLUI.exe and granted me all permissions and deleted it, changed the date to 2019 and restarted, all went well and the system told me it was non genuine and
my license had expired as usual down there in the right corner of the desktop, and all functionality and features was there and there were no problems and the system properties
said I had to activate now but the SLUI.exe was deleted so it could not haha, so i changed back the date to 2009 and the system properties told me there was 10 days left before
activation, but I guess that wont happen since SLUI.exe is no more.
This method seems to work to bypass activation, but I need confirmation, anyone tried this yet?
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm:
Ok I have tested this some more and everything seems to work, I installed the desktop experience with Windows 7 features and it worked, I have run slmgr.vbs -dli and it tells
me that my experation grace has ended but I recive no notifications on activating, thats good.
I found a service that I also shut down, SPP Notification Software activation and notifications, I dont know if this has something to do with Windows Activation but it worked
flawlessly.
Im currently using various programs, like Windows Media Player etc etc. No problems, I keppe changing dates to see if theres something but nothing no activation notification or
anything everythings gone, guess it worked, but Ill keep an eye open, you never know
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 18th, 2009 at 2:16 pm:
Ok using slmgr -dli I also found out that my License status is now Notification and checking the event viewer entry WinLogon also confirm this. I have set the date to 2059 and
The Best Servers Period
All Our Servers Provide the Highest Level of Transparency & Control.
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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all is up and running all my favourite apps. Oh well
Valorisa Said on August 19th, 2009 at 11:58 am:
Hello,
Look the Windows Licensing Monitoring Service.
You cant disable it.
Valorisa
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 20th, 2009 at 6:38 am:
Yeah I noticedhmmm but how much influence does it have on Windows activation? I mean I have havent noticed anything more than the watermark saying its not
genuine and my license has expired and that the slmgr.vbs -dli says that Im in Notification mode and in System properties that I have to activate now.
I installed Windows on August 17th and from that day I had 10 days to activate not changing anything, today its August 20th giving me 7 days left, but I have changed the date so
many times so the trial period was over a long long time ago and it still works without any signs of activation or notifications.
I think removing SLUI.exe from the System32 folder and disabling the SPP Notification service is enough, no activation, no notifaction, nothing.
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 20th, 2009 at 9:47 am:
UPDATE!
Ok I decided to test this some more so I did a clean install with todays date.
System properties told me as usual 10 days to activate.
I changed the date to 11 days ahead, restarted and got the notification you must activate now or later etc. etc.
I pressed activate later and windows started with a black desktop with watermarks down in the corner saying that windows is not genuine and license has expired, I did a slmgr.vbs -
rearm to reset so I got 10 more days and restarted and got another notification that I have to activate windows in 10 days or I will lose functionality and features.
I changed the date once more after this and got the same notification from the first time with the same black desktop.
Went in, took control over the SLUI.exe in System32 folder and disabled the SPP Notification service in services, restarted and the activation notifications was gone and the desktop
was blue as normal but with watermarks of course, however whenever I go into system properties I got a Software licensing notification that my windows is not genuine.
I didnt got any kind of notifications when I first did a clean install on august 17th thats because I removed the SLUI.exe and shut down the SPP Notification service immediately after
installation otherwise if you let the 10 days expire I think you trigger something.
Well I must test this some more, but I think this is the solution to remove activation and the notifications entirely.
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 20th, 2009 at 11:29 am:
Ok heres another update.
I have been investigating some things for the last couple of hours.
First of the procedure mentioned above doesnt trigger anything thats because I made some changes to the control panel view, listed not a link the absolute first time i installed this
release and thats why I didnt got the Software licensing notification by clicking control panel.
And the SPP Notification service probably doesnt have anything to do with anything in this case.
I think my final conclusion to this topic is that you can stop the activation and its process + its notifications by deleting SLUI.exe but you cant skip the software licensing notification
telling you youre not running genuine microsoft software every time you enter the control panel unless you change the view to list instead of a link.
So windows will stay in notification mode forever without activation ever.
Over and out!
Johnny Said on August 21st, 2009 at 7:23 pm:
Thanks for the investigation Dark Server 2008, Ill do this ater my rearm days are over. I hope there will be a patch to remove the watermark soon.
Anonymous Said on August 21st, 2009 at 11:06 pm:
Hello,
Thanks for your numerous licencing tests.
