{"id":645,"date":"2015-07-09T10:30:05","date_gmt":"2015-07-09T08:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645"},"modified":"2025-10-22T10:16:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:16:36","slug":"come-aggiornare-windows-server-2003-a-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/how-to-upgrade-windows-server-2003-to-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suppose you have a server with an old Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system and you want to upgrade it to a newer Windows Server 2008 or 2012 version.<\/p>\n

Some of you may have tried and found that the following procedure described by Microsoft can hide a lot of untold problems:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/technet.microsoft.com\/en-us\/library\/cc755199(v=ws.10).aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the above\u00a0link allows us to know, depending on the starting operating system, which\u00a0version of Windows can be installed as an upgrade.<\/p>\n

Just to be clear, we’ll start with the following\u00a0operating system version:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Hardware\/software prerequisites verification<\/h4>\n

It is important that Windows Server 2003 has\u00a0at least Service Pack 1<\/strong> installed (in our example, the version that will be updated is\u00a0Service Pack 2) and that the new operating system (2008) and the one to be updated (2003) have the same language and architecture<\/strong> (32 or 64 bit).<\/p>\n

This operating system can be upgraded to\u00a0Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition SP2 32-bit<\/strong> (R2 version of Windows Server 2008 is available only for 64-bit architectures).<\/p>\n

The first thing to do is to check\u00a0if\u00a0your hardware is compatible with the new operating system<\/strong>, by visiting\u00a0this link:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/technet.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windowsserver\/bb414778.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

Once verified hardware requirements, if the server has Domain Controller role<\/strong>, we must prepare the server for\u00a0the upgrade<\/strong>. If not the case, you can skip directly to step 3.<\/p>\n

2. Domain and forest preparation<\/h4>\n

Once inserted new operating system DVD in the reader, you must copy \\sources\\adprep folder in C: and, from the command prompt, run the following commands:<\/p>\n

