Installation of Windows 2008 Server, New Installation, Dual Boot & Upgrade

If you are planning to install Windows 2008 Server, while looking for new installation or for dual boot or upgrade with this article your installation can be easy as it covers all the three scenarios.

New installation

Installation Requirements:

Before we jump straight away to the installation part, let's understand the hardware that meets our required for installation.

Minimum:

• Memory-512 MB
• Disk partition for installation-10 GB
• Processor-1 GHz

The above holds the minimum requirements, but I will recommend keeping the maximum hardware as per your needs, for e.g. memory-4 GB, harddrive-40 GB where 2008 is installed and processor 3.2 GHz.

Also I assume that you will have proper raid levels as per hardware purchased, have this configured in case of any disaster, data is not lost.

Let's begin the installation

1. Insert Windows 2008 DVD
2. The first step in installation would be to select your language, time format, and keyboard settings.
3. The next option will be to install now to start the installation of Windows 2008 Server as per below screenshot:

   

4. Than the license screen, please add the digit codes as per licensed purchased.
5. If you have entered product key than the selection of installation would be between two-either full install or server core, but if you do not enter the key than it will ask for 6 types of installation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter and its core version as per below screenshot:

   

6. Then the license agreement, read it and agree it.

   

7. It will present the two options: upgrade or custom
8. In our scenario we are considering the fresh installation so we will select custom option, and select the drive where it has to be installed, you can also add your storage drives with load driver link option also.
9. Then it will start the installation of Windows 2008 Server
10. Windows 2008 will be installed once the above process completes

Dual boot

1. Insert Windows 2008 DVD
2. The first step in installation would be to select your language, time format, and keyboard settings.
3. The next option will be to install now to start the installation of Windows 2008 Server.
4. Then the license screen, please add the digit codes as per licensed purchased.
5. If you have entered product key then the selection of installation would be between two-either full install or server core, but if you do not enter the key than it will ask for 6 types of installation: Standard, enterprise, datacenter and its core version
6. Then the license agreement, read it and agree it.
7. It will present to the two options: upgrade or custom
8. When you select the partition where 2008 has to be installed select the partition where no other operating system is present and than select next.
9. (9)Than the installation steps are same as per above fresh installation of windows 2008 server

Upgrade

I will just post the guidelines based on what the role of you server might be.

1. For domain controllers there are separate procedures you need to run forest and domain levels by going through ad prep process
2. Upgrade needs to be started from the OS that needs to be upgraded.
3. All the steps for installation will be same except for step 7, select upgrade function to begin the process as indicated in below screenshot:

   

4. Then it will start upgrading as per below screenshot
   Note Please disable all your antivirus software as it may cause your installation to fail as they are so much secure now-a-days and can prevent you from modifying the attributes of system files.
5. Once this process is complete you will have your old server operating system upgraded to Windows 2008 Server