Dont remove SLUI.exe but keep it in an other directory
Valorisa
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 22nd, 2009 at 9:18 am:
Thanks for your feedback!
Valorisa youre right move it to another folder, I usually create a folder namned Backup Activation Files in the Documents folder, I was a bit unclear when I said delete it, thanks!
Johnny you can actually remove it yourself if you dont want to download any kind of patch.
I think this guide could work because it worked for Server 2008 so this should also work for R2, here you go:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/11/23/remove-and-disable-windows-vista-evaluation-watermark-from-desktop/
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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Anonymous Said on August 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 am:
Hello Dark Server 2008,
The mcfly s method works fine with the date 2015, for example. I cross my fingers by hoping that will work again and a long time
Your help is precious, relevant and reliable.
Have you try this method with windows 7 ?
Thank you very much.
Valorisa
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 22nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm:
I havent actually tried this for Windows 7 the reason is that Im not really into regular Windows versions, I have this obsession with server releases ever since the day I first
installed Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and wow I didnt regret it one bit.
But yes McFlys method works very well and I didnt think that it would even work on R2, I actually thought that they would have solved it somehow making it impossible to bypass
activation thank god that I took the time to test this out and I have tested some other things recently.
I was curious about the Software Protection/Licensing service, you cant really stop it because it has connections with the Windows Licensing service wich cant be disabled or
stopped but the Software Protection/Licensing service can be disabled and doing so will make the computer unbootable, every time the system starts up it resets itself you cant even
enter safe mode to turn the service on again so touching this service is a bad idea!
Also touching these files is also not good and they are located in the System32 folder also connected with this service, SPPSVC.EXE and the SPPUINOTIFY.DLL making the system
unbootable as mentioned above.
I havent really figured out what the SPP Notification service does though because it seems safe do both disabling and stop it and has no known side-effects that I have seen yet.
So wanting just to skip activation and its notifications just requires taking ownership of SLUI.exe and move it to another folder, change the date a couple of years ahead to test it and
you are home free so it seems that you dont have to worry about any services in this release wich is good and if you dont want any nags about your Windows not being genuine
every time you enter control panel I sugest that you change to menu/list view instead of a link.
I must say that this release is very good, I just hope that Intel will release some proper display drivers soon because I dont like having RC drivers on my system.
I have noticed a slight performance boost with this new release, my system starts a lot faster and it seems faster somehow but maybe its all in my mind and I have alot more to test,
god I love Windows Server.
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 22nd, 2009 at 6:04 pm:
Well well it looks like the Vista Drivers I used for 2008 worked flawlessly for R2 jippi!!
And everything seems a lot faster, I noticed quite some performance boost running all my emulators.
I have tuned everything perfect now, disabled alot of unnecessary services since I dont use Internet/Network on that machine so its not necessary to have all those enabled and all
other unnecessary things like firewall, windows update etc etc.
And since I only use that machine for gaming all windows 7 features like themes etc is all disabled, no eye candy no nothing, just plain simple as possible only for performance.
They have done quite a good job with this release and Im as satisfied as I can be now.
Valorisa Said on August 23rd, 2009 at 12:24 pm:
Hello Dark Server 2008,
Thanks for your relevant explanation.
Have you try to remove the watermark because the modified file user32.dll.mui is regenerate automaticaly by the original when i want to replace it ?
An idea please
I appreciate your help.
Valorisa
Dark Server 2008 Said on August 23rd, 2009 at 9:05 pm:
I havent tried removing the watermark yet, I know it was really easy on 2008 using Resource tuner made by Heaven tools but honestly I cant say that the watermark bothers
me that much.
I think using a wall paper can hide it pretty well, I have a FBI wall paper wich are black/white/greyish and were the watermark is it is white making it non visible almost.
Honestly I dont like messing around to much with windows files or installing software to modify these kind of files, I want my os to be as clean as possible so a simple wall paper fix is
good for me.
jesenice Said on August 28th, 2009 at 10:37 am:
Thanks for all the info, i also like this release, very very stable, i havent even shut it down since installation 6 days ago.
Im just curious what functionality and features will be disabled after evaluation. Everywhere is written some functionality and features but nowhere which functionality and features.
Anybody have a list of disabled stuff after evaluation?
Lysergic Said on August 29th, 2009 at 3:07 am:
I am getting errors with windows updates using this method. NT6.0 still received updates with mcfly method.
