Activate Windows Server 2012 Evaluation to Full Version

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After installing and configuring Server 2012 as evaluation mode, it is often a requirement to upgrade it to full retail version. In this post, I will show steps to activate Windows Server 2012 Evaluation to full version. DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool) command line tool will be used to perform the upgrade of server from evaluation to full version.

For Windows Server 2012 Standard, you can the system to Windows Server 2012 Datacenter as follows:
From an elevated command prompt, determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition.
Make note of the edition ID, an abbreviated form of the edition name. Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition:<edition ID> /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, providing the edition ID and a retail product key.
  And press Enter :
  
 Press Y and the server will restart twice. When you logon again , the version is converted to Datacenter :
  

You can convert the evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard to either Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (retail) or Datacenter (retail). Similarly, you can convert the evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter to the retail version.
Before you attempt to convert from evaluation to retail, verify that your server is actually running an evaluation version. To do this, do either of the following:
  • From an elevated command prompt, run slmgr.vbs /dlv; evaluation versions will include “EVAL” in the output.
  • From the Start screen, open Control Panel. Open System and Security, and then System. View Windows activation status in the Windows activation area of the System page. Click View details in Windows activationfor more information about your Windows activation status.
If you have already activated Windows, the Desktop shows the time remaining in the evaluation period.
If the server is running a retail version instead of an evaluation version, see the “Upgrading previous retail versions of Windows Server to Windows Server 2012 R2” section of this topic for instructions to upgrade to Windows Server 2012.
For Windows Server 2012 Essentials: You can convert to the full retail version by entering a retail, volume license, or OEM key in the command slmgr.vbs.
If the server is running an evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 Standard or Windows Server 2012 Datacenter, you can convert it to a retail version as follows:
  1. If the server is a domain controller, you cannot convert it to a retail version. In this case, install an additional domain controller on a server that runs a retail version and remove AD DS from the domain controller that runs on the evaluation version. For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh994618.aspx.
  2. Read the license terms.
  3. From an elevated command prompt, determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition. Make note of the edition ID, an abbreviated form of the edition name. Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition:<edition ID> /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, providing the edition ID and a retail product key. The server will restart twice. 
   Enjoy!

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