Windows Server 2025 Installation and Upgrade

Windows Server provides the server operating-system foundation for enterprise and infrastructure workloads. Windows Server 2025 supports several upgrade approaches, including in-place upgrade, clean installation, migration, and cluster rolling upgrade. The appropriate method depends on workload, hardware, downtime, roles, licensing, and support requirements.

In-Place Upgrade vs. Clean Installation

The source Technet24 article compares an in-place upgrade with a fresh installation and demonstrates a Windows Server 2022-to-2025 upgrade in a lab. Its comparison covers preservation of settings and data, downtime, compatibility, and the risk of carrying legacy configuration forward.

• In-place upgrade: retains supported settings, server roles, features and data while moving the existing installation to a newer Windows Server release.
• Clean installation: creates a fresh operating-system environment and requires workloads, roles and configuration to be installed or migrated again.

Pre-Upgrade Checks

Before starting Windows Server 2025 Setup, inventory the existing server and verify compatibility. The source article uses PowerShell to inspect installed roles and features:

Check the Windows Server edition and supported upgrade path.
• Verify hardware requirements and vendor support.
• Check Microsoft and third-party application compatibility.
• Confirm backup and recovery procedures.
• Schedule a maintenance window and plan for restarts.
• Document installed roles, features, services and dependencies.


Active Directory and ADPrep

The source article demonstrates adprep.exe with /forestprep and domainprep before upgrading the first domain controller in its lab. Those commands should not be copied blindly into production: Active Directory changes are consequential and should follow Microsoft’s current domain-controller upgrade procedure and your organization’s change-control process.

D:\support\adprep .\adprep.exe /forestprep .\adprep.exe domainprep
Current Microsoft guidance: Microsoft Learn now states that in-place upgrade should not be used for servers running AD DS; instead, use a clean OS installation to promote new domain controllers and demote the older ones. citeturn0search0

Windows Server 2022 → Windows Server 2025

For a supported nonclustered server that qualifies for an in-place upgrade, Microsoft documents the following installation-media workflow:

1. Mount the Windows Server 2025 installation media.
2. Open the root of the media and run setup.exe as Administrator.
3. Review update-download options.
4. Enter the product key when prompted.
5. Select the appropriate Windows Server edition.
6. Accept the license terms.
7. Select Keep files, settings, and apps for an in-place upgrade.
8. Review the Ready to install screen and start Setup.
9. Allow the server to restart as required.

Microsoft’s current documentation lists Windows Server 2022 → Windows Server 2025 as a supported direct in-place path for applicable nonclustered systems. citeturn0search1

Post-Upgrade Validation

After Windows Server 2025 restarts, validate the operating system, roles, applications, networking, storage and monitoring. For domain controllers, verify Active Directory health using the appropriate Microsoft-supported migration/upgrade workflow.

• Review System, Application and service logs in Event Viewer.
• Verify DNS resolution and server connectivity.
• Check critical services and installed roles.
• Validate applications and scheduled tasks.
• Confirm backups are running successfully.
• Monitor CPU, memory, storage and network activity after the change.

For the lab scenario described by Technet24, the author uses dcdiag and the DNS diagnostic:

dcdiag dcdiag /test:dns


Windows Server 2025 Hardware Requirements

Microsoft documents minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2025 and notes that actual requirements depend on configuration, applications and installed features. The documented minimum RAM is 2 GB for Server Core and 2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience, with 4 GB recommended for Desktop Experience. citeturn0search2

Server Core or Desktop Experience?

Windows Server 2025 can be installed as Server Core or Server with Desktop Experience. Choose based on the applications, management model and operational requirements of the server.

What This Means for IT Administrators

The central lesson from the source article is that an upgrade should be treated as a planned infrastructure change rather than simply running Setup. Inventory, compatibility, backups, supported paths, workload-specific guidance and post-change validation are all part of the process.

🔗 Source
Official references: Microsoft Learn upgrade planning · Microsoft in-place upgrade guide · Windows Server hardware requirements

Windows ServerWindows Server 2025MicrosoftServer UpgradeActive DirectoryWindows Server Installation



👤 About the Author

Khurram Shahzad

Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer

Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization Engineer specializing in VMware (VCF, vSAN, Aria), Microsoft Azure, AWS, Windows Server, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, Linux, Nutanix, Proxmox, networking, backup & disaster recovery, Cisco and FortiGate. I share practical technical guides, infrastructure projects and insights to help IT professionals build and manage modern IT environments through VMoreCloud.

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Editorial note: VMoreCloud is an independent technology publication. The original article demonstrates an upgrade of a domain controller in a lab, while current Microsoft documentation provides different guidance for AD DS. Always verify the current Microsoft-supported procedure for your exact server role and environment before making production changes.