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Lysergic Said on August 29th, 2009 at 6:05 am:
Updates do not work with this method.
1. Didnt activate, just deleted slui.exe and put BIOS ahead in time. = error code for updates.
2. Activated 180day evaluation. Deleted slui.exe and put BIOS ahead in time = check for updates but none available. (but there should be).
jesenice Said on August 31st, 2009 at 8:29 am:
After 10 days I got several messages that I must activate Windows and on the desktop the watermark appeared. After 1-2 hours the computer shuts down. I applied slmgr.vbs
-rearm and now I have 10 days left. Now I know what is not working It shuts down every two hours
ledzep Said on September 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 pm:
Checking rearm count left
no need to download Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool
just run slmgr.vbs -dlv (v for verbose i guess)
and its all right there
the real questions are and I would appreciate a clarification here:
quoting from MS http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=96a3a4b4-9453-4d30-97aa-c977560a0da4&displaylang=en :
This software is for evaluation and testing purposes. The evaluation is available in ISO format. Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions are available via the same
download. You will be prompted for edition installation at setup. Evaluating any version of Windows Server 2008 R2 software does not require entering a product key, however will
require activation within 10 days. Failing to activate the evaluation will cause the licensing service to shut the machine down every hour (The 10 day activation period can be reset
five (5) times by using the rearm command. See below for further information on activation rearm). Once activated, the evaluation will run for 180 days. After this time, you will need to
uninstall the evaluation software and reinstall a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008 R2.
1. what about TIMEBASED_EVAL edition activation? Do we have to enter a key or is it activated automatically for 180 days with no key entered from us? Is the key included in the
iso?
2. what happens after the 180 days expire and no rearms left?does the kill switch mode (computer shuts down every 1-2 hours) kick back in, or it goes in reduced functionality
mode (no optional updates etc) like server 2k8? Thats my main concern since in kill switch mode the os is practically unusable, while we can survive with no optional updates.
3. during in kill switch mode does the mcfly method works? has anybody tried that? does it prevent the automatic shutdowns?
4. having done the installation with the TIMEBASED_EVAL edition iso, and the 180 days evaluation period (if possible) has expired, can we later activate with a proper key from
msdnaa? I expect a key from the university but it could take like a year as it seems.
thanx in advance, keep up the great work
Mike Said on September 7th, 2009 at 5:48 am:
I followed the instructions deleting SLUI.exe and all works fine changing dates, except for some windows aplications (i has not tested much) wen you open per example,
wordpad, calc etc, appears a window telling you that its not an original copy of windows
jesenice Said on September 12th, 2009 at 6:23 pm:
@ledzep: I activated so called TIMEBASED_EVAL edition with proper MAK key and now I have activated server for unlimited time
Jonathan Chan Said on September 14th, 2009 at 6:14 am:
Hello all, this is my attempt to automate the new Server 2008 R2 Activation method.
Its in a batch file:
http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/1376714/Server2008R2ActivationStop.zip
If you want you can open the batch file to check it out.
Im sorry if it doesnt work I cant really test it.
Anonymous Said on September 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pm:
O.K., you can disable Software Protection. But the thing is if it starts again after the grace period has expired, you will have the nag messages, even if the service is
stopped.
And adding Roles or Features does not succeed unless Software Protection is enabled and set to Auto.
I have found out how to disable the nag messages at any time (if you have a backup). Here is how:
You must restore the following registry value:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlProductOptions]ProductPolicy
But it is not as easy as it sounds. If you just paste the value back or use a .reg file, it wont survive a reboot. The value is in use by the system. I dont know why I can change it in the
first place, but anyway, it does not work.
Instead, you have to restore the complete SYSTEM registry hive, but without losing all other most recent changes. Otherwise the added Roles or Features would be lost of course
;-). I have used Registry Workshop (http://www.torchsoft.com ) for that, but you can likely do it with any registry editor, including the windows one.
Just make sure to edit the registry completely Offline, so a second windows installation, backup or recovery console will be needed.
Load the SYSTEM registry hive. Instead of CurrentControlSet, you will see ControlSet001; thats because CurrentControlSet is normally a link to ControlSet001 when the
registry is in use. If in doubt, you can look at SYSTEMSelect; all existing ControlSets are identified there. But normally it is ControlSet001.
