Installing Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2

About Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is a network operating system Microsoft, and can be deployed in medium to large scale industries in order to allow administrators to centrally manage the entire network setup right from a single location. The main difference between a client operating system, such as Microsoft Windows 8, Microsoft Windows 7, etc. and a network operating system such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008 RTM/R2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server is that the network operating system (NOS) has some additional server specific features integrated in it. These additional features include:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• Domain Name System (DNS)
• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)
• Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)
• Distributed File System (DFS), etc
  Although Windows Server 2008 R2 is a network operating system, it is initially installed just as a normal client operating system, i.e. without any additional server oriented services or features installed in it. In order to make the installed network operating system work as a typical server, systems administrators must install the server services and/or features according to the role that they want the computer to play in the network.
  

  System Requirements

  Before installing Windows Server 2008 R2, the computer must meet the following minimum system requirements
  
• 1.4 GHz x86/x64 or Itanium 2 processor
• 512 MB RAM (2 GB recommended)
• Super VGA or higher display
• 32 GB disk space (10 GB for Foundation Edition)
• DVD drive
• Keyboard and pointing device

Install Windows Server 2008 R2

Once the above discussed minimum system requirements are met, administrators must follow the steps given below to install Windows Server 2008 R2:

1. Power on the computer on which Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 is to be installed.
2. Enter into the BIOS setup to make the computer boot from DVD.
3. Insert Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 bootable installation media.
4. Once inserted, reboot the computer.
5. On the Install Windows screen, click Next.
5. 
   

   Install Windows
6. On the next page, click Install now.
7. On Select the Operating System you want to install page, from the displayed Windows Server 2008 R2 editions, select the appropriate edition that is to be installed.
   
   

   Select Appropriate Edition
8. On the next page, type the 25-character product key and click Next.
9. On Please read the License terms page, check I accept the license terms checkbox and click Next.
10. On Which type of installation do you want page, click Custom (advanced).
    
    

    Click Custom (Advance)
11. On Where do you want to install Windows page, ensure that the hard disk drive on which Windows Server 2008 R2 is to be installed is selected.
12. Once selected, click Drive options (advanced).
    
    

    Click Drive Options
13. From the enabled options, click New to create a new disk drive partition.
14. On the Size field, specify the size of the new volume in MB.
    
    

    Specify Volume Size
15. On the displayed Install Windows message box, click OK.
16. Back on the same page, click to select the hard disk drive partition (E. g. Disk 0 Partition 2, in this demonstration) where Windows Server 2008 R2 is to be installed and click Next.
    
    

    Select Disk Partition
17. On the Installing Windowspage, wait till the Windows Server 2008 R2 installed and the computer get restarted.
    
    

    Installing Windows

Note: Do not press any key if the screen displays the message, ‘Press any key to boot from CD or DVD’ while computer restarts for the first time, to resume the installation process.

18. After second restart, on the displayed screen, click OK to change the user password before logging on for the first time.
19. On the available fields, type and retype the new password and press Enter.
    
    

    Change Password
20. On the next confirmation screen, click OK to log on to the Windows Server 2008 R2 computer.