I've downloaded the wrong evaluation licences

[mikemcsharry]

Gulp,

Schoolboy error, but..

I look after the networks in 2 infant schools and in both cases I seem to have the same problem.

We needed to make loads of chnages in each school in late summer holidays which involved the schools getting new licence setups from Microsoft, which each took a long, long time

 

Case 1

We brought their old server back on line to be a print / AV server. It will only take 2012R2 (no Dell drivers for 2016) so is a 'few year' solution. Working fine.

I downloaded / installed and configured 2012R2 evaluation, which expires in 30days.

The licence I have from the Microsoft agreement doesn't want to work.

Is there anything I can do, apart from re-format and start again.

 

Case 2

School has new 2016 server and their old server is back in business as 2012R2 print/AV

We now have licences from Microsoft - none of them work.

 

Is there any simple way around this?

 

Thanks for any ideas.

[crc-ict]

Are they EES OVS licences?

 

In which case, you should have access to the Volume Licence Servicing Centre site where you would be able to access MAK keys for Server 2012 R2.

 

It's possibly that you have got the keys for the 2016 version which won't work to activate 2012 R2.

[jmak]

Don't panic [emoji41]

 

You should be able to achieve it.

 

I've done similar before. The process will be similar to this:

 

https://www.wintips.org/how-to-convert-server-2016-evaluation-to-licensed-version/

 

It's been covered on here before; I'll dig out the thread.

[mikemcsharry]

Thanks for quick reply

 

Hi, yes they are EES OVS licences.

I'm just having a strange issue in case 1 - I saw the licences listed last week, and for some reason they are no longer there - looks like I have a fun day ahead of me ..

i've just run slmgr.vbs /rearm to give me extra 180 days

slmr.vbs /dli shows "timebased eval channel" and soes show 180 days of evaluation left

 

 

In case 2 I'm pretty sure I was careful to try the correct licences on the correct boxes, I can look again