In-Place Upgrades To Windows Server 2008 R2

I’ve been getting a few search hits on my site where people are looking to see what the upgrade path is to Windows Server 2008 R2.  OK, it’s pretty simple really.  It’ll be bad news for some who didn’t keep an eye on the industry.  There is no 32bit version of Windows Server 2008 R2 so you must be running an x64 install to upgrade to W2008 R2. 

MS strongly that you don’t do an in-place upgrade.  However, it is safe if the machine is stable and only runs MS software.  Please test before doing the upgrade, e.g. make a copy of the server using virtualisation technology, e.g. P2V.

You can upgrade from Windows Server 2003 x64 to Windows Server 2008 R2 Full Installation.  You can upgrade from Windows Server 2008 x64 Full Installation to Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Full Installation.  You can upgrade from Windows Server 2008 x64 Core Installation to Windows Server 2008 R2 Core Installation.

You can upgrade from one edition to the same edition or lower editions, e.g. from Standard to Standard, Enterprise or DataCenter.  You cannot upgrade from one edition to a lower edition, e.g. you cannot upgrade from DataCenter to Standard.

Here’s a basic upgrade path for Windows Server 2008 R2: