We've all been there.
It started as a harmless little demo lab — just a weekend fling, really. Then someone said, “Hey, let’s run production on it real quick.” Fast-forward six months, and now it's basically the company’s mission-critical infrastructure… running on what was supposed to be a disposable test bed.
And the real kicker?
Windows Server Evaluation Mode.
Yep, that sweet ticking time bomb is about to go off. Suddenly, you're sweating like a dad realizing he didn't turn off the grill. What do we do?
Simple. We convert it. Like a true dad DIY moment — you know, when the dog made a "custom entrance" through the screen door and instead of fixing it, we said, “Well, guess it’s a doggy door now.”
Same energy. Same outcome. Less barking.
And now… the golden moment.
No matter where you are in Windows — deep in File Explorer, pretending Task Manager is helping — you can summon the power like a true keyboard wizard:
Just press:
Windows Key + R and type "PowerShell". Then simply enter key down once.
That’s right. The ol’ “Run” dialog. It’s like the secret entrance to the Batcave, but for IT dads.
Pop it open, type your command, and boom — you're in business faster than you can say “Did you try turning it off and on again?”
Now we hold the power in our hands — the PowerShell, that is. 💪⚡
It’s like Excalibur, but for sysadmins. Before we go making any bold moves, let’s see what we’re working with.
Pop open PowerShell (as Administrator, because we’re the adults in the room), and run this:
DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
This command spills the beans on what edition your server currently thinks it is. It's like checking your driver’s license before applying for a passport — gotta know where you're starting from.
Once we’ve got that, we can plan its glorious transformation. Midlife crisis? Nah. Midlife upgrade. 😎
Now that we’ve had the "birds and BIOS" talk with this bad boy, it’s time to see what it's really capable of. We know what it is — but what can it become?
Time to ask the hard-hitting question, dad-style:
DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions
This command shows you all the glorious versions your server can grow up to be — like flipping through a career fair brochure for operating systems.
Whether it dreams of being a ServerStandard or is reaching for the stars with ServerDatacenter, now you'll know what upgrade paths are on the table.
Because knowing is half the battle. The other half? Hitting Enter like a boss. 👊
We’ve now uncovered our server’s true destiny. It can grow up to be anything it wants — astronaut, racecar driver, TikTok influencer — but we want it to be this:
DISM /online /Set-Edition:<TargetEdition> /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
Just swap out <TargetEdition> for the edition you need (like ServerStandard or ServerDatacenter) and plug in your legit product key — or a GVLK key if you're just giving it a test drive.
Then… press Enter.
BOOM! Like a Fourth of July firework at your uncle’s questionable BBQ — you’re off to the races. When it asks, hit Y and Enter to reboot.
And just like that, you’ve got yourself a full-grown, real-deal production server. No more evaluation countdown stress. This bad boy's sticking around longer than dad’s stories about "how we used to do IT back in the day."
Tech Expert & Family Guide