When you install Windows 2008 Server Evaluation Edition, everything works fine for a few days, then after a while, it starts to throw its toys out of the pram.  It will shut down one hour exactly after booting up.  So you have to tell it, it’s ok, we just want to extend the period a bit, we’re not a production server, honest.

That has just reminded me of the time I worked for Phones4U, sadly no longer trading in the UK.  I was the SQL Database Administrator there and first thing I did, I initiated a SQL Server Estate Audit on the SQL  Servers they had.  One of the SQL Servers installed was the Developer edition of SQL 2000 and no one knew why, how or when.  Of course, we got a license and fixed that but it did make me laugh.

Anyways, here’s the post…

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/948472

So, at a DOS prompt type the following….

slmgr.vbs -dli

gives you the current status of the evaluation period.

slmgr.vbs –rearm

resets the evaluation period.  It needs a reboot after.

Don’t use it in production environments, lol!