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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Now replace ControlSet001ControlProductOptions]ProductPolicy with the value from your backup.
Its a good idea to also check if ControlSet001ServicessppsvcStart is set to 4 (disabled); otherwise Windows will immediately cancel all your work once started.
If you unload the hive it will be saved. Overwrite the original SYSTEM hive with it and youre done; you could also have edited the original in place of course -.
With Registry Workshop you can do it all with one Windows, otherwise you will need a second installation, backup or the recovery console to overwrite the registry.
Good luck! Should work with Windows 7 too -.
Anonymous Said on September 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm:
Not the best solution but at least one step more:
[removed]
Arris: Dont advocate piracy please!
aceofspades Said on September 29th, 2009 at 8:37 am:
If you are a US student you can just get a free and legal student key from dreamspark.com
Ill admit I am quite a pirate but it really was easy. I just signed up using my email address and verified that I was a student. They listed my small community college and everything.
microsoft, start screwing up more I need more reason to complain about you guys. I mean between windows 7 and giving away free software to students, it has been harder to
complain about how terrible microsoft is. Darn, I guess Ill just have to try harder.
nooonne Said on October 1st, 2009 at 9:36 pm:
@aceofspades
the dreamspark.com program is not just avaible for US students, alot of european student are entitled get free copy of win server 2k8 r2 (standard, x64) for free.
Anonymous Said on October 13th, 2009 at 10:56 am:
if you buy a technet plus subscription for the $350 or so microsoft wants, youll get access to most microsoft software (depending on your subscription plan), including valid
licenses for windows server 2008/2008 r2 and windows 7
danny c Said on October 19th, 2009 at 9:24 pm:
here is the Non-crack activation by Mcfly method
http://www.mcflymethod.com
Its amazing!
carrp Said on October 20th, 2009 at 4:31 pm:
Okay, Mcflys method is working, but will it survive the installation of Windows updates?
Eric Said on October 31st, 2009 at 8:42 am:
@Dark Server 2008
Hey, Ive never used the server version before. I am very curious about it and would like to know your experiences with it, and why it was such an impact on you for you to switch
over, permanently.
Thank!
-Eric
The Webmaster Said on November 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm:
The mcfly methood does not work, I have been using this crack for the past 11 days, once the time runs out, the OS enters a state in which it shuts down every hour or so.
According to the event viewer, the culprit is wlms.exe whih happens to be the Windows Licence Management Service. Disabling this will make the computer unbootable.
Only possible way to work beyond the grace period is either to trick server 2008 into thinking its activated, or make use of a bios timerstop such as in vista.
After doing some serious digging on the web, no workaround has been found yet.
Dark Server 2008 Said on November 12th, 2009 at 10:39 am:
Hi Eric and thanks for your question.
Well it started around 2004-2006 when I first come in contact with Windows Server 2003 on a web developer education (dont know if its the right word since education is
Utbildning in swedish the correct word here in Sweden)
Anyway for two years I developed in the Windows Server enviroment and I really liked the clean and simple interface + it made the hole development and deployment process so
much easier.
I got ahold of a copy of Enterprise Edition around fall 2006 and installed it at home on my computer and boy was I satisfied, sure Windows XP is one of the most stable OS Microsoft
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
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have released but this was pure gold. With a few tweaks my newly aquired Server OS was looking as good as XP but had a better performance, but you cant really say that XP was a
resource hog in any form, thats Vistas department.
Well thats how my interest for the Server OS started and cant really say that I miss the regular OS.
I dont code as much as I did back then, now its just a hobby I have but my interest for theese kind of things we discuss here started around fall/winter 2008 when I first tried Windows
Server 2008 Enterprise and McFlys method.
I really like to mess around with things and my interest for digging deep into a OS has growed much the last couple of months and Im always ready to try new things, despite the
outcome, a fresh install is just 20 minutes away anyway
Dark Server 2008 Said on November 17th, 2009 at 11:52 am:
For the last couple of days I have fooled around with Windows 7 Ultimate x86 and WOW was the first word that came to my mind.
I was so impressed and pleased with it that I installed it on almost every machine that I had, even on the weaker/older machines this baby performs top notch. Its to bad that Server
2008 R2 only was x64 which was a flaw since many 3rd party programs I have depends on the x86 architecture. Sure I could do almost everything with Server 2008 R2 with a few
tweaks but now, no more tweaking.
