Upgrade from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Server 2016 (Bare Metal Install)

Prerequisites

• Check your version. Windows Server 2012 R2 can only upgrade to Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019.
• Make sure that the product key and activation method are valid.
• Ensure hardware requirements are met
• Ensure that install media is ready to use
• Create a system image so that you may restore the system to a normal state if any issues occur.
• Note the following
  • Power off all virtual machines, VMs cannot be run during an in place upgrade
  • Version to version upgrades are not supported (Standard to Datacenter)
  • Disable NIC (Network Interface Card) Teaming

What could go wrong in an in-place upgrade?

• If a power outage or a situation forces the machine to power off, it will be incredibly difficult to recover
• Some applications may not work on the new operating system, be sure to check in advance what you need

Performing the upgrade

• Mount the installation media you choose to upgrade with, whether by ISO file or by physical disk
• Browse to the root of the media, and open setup.exe
• Follow the steps in the wizard
  • Note that, if you are using a physical disk, you may be prompted to boot from the disk
• Check keep personal files and apps (this ensures that all installed items will remain)

Post upgrade

• Once logged in, do the following:
• Open an elevated PowerShell prompt and run the following command to check if the upgrade was successful.
  • Get-ComputerInfo -Property WindowsProductName