Installing the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (Server with a GUI)

Installing the Full GUI Server

Although Microsoft markets Server Core as being the default Windows Server 2012 R2 installation, the full GUI version still represents the most easily managed version of the server. The procedure for installing the full GUI server is the same whether you’re installing directly from a DVD-ROM or a network share, except that you must have some type of network client installed on your computer to access a network share. The following procedure outlines installation from a DVD-ROM:

1. Follow the procedure outlined earlier for installing Windows Server Core until you receive the screen previously shown in Figure 2-3.
2. Select either Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (Server with a GUI) or Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter (Server with a GUI), and then click Next.
3. Complete steps 6–10 of the earlier procedure. Installation will take 15–45 minutes, depending on your hardware.
4. Type and confirm a secure password. Windows informs you that your password has been changed. Click OK.
5. Windows displays a Welcome message and prepares your desktop. Then the desktop with Server Manager shown in Figure 2-8 appears.
   
   Figure 2-8 When you log on to Server with a GUI for the first time, Server Manager appears.
   

After you have performed the initial configuration steps, you will be prompted to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and enter your password when you restart your server.

TIP

When you shut down a Windows Server 2012 R2 computer, it displays the Shutdown Event Tracker dialog box, which asks you for a reason for shutting down the server. For learning purposes, it is helpful to disable this item. You can do so by typing gpedit.msc to open the Local Group Policy Object Editor. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System, right-click the Display Shutdown Event Tracker policy, and click Properties. On the dialog box that appears, click Disabled and then click OK.