I regret and take back everything I said about not being interested in regular Windows, Windows 7 has changed my opinion entirely, this is how a OS should be, they have done a
great and tremendous job since Vista that was literally *coughing* CRAP *coughing*
Lucky number: SE7EN
primetard Said on December 9th, 2009 at 7:35 am:
dudez, there is no way to permanently activate windows without cracking it. There are cracks available, at least one of which works. Who knows for how long, though. It is
only a matter of time until M$ updates to clear the crack. And then the crackers update, which takes however long, and the wheels on the bus go round and round
primetard Said on December 9th, 2009 at 7:36 am:
BTW this site rulez and I have borrowed much from the instructions for both 2008 and 2008 R2.
Kannan Said on December 22nd, 2009 at 8:22 am:
Dark Server 2008
I have DELL inspiron 1525, 2GB RAM, 130GB HDD, WINDOWS VISTA HOME(32 bit). What will be the performance if I install windows server 2008 R2.
Dark Server 2008 Said on December 22nd, 2009 at 9:00 pm:
Hi Kannan
Well the performance will be better but it depends on your system and hardware, I have noticed a quite performance boost even from going from Windows Server 2008 to R2.
You should see better performance with your system since Vista is a more resource hungry system, I have tested and confirmed it myself even going from Vista to Windows Server
2008 was a giant leap forward.
Keep in mind that you dont get all the neat features of a ordinary OS like Media Center and such. I would recommend Windows 7 32-bit for you since Windows Server 2008 R2 is
only made in x64 and you wont see any performance since you probably using 32-bit applications. 32-bit applications in a 64-bit enviroment requires more ram, if you had 4gb > I
could have recommend it but 2gb, stick with 32-bit for now.
Windows 7 is like a updated version of Windows XP and I have used it since the last time I posted here in november and Im super pleased with it.
Kannan Said on December 23rd, 2009 at 1:56 am:
Dark Server 2008
Thanks for you reply. Basically I need Windows Server 2008 R2 to learn sharepoint 2010 beta. Since SP 2010 comes only as a 64 bit I have no way of installing it in Vista 32
bit. Since I dont have a windows 7 64 bit license i want to try the windows server 2008 R2.
Dark Server 2008 Said on December 23rd, 2009 at 12:44 pm:
Hi again Kannan
Ok if thats the case then you should definetly go for Windows Server 2008 R2, and you should notice a performance boost, just remember to get the latest Windows 7 drivers since
there are no Server specific drivers for your hardware, Windows Update should take care this for you, it found all my hardware and installed the right drivers.
Good luck!
Kannan Said on December 23rd, 2009 at 3:19 pm:
Dark Server 2008
I tried to create multi-boot and ran in to issue. I tried the multi-boot installation steps given in this site. I have windows vista home edition and allocated 22GB for installing Win
2008 R2. But got issue in Step 12 (Select the Unallocated Space we just created using the diskpart utility by shrinking the Vista volume and click Next to start the installation.).
When i chose the unallocated space the NEXT button was disabled. The message displayed was windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. The selected disk has the
maximum number of partitions of this type.
Please let me know how to troubleshoot this issue. Ill really if you can help me out.
Thanks,
Kannan
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 11/14
Dark Server 2008 Said on December 24th, 2009 at 10:41 am:
Now thats an issue I have never experienced in my entire life. To be honest I have never worked with multi-boots, I usually go from one OS to another with clean installs.
How dependent are you on Vista today? Is there something you need that is critical?
There are 3rd party alternatives for some applications, VLC Media Player is an excellent replacement for Media Center in Windows Server and there is plenty of AV to find if you look
around for a while, though Wndows Defender do a decent job anyway, still its not an AV but its free and its included in the desktop experience feature, too bad Security Essentials
isnt ssupported in Server.
There is always an alternative for applications so no worries.
I recommend to do a clean install for the best experience at all times, cant say Im a big fan of multi-booting, there is always Windows Virtual PC 2007 SP1 which is free if you must
have older OSes for some critical applications. Bare in mind that all computers doesnt have hardware virtulization in Virtual PC so playing games and such is pretty much out of
question.
Best of luck Kannan!
Arris: Just a note: it looks like Microsoft Security Essentials is now working on Windows Server 2008 R2.
