Installing Windows Server 2008 R2

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

This document provides information about installing the Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system, including any known issues that you may need to work around before starting an installation. It also provides information that you can use to troubleshoot problems that may occur during the installation.

Setup works in several stages. You will be prompted for some basic information, and then Setup will copy files and restart the computer. Setup concludes by presenting a menu for Initial Configuration Tasks, which you can use to configure your server for your specific needs.

Preinstallation information

System requirements

The following are estimated system requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2. If your computer has less than the "minimum" requirements, you will not be able to install this product correctly. Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you install.

Processor

Processor performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. The following are the processor requirements for this product:

• Minimum: 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor

RAM

The following are the estimated RAM requirements for this product:

• Minimum: 512 MB

• Maximum: 32 GB (for Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard) or 2 TB (for Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter, and Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems).

Disk space requirements

The following are the estimated minimum disk space requirements for the system partition.

• Minimum: 32 GB

• If you install the system over a network.
  
  
• Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files.
  
  
• If you install the Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems edition.
  
  

When deciding if the disk space minimum for the operating system is appropriate, you should take into account several additional variables:

• The installed RAM, which will influence the space required for paging, hibernation, and dump files

• Servicing requirements—specifically, whether you plan to install all available updates, only critical updates, or service packs, as well as on what schedule, be it monthly, quarterly, or with a different frequency

• The planned life of the server, since you must allow for long-term growth of the system partition as updates are installed

• Anticipated upgrades to subsequent versions of the operating system, since in-place upgrades often require more disk space to complete than they will use once installation has finished

• The number and size of any non-Microsoft drivers and associated tools

This list assumes that you use the default settings at installation (such as for the size of the Event Log) and that no additional software is installed. Any changes to the default settings or additional software must be taken into account as well.

For links to further information about disk sizing requirements and considerations for specific applications, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=188098.

Other requirements

You also need to have the following:

• DVD drive

• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor

• Keyboard and Microsoft® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)

• Internet access (fees may apply)

Important information for x64-based operating systems

Ensure that you have updated and digitally signed kernel-mode drivers for x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008. (These include all versions of Windows Server 2008 except for Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems.)

If you install a Plug and Play device, you may receive a warning if the driver is not digitally signed. If you install an application that contains a driver that is not digitally signed, you will not receive an error during Setup. In both cases, Windows Server 2008 R2 will not load the unsigned driver.

If you are not sure whether the driver is digitally signed, or if you are unable to boot into your computer after the installation, use the following procedure to disable the driver signature requirement. This procedure enables your computer to start correctly, and the unsigned driver will load successfully.

To disable the signature requirement for the current boot process:

1. Restart the computer and during startup, press F8.

2. Select Advanced Boot Options.

3. Select Disable Driver Signature Enforcement.

4. Boot into Windows® and uninstall the unsigned driver.

For more information, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66577.

Before you start Setup

Before you install Windows Server 2008 R2, follow the steps in this section to prepare for the installation.

• Disconnect UPS devices. If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your destination computer, disconnect the serial cable before running Setup. Setup automatically attempts to detect devices that are connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause issues with the detection process.

• Back up your servers. Your backup should include all data and configuration information that is necessary for the computer to function. It is important to perform a backup of configuration information for servers, especially those that provide network infrastructure, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system partitions and the system state data. Another way to back up configuration information is to create a backup set for Automated System Recovery.

• Disable your virus protection software. Virus protection software can interfere with installation. For example, it can make installation much slower by scanning every file that is copied locally to your computer.

• Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. You should run this tool to test the RAM on your computer. To use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, follow the instructions in the Windows Memory Diagnostic Users Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50362).

• Provide mass storage drivers. If your manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file, save the file to a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive in either the root directory of the media or in one of the following folders: amd64 for x64-based computers or ia64 for Itanium-based computers. To provide the driver during Setup, on the disk selection page, click Load Driver (or press F6). You can browse to locate the driver or have Setup search the media.

• Be aware that Windows Firewall is on by default. Server applications that must receive unsolicited inbound connections will fail until you create inbound firewall rules to allow them. Check with your application vendor to determine which ports and protocols are necessary for the application to run correctly.

  For more information about Windows Firewall, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=84639.

• Prepare your Active Directory® environment with Windows Server 2008 R2 updates. Before you add a domain controller that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 to an Active Directory forest or upgrade an existing domain controller to Windows Server 2008 R2, run Adprep.exe from the Windows Server 2008 R2 media on your existing domain controllers to prepare your domain and forest.

  To do this, use the following procedures. If you are performing an unattended installation, perform this step before you install the operating system. Otherwise, you will need to do this after you run Setup and before you install Active Directory Domain Services.

  To prepare a forest

  1. Log on to the schema master as a member of the Enterprise Admins, Schema Admins, or Domain Admins group.

  2. Copy the contents of the \support\adprep folder (note the new location) from the Windows Server 2008 R2 installation DVD to the schema master role holder.

  3. Open a Command Prompt window, navigate to the Adprep folder, and run adprep /forestprep.

  4. If you plan to install a read-only domain controller (RODC), run adprep /rodcprep.

  5. Allow the operation to complete and the changes to replicate before performing the next procedure.

  To prepare a domain

  Perform this procedure for each domain where you want to install a domain controller that runs Windows Server 2008 R2.

  1. Log on to the infrastructure master as a member of the Domain Admins group.

  2. Copy the contents of the \support\adprep folder (note the new location) from the installation DVD to the infrastructure master role holder.

  3. Open a Command Prompt window, navigate to the Adprep folder, and run adprep /domainprep /gpprep.

  4. Allow the operation to complete and the changes to replicate.

  After completing these steps, you can add domain controllers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2 to the domains you have prepared.

  The adprep command extends the schema, updates default security descriptors of selected objects, and adds new directory objects as required by some applications. For more information about adprep, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=50439.

Supported upgrade paths

The table below shows which Windows operating systems can be upgraded to which editions of Windows Server 2008 R2.

Note the following general guidelines for supported paths:

• In-place upgrades from 32-bit to 64-bit architectures are not supported. All editions of Windows Server 2008 R2 are 64-bit only.

• In-place upgrades from one language to another are not supported.

• In-place upgrades from one build type (fre to chk, for example) are not supported.

• If you do not see your current version in the left column, upgrading to this release of Windows Server 2008 R2 is not supported.

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