Setup Windows Server 2016

Windows Server is one of the most widely used operating systems at the level of large and small networks. Learning how to install and configure different versions of Windows Server is one of the most important tasks of network administrators for optimal and efficient network management. Windows Server offers different versions to fulfill different goals of Windows users, and Windows Server 2016 is one of the most popular and common versions in the cloud space. Nano Server is the most prominent change in Windows Server 2016, which is optimized based on the needs of cloud computing and can be used as a virtualization infrastructure platform based on cloud computing.

Windows Server 2016 has three versions: Standard, Datacenter, and Essential. Windows Server 2016 is used to increase server security by reducing the attack vector. In addition, Windows Server 2016 provides features such as updating Active Directory, adding PowerShell Direct, adding Hyper-V Containers and Windows Server Containers, adding Docker, enabling Secure Boot, Storage Spaces Direct, adding Shielded VM Service, and Host Guardian Service. Compared to the previous version of Windows, Windows Server 2016 is compatible with fewer and older resources.

This article will guide you through the installation process of Windows Server 2016. Therefore, follow the instructions in this article to install Windows Server 2016 quickly and without challenges.

Prerequisite to Install Windows Server 2016

To install Windows Server 2016 on a server or PC, you must consider the minimum hardware requirements, which include the following:

• Purchasing a Dedicated server if Windows Server 2016 is installed on the server
• 512 MB of RAM
• 32 GB hard drive
• 1.4GHz 64-bit processor
• Gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet network card

Installation instructions for Windows Server 2016

If you want to personally install Windows Server 2016 on the server, you must configure appropriate virtualization, such as ESXi or KVM, on the dedicated server. Then, based on your goal, to use Windows before starting Windows Server 2016, you should have found the answers to the following questions:
• Does your network need a web server?
• How many users should be supported in your network?

Then follow the steps to set up Windows Server 2016.

Step 1. Download the ISO file of the Windows Server 2016 operating system and put it on USB or burn it to CD/DVD.

Step 2. Insert the USB or DVD containing the Windows Server 2016 boot drive into the system and restart the system. From the BIOS menu, click the logic option and select the DVD drive or USB option to boot.
Note: If you are installing Windows Server 2016 on a PC, you must create and configure a virtual machine, or VMware. To run Windows Server 2016 on a virtual machine, you must attach the corresponding ISO or DVD file to the virtual machine.

Step 3. After booting the Windows Server 2016 operating system, specify the installation language, time and format, and keyboard language on the Windows Setup page, and start the main steps of the Windows Server 2016 installation by selecting Next.

Step 4. Select “Install Now” to begin the installation procedure.

Step 5. This step is for the condition that you have a license key. If you are installing Windows Server 2016 on a PC or server for the first time, you need to enter a valid Windows product key. Since we do not have a license key in this tutorial, skip this step by selecting “I don’t have a product key” and continue to the next step.

Step 6. At this step, you should choose the right version of Windows based on your goals and preferences. The difference between Windows Server 2016 versions is the number of users they support. The Datacenter version is suitable for cloud, network, and virtual environments. The only difference between the Standard version and the datacenter version of Windows Server 2016 is the number of virtual servers. The data center version supports more virtual servers. On this page, you will see four versions of Windows Server 2016 as follows:

Windows Server 2016 Standard Version: It is the same as the Core version without a graphic environment. The Core environment is one of the environments that you need to use remote commands and software to manage.
Windows Server 2016 Standard Desktop Experience version: This version has a graphical environment.
Windows Server 2016 DataCenter version: This version does not support the graphical environment like the Core environment.
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter Desktop Experience version: It has a graphical environment.
Therefore, you can choose the suitable version according to your goals and then click on the Next button.

Step 7. At this step, you need to confirm some rules. For this purpose, you must read the license terms to the end, and after scrolling to the end of the page, check the side box “I accept license terms” and click the Next button.

Step 8. At this stage, you have two options to choose from: 1. Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications 2. Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)

The Upgrade option is selected when a different version of Windows Server has already been installed on your system (for example, you have already installed Windows Server 2012R2 through the windows server 2012/2012R2 installation guide) and you plan to upgrade Windows Server, and you also want the settings and programs of your previous Windows server version will remain.

If you decide to do a clean install that removes settings, programs, etc. from the previous version, select the Custom option. In general, Microsoft always recommends using the Custom installation or fresh installation option to install different versions of Windows Server because upgrading Windows Server versions is often associated with problems. Choosing Custom installation means we want to format the hard drive, erase everything on the server, and do a clean install.

Step 9. It’s time to choose a hard disk to Set up Windows Server 2016. Select the hard disk on which you intend to install Windows Server 2016. You may have pre-partitioned drives, but if you want to allocate unpartitioned storage space for Windows Server 2016 installation, it’s better to follow our method.

Select one of the drives and select the Format option and then Ok. Then select another drive and click Format and OK again. Select drive 0 portions 1 and click on the delete option and repeat the same for the other drive and put them in a single drive and partition.

Finally, partition this drive to install Windows Server 2016. Our goal is to consolidate all of our partitions into one format, which is why we are getting a completely fresh installation.

Step 10. Select the New option for custom partitioning on the selected hard disk.

Step 11. Then you will be faced with options for customizing the drive, where you can specify the amount of the drive in megabytes according to your needs and click the Apply button.

Step 12. You will receive a warning based on allowing the system to create a drive for system files, which you should click on the OK button. If you want to create more drives, you can repeat the previous step several times and then click on the Next button.

Step 13. After partitioning the hard disk, the system will start copying Windows files to install Windows Server 2016, which may take 15-20 minutes depending on the speed of your server.

Step 14. After completing the copy of Windows files and restarting the system, you must specify the required information, such as the password and username, and finish the process of setting up Windows Server 2016 by clicking the Finish button.

Note: We recommend setting a complex and safe password that consists of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Step 15. To access the login page, press the Ctrl+Alt+Del buttons Simultaneously and enter the password you specified. Then press Enter.

By pressing the Enter button, the desktop will be loaded, and finally, you will succeed in installing Windows Server 2016. Welcome to the wonderful world of Windows Server 2016.

It should be noted that the steps to install Windows Server 2016 on the server and PC are the same. If you decide to set up Windows Server 2016 on a PC, you need to create and configure a virtual machine before following the steps we’ve taught.

FAQ

Conclusion

This article teaches how to install Windows Server 2016 on a server or PC and guides you through the process of installing Windows Server 2016 on a server or PC. If the process of installing Windows Server 2016 is time-consuming and complicated, luckily, Opera VPS is here to help. By buying an Opera Windows VPS, you don’t need to go through the long process of installing Windows Server 2016 on the server because Opera VPS installs and configures your desired version of Windows Server on the server in advance and offers Windows VPS with the desired version of Windows Server to users.

If you face any problem at any step, let us know in the comments section.

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