Kannan Said on December 25th, 2009 at 8:28 am:
Dark Server 2008
I tried installing Win 2008 64 bit OS on Microsoft Virtual PC as well as VMWare. Its close to impossible. Since my host OS is 32 bit im unable to install it. Anyway Ill better start with a
clean installation
Dark Server 2008 Said on December 25th, 2009 at 10:37 am:
Hi Arris
Well I be damned so there is a workaround for installing MSE on servers now, interesting and extremely useful.
Kannan, youre doing the right thing with starting off with a clean installation, that usually is the best solution when things go haywire. If there is any problems with installation or
configuration dont hesitate to ask, I will try to help you as best I can, but do post here if you installed it and share your thoughts how it works for you and what you think about it.
Kannan Said on January 4th, 2010 at 11:09 am:
DarkServer2008
I have uninstalled Windows Vista and installed WinServer 2008 R2.
I installed on my DELL inspiron 1525 laptop with following config. Inter Dual Core, 130GB HDD, 2GB RAM. I also have installed SQL Server 2008 Eval 64bit, SharePoint 2010 beta
64 bit, Visual Studio 2010 beta, Office 2010 beta, SharePoint Designer 2010 beta.
As far as performance is considered It is bit disappointing after my initial installation. When i just installed the OS alone the boot time was good. But after installing the above
mentioned software the performance is not as expected. Sometimes even Internet explorer takes sometime to open. May be it is because I have only 2GB RAM.
Is there any performance tuning tips that can be done to improve the performance. Like tweaking the Virtual memory or something like that.
Have anyone installed WinServer 2008 on Laptop. How is the performance. If I increase RAM to 4GB will it help.
Please share you thoughts.
Thanks,
Kannan
Dark Server 2008 Said on January 4th, 2010 at 4:00 pm:
Glad to hear from you again Kannan and that the installation went successfull.
Well 2GB today for that kind of applications isnt enough nowdays because sadly thats the development today.
SQL Server 2005 probably takes less ram then 2008 and SQL Server 2000 takes even less ram then 2005.
I have a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Li2727 Laptop which have a Celeron Core 2 Duo 1.73 Ghz proccessor with 2GB ram and Windows Server 2008 R2 installed. Visual Studio 2008 SP1
and SQL Server 2005 SP3 works perectly fine with only minor slowdowns but if I would to install newer versions like you I too would notice heavier slowdowns.
If you have any possibility upgrade to 4gb and get the most out of your machine since newer applications today need more ram.
Well there isnt many tuning tips more then shutdown unnecessary services and avoid the desktop experience feature which installs themes and other stuff you dont really need.
I think more ram is the only solution in this case.
Best of luck!
Ricardo Said on January 15th, 2010 at 11:44 am:
hey there Dark Server how are you m8 :)?
well i have a sever 2003 enterprise edition there is the posibility of an upgrade no?
i guess what i am affraid of is that after the eval period of the server 2008 r2 i will need to buy me a new hard copy of it and probably loose all my documents, whats your take on thata
m8?
cheers
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 12/14
Dark Server 2008 Said on January 16th, 2010 at 10:02 pm:
Hi Ricardo
Im good thank you.
Well it totally depends on what you are going to use it for, I too used to work on Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition a couple of years ago and found it very satisfying and
pleasing to use, it suited my daily needs very well, it gave me so much more then XP didnt in the long run.
I dont actually think you can upgrade since its a server release but you can always perform a clean install and thats what I always recommend, that way you can evaluate it
properly, things tend to go wrong with upgrades, better safe then sorry as long that you always make proper backup of important files and documents.
Heres what I recommend in your case, make backup of all things you want to save, then install a fresh copy of Windows Server 2008 R2, the version that fits you, Standard,
Enterprise, Web or DataCenter.
Evaluate it and use it as you were using 2003, install your programs and make sure that they work and try other things to see if it is something you want to continue to use, if not you
always have the chance of returning to your old trustworthy 2003 Edition.
If you are sitting on a 32-bit version today and planning to upgrade to Server 2008 R2 bare in mind that its a 64-bit release only so be sure that you get proper drivers for everything,
though it shouldnt be a problem anyway since you can install updates fine that are made for Windows 7 x64 and some programs you use might cause problems, but there is always
solutions to problems, just try and see.
