2. Reboot the computer.
3. When prompted for an installation language and other regional
options, make your selection and press Next.
4. Next, press Install Now to begin the installation process.
5. Product activation is now also identical with that found in Windows
Vista. Enter your Product ID in the next window, and if you want to
automatically activate Windows the moment the installation finishes,
click Next.
If you do not have the Product ID available right now, you can leave
the box empty, and click Next. You will need to provide the Product ID
later, after the server installation is over. Press No.
6. Because you did not provide the correct ID, the installation
process cannot determine what kind of Windows Server 2008 license you
own, and therefore you will be prompted to select your correct version
in the next screen, assuming you are telling
7. If you did provide the right Product ID, select the Full version of
the right Windows version you're prompted, and click Next.
8. Read and accept the license terms by clicking to select the
checkbox and pressing Next.
9. In the "Which type of installation do you want?" window, click the
only available option – Custom (Advanced).
10. In the "Where do you want to install Windows?", if you're
installing the server on a regular IDE hard disk, click to select the
first disk, usually Disk 0, and click Next. If you're installing on a
hard disk that's connected to a SCSI controller,
11. The installation now begins, and you can go and have lunch.
Copying the setup files from the DVD to the hard drive only takes
about one minute. However, extracting and uncompressing the files
takes a good deal longer. After 20 minutes, the operat
12. Then the server reboots you'll be prompted with the new Windows
Server 2008 type of login screen. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to log in.
13. Click on Other User.
14. The default Administrator is blank, so just type Administrator and
press Enter.
15. You will be prompted to change the user's password. You have no
choice but to press Ok.
16. In the password changing dialog box, leave the default password
blank (duh, read step #15…), and enter a new, complex,
at-least-7-characters-long new password twice. A password like "topsecret"
is not valid (it's not complex), but one like "T0pSe
17. Someone thought it would be cool to nag you once more, so now
you'll be prompted to accept the fact that the password had been
changed. Press Ok.
18. Finally, the desktop appears and that's it, you're logged on and
can begin working. You will be greeted by an assistant for the initial
server configuration, and after performing some initial configuration
tasks, you will be able to start working