C:\r\ncd \\adprep\r\nadprep \/forestprep\r\nadprep \/domainprep\r\nadprep \/domainprep \/gpprep<\/pre>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_en_01\"<\/a><\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_en_02\"<\/a><\/p>\n
At this point\u00a0you may face\u00a0some issue.<\/p>\n
The schema master did not complete a replication cycle after the last reboot.<\/h5>\n
In this case you have to force replication with secondary domain controllers or, if not possible, temporarily disable replication.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_replication_en_01\"<\/a><\/p>\n
First of all, check the error with the following commands:<\/p>\n
repadmin \/showreps\r\nrepadmin \/showrepl\r\nrepadmin \/replsum<\/pre>\n
Now, once you read the name of the server that creates problems, from\u00a0Administrative Tools->Active Directory Sites and Services<\/strong><\/em> click on Sites->Default-First-Site->Servers<\/strong><\/em>, then right-click on the\u00a0servers that create\u00a0problems and finally click on “Replicate now<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_replication_en_02\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Check that everything is ok on both servers with the command:<\/p>\n
dcdiag<\/pre>\n
If so, wait several minutes for the replication cycle to complete and try to launch\u00a0the adprep \/forestprep command again.<\/p>\n
Adprep detected that the domain is not in native mode<\/h5>\n
If you see this error after\u00a0the second adprep command, your domain controller is configured in compatibility mode, or Windows 2000 mixed, rather than in Windows Server 2003 native mode. To raise\u00a0the domain functional level, from\u00a0Administrative Tools->Active directory Domains and Trusts<\/strong><\/em>, right-click on the domain’s name and select “Raise domain Functional Level…<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_native_mode_en_01\"<\/a><\/p>\n
At this point, from the drop-down menu, select “Windows Server 2003<\/strong>” and click on “Raise<\/strong>“, then “OK” in\u00a0the notification window that warns you of the irreversibility of the operation and finally “OK” when operation is\u00a0complete.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_native_mode_en_02\"<\/a><\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_native_mode_en_03\"<\/a><\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_error_native_mode_en_04\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Now you can launch\u00a0the adprep \/domainprep command again.<\/p>\n
Without any further\u00a0error, the output of the two commands will be the one shown below.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_en_03\"<\/a><\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_adprep_en_04\"<\/a><\/p>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n
3. Compatibility check<\/h4>\n
Now you can start the installation by double clicking on the setup.exe file on the Windows Server 2008 DVD:<\/p>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n
In the first instance, we are asked if we want to download the latest updates from the Internet before proceeding with the upgrade. At this stage, if not strictly necessary (for example if required Service Pack 1 is missing), we will select “Do not get\u00a0the latest updates for installation<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Then comes the selection of the operating system version to install, let’s choose “Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (Full Installation)<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_04\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Then it’s time to accept the license terms:<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_05\"<\/a><\/p>\n
After that, we will select the “Upgrade<\/strong>” type of installation:<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_06\"<\/a><\/p>\n
and so we are\u00a0at the crucial point, the compatibility check<\/strong>, where we could have some problems, for which we will provide a quick solution.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_07\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Remote Storage Service<\/h5>\n
An error that may occur is:<\/p>\n
Uninstall the following Windows components and features: \r\nRemote Storage Service - Please read Microsoft Knowledge Base article: 935867<\/pre>\n
In this case you simply have to uninstall\u00a0a Windows component: from Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs->Add\/Remove Windows Components<\/strong><\/em>, uncheck the “Remote Storage<\/strong>” item and click “Next”<\/strong>. When done, click “Finish<\/strong>” and reboot the server.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_error_remote_storage_en_01\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Windows PowerShell<\/h5>\n
Another common problem is the presence of Windows PowerShell v1.0 that, despite the various articles in the network, can not be removed if the operating system has a Service Pack. The error is:<\/p>\n
Uninstall the following programs: \r\nWindows PowerShell<\/pre>\n
A\u00a0solution that easily works is to rename WindowsPowerShell folder (eg in WindowsPowerShell_Old). It is located, depending on the architecture, in:<\/p>\n
Windows Server 2003 32-bit: %windir%\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell<\/i>\r\nWindows Server 2003 64-bit: %windir%\\Syswow64\\WindowsPowerShell\r\n<\/i><\/pre>\n
The update will then reinstall PowerShell, and you’ll be able to delete the old folder without any problem.<\/p>\n
Print Server Role<\/h5>\n
Another common warning, not critical for the upgrade, is:<\/p>\n
You can still upgrade, but the following Windows features and components might not work after the upgrade: \r\nPrint Server Role - Please read Microsoft Knowledge Base article 938923.<\/pre>\n
If you still want to remove this warning, by performing a printers backup for the subsequent recovery on\u00a0Windows Server 2008 after the upgrade, check out this link:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/kb\/938923<\/a><\/p>\n
4. Upgrade\u00a0process<\/h4>\n
Once solved all the problems, Windows Server 2008 upgrade will take place: sit down and relax, waiting for files installation and system configuration, which involves several reboots.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_08\"<\/a><\/p>\n
5. Post-upgrade operations<\/h4>\n
After the upgrade you will be presented the Windows Server 2008 login screen: you can now login using the same credentials of an authorized user on the previous Windows version.<\/p>\n
\"win2003_upgrade_en_09\"<\/a><\/p>\n
If, after loggin in, you face an error in the Server Manager snap-in, all you have to do is continue the installation of Microsoft .NET Framework, as asked\u00a0by the operating system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Suppose you have a server with an old Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system and you want to upgrade it to a newer Windows Server 2008 or 2012 version. Some of you may have tried and found that the following procedure described by Microsoft can hide a lot of untold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[54,82,72],"class_list":["post-645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-windows","tag-aggiornamento","tag-server","tag-windows"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008 - Nullalo!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008 - Nullalo!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[:it]Come aggiornare Microsoft Windows Server 2003 a Windows Server 2008 senza alcun problema. Procedura valida anche per Controller di Dominio.[:en]How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.[:]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nullalo!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nullalo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fulvio.sicurezza\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-09T08:30:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-22T08:16:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fulvio Sicurezza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/FulvioSicurezza\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Nullalo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fulvio Sicurezza\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645\",\"name\":\"[:it]Come aggiornare Windows Server 2003 a 2008[:en]How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008[:] - Nullalo!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-09T08:30:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-22T08:16:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fe9c2885376a6ab076e06461ae1b546c\"},\"description\":\"[:it]Come aggiornare Microsoft Windows Server 2003 a Windows Server 2008 senza alcun problema. Procedura valida anche per Controller di Dominio.[:en]How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.[:]\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Come aggiornare Windows Server 2003 a 2008\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/\",\"name\":\"Nullalo!\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fe9c2885376a6ab076e06461ae1b546c\",\"name\":\"Fulvio Sicurezza\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Fulvio-Sicurezza_avatar_1424711147-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Fulvio-Sicurezza_avatar_1424711147-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Fulvio Sicurezza\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.generalservice.na.it\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fulvio.sicurezza\",\"http:\/\/it.linkedin.com\/in\/fulviosicurezza\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/FulvioSicurezza\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/FulvioSicurezzaIT\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/author\/f-sicurezza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008 - Nullalo!","description":"How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008 - Nullalo!","og_description":"[:it]Come aggiornare Microsoft Windows Server 2003 a Windows Server 2008 senza alcun problema. Procedura valida anche per Controller di Dominio.[:en]How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.[:]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645","og_site_name":"Nullalo!","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nullalo","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fulvio.sicurezza","article_published_time":"2015-07-09T08:30:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-22T08:16:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fulvio Sicurezza","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/FulvioSicurezza","twitter_site":"@Nullalo","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fulvio Sicurezza","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645","url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645","name":"[:it]Come aggiornare Windows Server 2003 a 2008[:en]How to upgrade Windows Server 2003 to 2008[:] - Nullalo!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg","datePublished":"2015-07-09T08:30:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-22T08:16:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fe9c2885376a6ab076e06461ae1b546c"},"description":"[:it]Come aggiornare Microsoft Windows Server 2003 a Windows Server 2008 senza alcun problema. Procedura valida anche per Controller di Dominio.[:en]How to upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 without any problem. This is also works for Domain Controllers.[:]","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows_server.jpg","width":1140,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?p=645#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Come aggiornare Windows Server 2003 a 2008"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/","name":"Nullalo!","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/fe9c2885376a6ab076e06461ae1b546c","name":"Fulvio Sicurezza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Fulvio-Sicurezza_avatar_1424711147-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Fulvio-Sicurezza_avatar_1424711147-96x96.jpg","caption":"Fulvio Sicurezza"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.generalservice.na.it","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fulvio.sicurezza","http:\/\/it.linkedin.com\/in\/fulviosicurezza","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/FulvioSicurezza","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/FulvioSicurezzaIT"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/author\/f-sicurezza\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1952,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645\/revisions\/1952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nullalo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}