Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

This document outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for editions of the Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system.

Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios

  • Upgrades to Windows Server 2008 R2 from the following operating systems are not supported:

    • Windows® 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista®, Windows Vista Starter, or Windows 7

    • Windows NT® Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003 RTM, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 Web, Windows Server 2008 R2 M3, or Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta

    • Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems, Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems, Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems

  • Cross-architecture in-place upgrades (for example, x86 to x64) are not supported.

  • Cross-language in-place upgrades (for example, en-us to de-de) are not supported.

  • Cross-edition upgrades (for example, the Windows Server 2008 Foundation SKU to the Windows Server 2008 Datacenter SKU) are not supported.

  • Cross-build type in-place upgrades (for example, fre to chk) are not supported.

Supported Upgrade Scenarios

From Windows Server 2003 (SP2, R2) Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2

Datacenter

Datacenter

Enterprise

Enterprise, Datacenter

Standard

Standard, Enterprise

From Windows Server 2008 (RTM-SP1, SP2) Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2

Datacenter

Datacenter

Datacenter Core

Datacenter Core

Enterprise

Enterprise, Datacenter

Enterprise Core

Enterprise Core, Datacenter Core

Foundation (SP2 only)

Standard

Standard

Standard, Enterprise

Standard Core

Standard Core, Enterprise Core

Web

Standard, Web

Web Core

Standard Core, Web Core

Note

Windows Server 2008 RTM is marked as "RTM-SP1" because a user sees "Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1" in the system information.

From Windows Server 2008 (RC, IDS, RTM) Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2

Datacenter

Datacenter

Datacenter Core

Datacenter Core

Enterprise

Enterprise, Datacenter

Enterprise Core

Enterprise Core, Datacenter Core

Foundation

Standard, Foundation

Standard

Standard, Enterprise

Standard Core

Standard Core, Enterprise Core

Web

Standard, Web

Web Core

Standard Core, Web Core

Note

Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the last version of Windows Server to support the Intel Itanium processor and associated OEM server platforms. For more information, see Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=188382).