Before installing Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2011, make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements.
For Windows SBS 2011 these are:
- Processor: 2GHz 64-bit processor (or faster)
- RAM: 8GB
- Free Disk Space: at least 120GB
Once confirmed, you’re now ready to install Windows SBS 2011. Just follow the steps below:
Step by Step SBS 2011 Installation Guide
Step 1: If you have the installation package on a DVD or bootable USB, you’ll first need to change your computer’s boot order so that it runs the installation package when you start it up.
You can change the boot order from your computer’s BIOS setup utility. To find out how to do this, follow our guide here.
Step 2: With the boot order changed, you can now insert your Windows SBS 2011 DVD or bootable USB and then start up your computer.
Note: If you’re running an automated installation using an answer file previously created on your installation disk then you may not see all the screens in this guide below
Step 3: Once the installer has loaded, you’ll see the below screen. Choose your language, time format, and keyboard options then click Next
Then click Install Now to start the installation process.
Step 4: You’ll now be shown the License terms. After reading these, tick I accept the license terms and click Next again
Step 5: You can now choose your installation type. You can either choose Upgrade, which will allow keeping your current files, settings, and apps; or to do a new clean installation select Custom.
Note: The upgrade option is only available if you started the installation from a previous version of Windows
Step 6: Next, you’ll be asked where you want to install Windows SBS. You can either install on one of the drives or partitions shown in the list or create a new partition.
Note: if you haven’t already, make sure you back up the contents of your hard drive before continuing, otherwise you may lose any data currently saved on the chosen drive or partition
To create a new partition, click Drive Options and then select New
Note: make sure the partition you create is at least 120GB in size; otherwise, you’ll get a warning during the installation process, and it may not complete
You can also click Load Driver to choose a 3rd party driver for your storage controller if you don’t see any partition or drive options in the list
Step 7: Once you’ve chosen where to install Windows SBS, click Next. It’ll now start copying all the files to your computer’s internal hard drive.
Note: This might take a while, and your computer may restart during the process, which is normal
Step 8: Once the first part of the installation is complete; you’ll see another page asking if you want to migrate your server from an existing one or carry on with a clean install
Step 9: Once installation’s complete, you can configure your SBS 2011 operating system. To set your server’s date, time, and time zone settings, click Open Date and Time to verify the clock and time zone settings. Make your changes then click Next
Note: If you’re installing SBS 2011 as a Hyper-V virtual machine, and time synchronization is enabled, then you need to make sure these match, otherwise you’ll get errors during installation
Step 10: Enter your server network configuration details (or you can let Setup do this automatically) and then click Next
Step 11: You’ll now have the option to download any current updates. It’s a good idea to do this now; otherwise, you can come back to it later.
Step 12: You’ll then be asked you to enter your company’s information, which will also allow Setup to configure your server tools. Enter these details now and then click Next.
Note: you can also edit these later through your Windows SBS Console
Step 13: Create names for your Server and Internal domain. The internal domain separates your internal network from the external network (on the Internet) and lets you manage access to your network’s resources (e.g., user accounts, shared folders, etc)
Note: You can't change the server or domain names later so make sure to enter these correctly. Server names should be unique for each different server.
Step 14: You’ll now be prompted to set up a new Administrator account. Remember to choose a unique Administrator username, and strong password then click Next.
Note: You’ll need to use your Administrator account if you ever need to restore your directory services using Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM), so make sure you keep the login details safely stored
Step 15: Finally, a settings summary page will be shown. Go over everything carefully. If you need to change any details then click Back, otherwise, if it’s all correct, click Next
Step 16: Setup will now take you through the final stage of installation, which may take a bit of time. Your computer may also restart a few times, which is normal
Step 17: After the final server restart, you’ll be shown the Installation finished page. Click Start using the Server, and then that’s it!
Welcome to Windows SBS 2011 and enjoy!
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