Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012: Vanilla Installation Part 1

Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012: Vanilla Installation Part 1

In this post we will cover how to install a new OS and go over some basic navigation within the Windows Server 2012 GUI environment.  I will include screenshots and explanation throughout this blog to help give you the easiest to follow experience.

• Installing the OS
• To start, you will need to insert the Server 2012 CD into the system you are installing Server 2012 or mount the ISO for a VM.
• Minimum System Requirements for Windows Server 2012
• When the boot process starts, you will see the disc load files for the install and will be presented with this screen.

• Enter you language and other preferences: Choose your Language, Time format, and Key board layout and then click Next

• Select the operating system you want to install: Choose the version of Windows Server 2012 you would like to install and Click Next.
• Please note that the default installation is Server Core.  Server Core installations do not have a GUI and can be a difficult place to start.  I would recommend selecting Standard with a GUI to get used to the server product.
• For more information on the different Windows Server 2012 versions please visit the link below:
• Differences between Server 2012 versions
• 98% of the time you will choose Windows Server 2012 Standard.  The only difference between Datacenter and Standard is the cost and number of virtual machines you can run under the license.
• Standard can run two VM's plus the host on a single license
• Datacenter can run unlimited VM's plus the host on a single license





• License Terms: Accept the license terms and click "Next"





• Which type of installation do you want?: For new installations select Custom, otherwise, for an in place upgrade of an existing Windows Server 2008 R2 system select Upgrade.
• Supported Upgrade Paths




• Where do you want to install Windows?: Choose the disk to install the OS to.  You can also select advanced options to create partitions of a different size. Then click "Next"



• Installing Windows:  The system will reboot a couple times after loading the files.  This process will take about 5 - 15 minutes depending on your hardware.





• After the final reboot, you will see the above screen and then be prompted to enter the Local Administrator password. 





• Settings: Enter the password for the Local Administrator and click "Finish"
• The password must be at least 8 characters long
• Must contain at least 3 of the following:
• Lowercase letters (a-z)
• Uppercase letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special characters



• Installation Complete: You are now at the login screen and the installation is complete.  Login to the server to learn more about navigation in Server 2012.








• Navigating Server 2012
• Upon initial login the Server Manager will start.  You will immediately notice the lack of Start menu if you are not using Server 2012 R2.  To access the start menu, move the mouse to the extreme bottom left of the screen and the Start icon will appear. 



• Click the Start tile





• On the start menu you will see Windows 8 style tiles.  These tiles can be moved, resized and modified to customize your experience. For the time being, I will show you a couple easy menu options.  You will need to just play with the new UI to get used to it.



• Hidden Menu:  By moving your mouse to the right side of the start menu, you can access further settings for the system. Here you can search, launch settings (seen below) or launch the start menu.  This menu can be launched anytime with any application running.



• Settings Menu:  In the settings menu, you can reboot or shutdown your machine, customize your tiles, send notifications or change network settings very quickly.  Feel free to explore the other options and find your most preferred method of accessing common things.





• User Options:  To access the user options seen above, you will simply need to click the user name in the top right corner of the start menu.





• Start Menu Search:  My personal favorite feature of the start menu is the search function.  Once the start menu opens, simply start typing the name of the item you are looking for and the tiles will appear.  Notice that just under the search term is more options to search under and the item you are looking for may show up under Settings or files but not Apps.
• Once you have found the item you are looking for, you can pin it to the task bar or to the start menu by right-clicking the tile and selecting from the menu options at the bottom of the screen.





• Returning to the desktop: From the start menu you can click the Desktop tile or hit the <esc> key twice.  Hitting the <esc> once will show you all settings and apps installed on the system.

This concludes part 1 of Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012: Vanilla Installation.

I hope this was helpful and informative to you and I would appreciate any feedback you may have.