SOLVED: How To Easily Convert Windows Server Evaluation To Standard / Datacenter

Many of our clients know their Volume License / Open License / Open Business / Open Value / Enterprise / Education Windows Server activation keys but they do not have an ISO for their product. The easy solution is to log into the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (MSVLSC) and download the ISO but so many of our clients just can’t do that for one reason or another. Instead they resort to downloading the evaluation version of Windows Server and then asking us to install it and convert it to a licensed version. That is a pain in the butt, but it can be done.

We’ve written several articles on this in the past but as time goes on things get more complex so the instruction set below should be accurate for the next few years until Microsoft makes another change.

If you use the Windows GUI try to activate Windows Server Evaluation using your license key you may see Error Code 0x8007267C We can’t activate Windows on this device as we can’t connect… . We show you how to convert from Windows Evaluation license to your license keys using PowerShell command line.

The important thing to remember before you do this is that you need to use the GVLK or (Generic Volume Licensing Key rather than the product key you paid for:

1. Launch a PowerShell as an Administrator
2. OPTIONAL: Type dism /online /get-currentedition and press ENTER
3. OPTIONAL: Type dism /online /get-targeteditions and press ENTER
4. Type slmgr.vbs /upk (to remove the current license key)
5. Type slmgr.vbs /cpky (to ‘uninstall’ the current license key from the registry)
6. Type slmgr.vbs /ipk KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY (to install the new GLVK key from the table above)
   You may have seen instructions like these before and ended up with error messages when you tried the DISM command. Your problem is most likely that you were trying to use your real product key and not the Generic Volume Licensing Key – see the table above. For example, if you were trying to activate Windows Server 2022 Standard, the command would be:
   slmgr.vbs /ipk VDYBN-27WPP-V4HQT-9VMD4-VMK7H
7. Type slmgr.vbs /dli (to display the license version you now have)
   We have seen situations where a reboot is necessary to complete this step, but generally speaking it should now show you a non-evaluation version.
   
   Name: windows (R), ServerStandard edition
   Description: Windows(R) Operating System, VOLUME_KMSCLIENT channel
   Partial Product Key: VMK7H
   License Status: Notification
   Notification Reason: xCO4FOS6
   
   Please use slmgr.vbs /ato to activate and update KIS client information in order to update values.
8. Type slmgr.vbs /ipk KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY-KEY and press ENTER
   Here you must use your real license key and not the GLVK.
9. Type slmgr.vbs /ato (to attempt activation) and press ENTER

If you see

ACTIVATING WINDOWS
ERROR 0X0C004F074 The Software Licensing Service reported that the computer could not be activated.

We have the solution HERE.