How to Upgrade to Windows Small Business Server 2003

Get Full Networking Power

Related Links • Help Protect Your Business Data • Get More Done Every Day • Reach More Customers • Use a Server to Run Your Business Server Software • Small Business Server 2003

If you have an existing server in your network, you can upgrade it to Windows Small Business Server 2003. There are two options for completing an upgrade:

Note: If you are currently running Windows Small Business Server 2003, stay current with the latest software and security updates by installing Service Pack 1. To learn more about this important service pack and to download or order the Service Pack 1 CD package, visit the Windows Small Business Server Service Pack 1 page.

Choosing Your Upgrade Option

The upgrade option you can use depends on the operating system your existing server is running.

If your server is running one of the following operating systems, you can choose to either upgrade the server or complete a migration to a new server:

Small Business Server 2000

Note: To complete an upgrade, you must be running Small Business Server 2000 Service Pack 1. If you are not running Service Pack 1, see Knowledge Base article 326924 on the Microsoft Support site for information about downloading the service pack.

Windows 2000 Server, Standard Edition

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition

For information about completing an upgrade, see Chapter 3C of the Getting Started guide.

If your server is running one of the following operating systems, you must complete a migration to a new server:

Small Business Server 4.5

For step-by-step instructions to migrate from Small Business Server 4.5, see Migrating from Small Business Server 4.5 or Windows NT 4.0 Server to Windows Small Business Server 2003.

Note: If you want to upgrade Small Business Server 4.0, you must complete a new installation. For information about completing a new installation, see Chapter 3A of the Getting Started guide. After completing the new installation, you must then copy data from your existing installation of Small Business Server to the new server.

Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 Server

For step-by-step instructions to migrate from Windows NT 4.0 Server, see Migrating from Small Business Server 4.5 or Windows NT 4.0 Server to Windows Small Business Server 2003.

Note: If you are running the trial (evaluation) version of Windows Small Business Server 2003, you can upgrade to the retail version by running Setup again using the retail media. Additionally, you can also upgrade an evaluation version of Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition.

Top of page