For more information please see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy.

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Planning and Assessing

Planning and Assessing a Migration or Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2

A direct upgrade from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2008 R2 is not supported. The resources below provide information about migration paths.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Product Home Page
Visit the Windows Server Home Page for product information, trial software, purchasing options, technical resources, case studies and more.

Windows Server 2008 R2 System Requirements
Before upgrading your system from Windows 2000 to Windows 2008 R2, be sure your hardware meets the Windows Server 2008 R2 system requirements. Assuming your hardware meets the requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2, upgrading is a two-step process. You must first upgrade your system to Windows Server 2003 SP2 (or later) and then upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths
This document outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for editions of the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system.

Assessment and Planning Toolkit for Windows Server 2008 R2
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool that can securely assess IT environments for various platform migrations and virtualization without the use of any software agents. NOTE: The oldest operating system supported by this tool is Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Windows Server Migration Tools
Administrators can use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2. NOTE: The oldest operating system supported by this tool is Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Windows Server 2008 R2 Deprecated Features
This document provides is a list of deprecated features and functionalities in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and is intended for IT professionals who are updating operating systems in a commercial environment.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 (MDT 2010) provides a common console with the comprehensive tools and guidance needed to efficiently manage deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Planning and Assessing a Migration or Upgrade to Windows 7

Source: www.bink.nu

Microsoft has announced that they will be ending the product life cycle for Windows 2000 client and server support next year. Windows XP SP2 support will also come to an end, and are encouraging users to upgrade to Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista or preferably upgrade to Windows 7.

Microsoft has announced that on July 13, 2010, both Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2000 server and client support will come to an end. Microsoft is offering migration guides for free online to help upgrade from Windows XP and Windows 2000 to Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Windows XP currently holds more than 69% of the operating system market, while Vista currently holds 18.55% and Windows 7 with just over 5% and growing.

Users looking to upgrade to Windows Vista should know that Microsoft is set to support it up until 2012, and have not revealed plans to extend support further. Windows XP users will be happy to know Microsoft will be supporting Windows XP SP3 until 2014.