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Windows 2016 FAQ |
Updated: 21 Dec 2022
1. Insert the optical disc or ISO file (for virtual machines) and press a key to boot from the disc.
Select the language to use when installing, the time and current format and the keyboard type.
2. Select Install Now to begin your installation. Alternatively, click on the 'Repair your computer' link if a previous install went wrong.
3. Select which Edition of Windows to install from the list, note the first option is a Server Core version, change it to 'Desktop Experience'
if you want the version with a desktop and not a command line only version. Note that the Nano edition is not available here.
4. Read the license agreement and tick the box 'I accept the license terms' and click Next.
5. Select whether you want to do a Custom Install or Upgrade (if a previous
version was found). Use Custom Install if
installing a clean or fresh install, use Upgrade if upgrading a server with a previous version of Windows Server 2003 or 2008 (64 bit).
6. Select the disk or partition to install Windows onto.
If you need to do some drive management, click on 'Drive options (advanced)
link. If you need a third party hard
disk controller driver click on 'Load Driver' to load it from CD, USB etc.
7. It will begin installing windows by copying the files from DVD to the hard
disk and then expanding the files on the hard disk. This may take upto
20 minutes to complete.
8. It will then do a restart a few times after the installation.
9. When Windows loads, it will ask for a new password for the Administrator
account. Use a password with a mixture of upper and
lower case letters and numbers.
Click Finish to continue.
10. It will then finalise settings.
11. You will then be asked to login. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to login.
12. The Administrator user will appear (as that is the only available user), and then enter your new password.
13. The desktop will then appear and Server Manager console will load up. Network discovery will need to be enabled. Select Yes (recommended) or No
14. Click on 'Local Server' to change settings for your new server.
a) Change the computer name (a default name is given for new servers).~
b) Click on Workgroup to change the workgroup name or join a domain via System control panel.
c) Turn Windows firewall on or off, allow programs through or configure settings.
d) Enable or disable Remote Managemenent (via server manager) or Remote Desktop.
e) Change Ethernet settings. By default it will use DHCP, for servers you would
configure a static address.
f) Enable automatic updating if necessary.
g) Download any new updates that you require.
h) Change the settings to off for 'IE Enhanced Security Configuration' if you need full access to the web.
i) Change the Time zone settings for your country.
j) Product ID. Enter a new product code and activate your installation of Windows.
k) Dashboard. Use the Add roles or Add feature to install additional programs and services
as required.
l) If you are using a virtual environment, then install any Guest Tools e.g. VirtualBox, VMWare. Hyper-V
integration tools will already be available.
Click on the Start Menu at the bottom left,scroll down the list to view all installed applications.
17. Additional stuff for Windows 2016
- The Edge for Business browser is now available in Windows Server 2016.
- Media Player is installed by default (Desktop Experience is enabled by default in the RTM version).
- The Control panel is available in the Start Menu like Windows 2008 R2 or earlier.
- You could install OpenOffice, or Microsoft Office for Word, Excel, Outlook.
- For picture viewing, try InfraView.
- Internet Explorer icon is available under 'Windows Accessories' folder on start menu.
- Accessories available: Calculator, character map, internet explorer, math input panel, notepad, paint,
remote desktop connection, snipping tool, steps recorder, media player, server backup, wordpad.
- All administrative tools available as normal.
18. What SQL Server products are available for Windows 2016?
You can use the following editions of SQL Server on Windows Server 2016:
Available editions: Express, Web, Developer, Standard and Enterprise.
The Windows Internal Database feature is available for RMS, WSUS and Resource Manager only.
Alternative SQL products:
19. What System Center products are available for Windows 2016?
You can use the following System Center products on Windows Server 2016:
System Center includes:
20. What Network Security products are available for Windows Server 2016?
TMG and UAG are not supported on Windows 2016, but you can migrate from UAG DirectAccess to DirectAccess available in Windows 2016 (see Remote Access role).
DirectAccess allows client computers use VPN-like remove access to your computer network.
The Remote Access role allows Routing, VPN, Dial-in, NAT and other routing facilities.
Third party solutions includes Sophos UTM which supports a Firewall, IPS, VPN, anti-malware, URL filtering, user authentication, reverse proxy with logging and reporting.
Firewall alternatives include hardware applicances such as Cisco PIX or ASA devices, Palo Alto firewall,Dell SonicWall and so on.
21. What Antivirus products are available for Windows 2016 ?
You can use MS Endpoint Protection, ClamWin ,Trellix Endpoint Protection, MS Defender ATP, Sophos Server Protection, Avast server Business Antivirus, or AVG Antivirus Business Edition etc.22. What versions of Windows Server can I upgrade from 2012 (R2) to 2016 ?
You can only upgrade from 64 bit editions of Windows 2012 or 2012 R2. If using Windows 2008 64 bit, you may need to upgrade to Windows 2012 (R2) first, before
upgrading to Windows 2016. You cannot upgrade from 32 bit versions of Windows Server to Windows 2016, nor can you upgrade from pre-release (preview) editions or evaluations.
See this article on upgrade paths.
| From edition | To edition |
|---|---|
| Windows 2012 Datacenter | Windows 2016 Datacenter |
| Windows 2012 Standard | Windows 2016 Standard or Datacenter |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard | Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup | Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Workgroup |
| Windows 2012 R2 Datacenter | Windows 2016 Datacenter |
| Windows 2012 R2 Standard | Windows 2016 Standard or Datacenter |
| Windows 2012 R2 Essentials | Windows 2016 Essentials |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard | Windows Storage Server 2016 Standard |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup | Windows Storage Server 2016 Workgroup |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard | Windows Storage Server 2016 Standard |
| Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Workgroup | Windows Storage Server 2016 Workgroup |
23. I am new to Windows Server. Are there wizards that can help me?
Yes, the Dashboard, computer backups and remote web services is available as a feature called 'Windows Server Essentials Experience' from the Server Manager console.
For more information see Windows Server Essentials.
24. Can I run Hyper-V and Containers in Windows 2016?
Yes, Windows 2016 supports the Virtualisation Hypervisor like previous versions of Windows Server and supports various versions of Windows guests and Linux guests as well.
Containers, for virtual applications are also supported..
25. What web services are available for Windows 2016?
Internet Information Services (IIS) web server is available and supports additional components via the Web Platform Installer. This includes .NET framework, PHP, Cache extensions,
Python, Node.js, URL Rewrite etc.
Alternatives include XAMPP for Windows which includes MariaDB, PHP and Perl to quickly build a web server for platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Moodle, and others.
Instead of IIS, you can try Apache HTTP or Tomcat web server, which is used on many Unix or Linux based systems.
26. When does support end for Windows 2016?
Mainstream support for Windows 2016 ended in January 2022, extended support is until Jan 12, 2027.