And also I recommend 2GB of RAM and up, 4GB is more then enough, 2GB is minimum.
I wish you luck, I think that you are going to be satisfied with it, it doesnt take long to get used to things.
If you encounter any problems, be sure to stop by and I try to help you as best as I can.
Cheers!
Tanh Said on January 25th, 2010 at 7:31 am:
Ive just discovered that there was a server 2k8 and even an R2. After installing it, I too was wondering about the activation. After some quick searching I came upon this
page and did a little fiddling of my own. Having some software engineering background I figured that the easiest way to control these processes was through dynamic linking
of threads in the system registry.
So I openned up Regedit and searched for Genuine. To my surprise there was a fairly complete list of keys and parameters to play with. Not sure about you guys but mine is located
at:
Hkey_local_machine/software/wow6432node/microsoft/windows nt/currentversion/softwareprotectionplatform
Not a correct key but just to show where it is on mine. I changed VLActivationInterval to 900000 (decimal). In the activation folder I changed ActivationInterval to 0, Manual to 1
and NotificationDisabled to 1 also. Theres a few other values in there to play with as well. After setting my date to 2038, my laptop logs in just fine and does not display the
watermark. It does tell me that I must activate immediately and as of yet I have not bothered to update.
Im not sure if my enabling Themes has covered up the watermark but its no longer there.
Looks like theres legacy activation classes still in there as well. Assuming one has enough time and experience one can make a patch to activate offline like they did with winXP or
skip it altogether. Hope this helps somebody. Cheers.
Dark Server 2008 Said on January 25th, 2010 at 9:22 am:
Hi Tanh
Great research and good job.
How is it working for you since you last wrote here? Any side-effects or other things that have showed up?
Try to test everything, absolutely everything and if it works try even more. Change date more both future and past, open Windows programs (Notepad, Wordpad etc etc things that
says Youre not running genuine Windows if it knows it has been tampered with), change stuff, install features, shutdown services etc etc.
If you have a chance please tell us how if everything works for you.
Thanks in advance.
Tanh Said on January 25th, 2010 at 4:53 pm:
Well so far Ive been able to update windows and install office and a few 3rd party software. Setting the date back to 1997 has shown seemingly no other affect than throwing
a code when looking for updates. (0x80072F8F for Date sync error)It should be noted that I did not disable the SSP service and have deleted the schedule record in the
registry key outlined above.
Using the alternate validation method, I was able to download and install a theme off of the microsoft download site. Im still not sure if my windows is perceived as genuine or not.
But I will continue to use it anyways.
My suggestion would be that upon install, one would use that grace period to update and install all possible updates and software that require validation. Then force ownership and
remove (not delete) the offending files. Update your registry, after making a backup that is. So when you want to validate sometime in the future, you can by setting the date back (did
mine through bios), restoring your registry and files. This should work as thats what Ive gathered so far. As long as the update certificate is valid it should work fine. But they are
binaries so itll be harder to modify them. But at least one can get rid of the watermark and notification, although one is technically in notification mode at all times still.
Cheers
Dark Server 2008 Said on January 25th, 2010 at 8:37 pm:
Hmm interesting discovery, do report if you stumble up on something else on the way as you continue to test things.
Man I wish Ive had the time I had last year so I could test these kind of things but unfortunely thats not the case anymore. Things in your life tends to change so damn quick its not
fun anymore.
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 13/14
Jason Saggers Said on May 27th, 2010 at 12:37 pm:
I am not been cheap or anything but is there a legit way to extend beyond the 240 or so days, This operating system is perfect and to buy it is way to expensive.
Arris: I dont think so. A solution might be to do a clean install, install all software you want and create a disk image using disk imaging software. After creating the image use it for
240 days, then backup files/settings, revert to previously created image and use it again for 240 days. The only thing Im not sure about is whether it can be activated online multiple
times
roby Said on June 4th, 2010 at 1:44 pm:
this will stop the 1 hour automatic shutdown caused from wlms service. i suppose u should run this every time u reboot to prevent unwanted shutdowns and because u cant
disable the wlms service during startup. open a cmd window and just copy and paste this:
taskkill /F /IM wlms.exe & takeown /f %windir%System32wlmswlms.exe & icacls %windir%System32wlmswlms.exe /deny *S-1-1-0:(X) & shutdown -a
Connected Said on September 19th, 2010 at 11:00 am:
Thanks roby
for your information Said on October 28th, 2010 at 11:48 am:
You can also rearm after every time evaluation version activation period ends so to get 5 x 180 days evaluation time
abdel hamiid Said on September 1st, 2011 at 3:59 pm:
guys, to be short, WHY DO YOU ALL WASTE YOUR TIME FINDING SOLUTIONS IN THREADS THAT HAVE NO ANSWERS???
