Convert Windows Server Evaluation to normal Activation

Resources Software
1

Stuck on an Evaluation license and actually need to activate it?
Follow these steps:

:warning: This key listed below is not valid. It is only used in the conversion process.
You will need to provide your own product key for a valid activation.
Keys for all versions of Windows Server are listed here. :warning:

  1. Open powershell as admin
  2. slmgr /upk
    (uninstall key)
  3. slmgr /cpky
    (remove from registry)
  4. slui /ipk N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C
  5. DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:N69G4-B89J2-4G8F4-WWYCC-J464C /AcceptEula
    (converts - sticks at 10% for a long while)
  6. Reboot

After rebooting:

  1. Open powershell as admin
  2. slmgr /upk
  3. slmgr /cpky
  4. slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
    (Provide your own key here)
  5. slmgr /ato
  6. slmgr /dli
  7. Reboot
2

Specific to Server 2019. Other conversion keys available at

1 Like
3

Thanks for noting that. I will add that to the main post.

4

Thank you for posting this. I’ve been using Server 2016 with a Dreamspark license/key as a desktop. Once I got through disabling the initial AD and other Server-nuanced features, there’s no looking back. The nice thing with the server versions is that you don’t have to deal with Onedrive trying to take over your life. You get the features of Pro without the consumer-crap (who uses the Media Player as opposed to VLC?).

One question I am too lazy to look up right now: Can Server run on non server hardware? I had to do some creative moves to get it to run on an ASRock consumer board with i5-8400. I would like to run Server on my Wyse thin client.

5

You can run server on pretty much any hardware.

6

In the past you could run it, but it generally required driver modification or other mods. I remember with my 8th gen cpu/non server motherboard and Server 2016 I had to do some side loading of things because the install screen wouldn’t move forward, saying the hardware didn’t support Server. (Windows 2000 Server is the og for working on anything and freely available through piracy without key checks)

I don’t recall beyond that, but I think part of it was the nic drivers (I think I had to download a bunch of Intel drivers for other aspects of the mobo)

Anyway, for those who get frustrated if they get knocked down in the first install screen, google around