Just type in your google search bar: [removed]
download that file; make sure you disable your antivirus as it will think its a trojan, the file is very safe and has nothing to do with worms, viruses or trojans.
Then just double click on that GREEN BUTTON of [removed] and let it do the work for you; just sit back and wait and let it reboot your PC and VOILLA.
Arris: Please dont advocate piracy.
Dark Server 2008 Said on September 6th, 2011 at 9:03 am:
Looking at this today makes me a little nostalgic.
But for me Windows Server 2008 R2 is just a distant memory today and replaced with 7 a long time ago.
But McFlys method will be remembered.
juustola_huh Said on October 10th, 2011 at 11:20 am:
You can also use Windows Loader Daz program for this Google it.
supermorph Said on November 4th, 2011 at 11:06 pm:
i have noticed that windows home server 2011 , windows 7, and the 2008 r2 (havent seen the r1 edition) are technically the same product, but with added registry bits &
extra files files.
as the whs 2011 for example, i literally copied my windows 7 entire registry as it was (renaming the old config folder)
it shows up as windows home server 2011 in the login screen,
and on the desktop (where u would see the windows version)
it shows windows server 2008 r2
in the desktop (computer) properties it still shows as whs 2011
(yet it is literally a w7 registry)
i also see in what was whs2011 registry it does show signs of windows 7 sp1 in the version area (not got it to hand)
just thought id share that info, so
in theory, you could install in a few ways
1) install 2008 for base files, and copy over win7 registry and itll become workstation.
or
2) install win7 for base files, and copy over srv2008 registry and itll become a clean bare server (without its functions enabled, mind)
the same can be done for whs2011 as thier almost identicle apart from the added features/registry bits
i did it as i didnt want to re-activate a code with whs2011 i have, and found it worked well.
Najeeb Said on December 16th, 2011 at 8:53 am:
Hi
my windows 2008r2 server installation was getting shutdown after grace period. i tried this method ,now i got 10days more , now its working fine
10/13/2014 Convert your Windows Server 2008 R2 to a Workstation! - 240 days Evaluation
http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/240-days-evaluation/ 14/14
looks Said on March 14th, 2012 at 11:09 am:
my windows 2008r2 server installation is in grace period (10days more) what happen if i uninstall and re install it again?
Arris: If you do a fresh reinstall, you ll get the 240 days again (10 days + 5 * 10 days using rearm + 180 days after activation).
Gayan Said on May 15th, 2012 at 1:41 pm:
working . thnx
ahmed Said on July 12th, 2012 at 12:02 pm:
Excellent assistance
Anonymous Said on August 27th, 2012 at 3:08 am:
I always install Windows Server on consumers PCs every chance I get. As for real server uses, there is always Linux for that.
Its a sad world when Microsoft sell a crippled edition to consumers yet the best version always goes to businesses.
Florin Said on September 1st, 2012 at 10:19 pm:
Guys, it is possible that you all made a big mistake, and i am just saying it is possible. Let me tell you why. I am using W7 Enterprise and it has 10+90 rearm and then 10+90
and so on for 6 times to a totall af almost 2 years Is it possible that Windows Server 2008 (R1 or R2) to have 10+180 rearm and then 10+180 and so on..????
pavan Said on June 7th, 2013 at 6:31 am:
how many times this procedure is posiible to extend period???..pls tell me..i completed 2 times..while i re arming counter showing 3 times.. after 3 times is there any chance
to extend period..or not..
pavan Said on June 7th, 2013 at 6:39 am:
can i use loader for activate windows servor 2008 r2..i have already use one type of activator afterinstall it shown to me genuine.but after 10 days my laptop shutdowning
for every one hour.so pls help me to activate genuine servor 2008 r2..
Regards,
pavan.
justice Said on March 19th, 2014 at 5:37 pm:
can i uninstall the windows server software and go back to my previous windows.somebody please help.am trying to go back to my old windows8 but i cant
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