Microsoft has recently decided to supply every Windows Server 2008 test version with the same major revision number. This number, also known as the Build number, is used often to distinguish test versions. When submitting a bug or asking a question in the TechNet forums you might even get asked for it. (or at least get asked for the ‘name’ of the version) Show Major, minor and revisionsWindows versions can be identified using their Major version, their Minor version and their revision. Under the hood all Microsoft Windows versions have this unique combination of numbers. Looking at the Windows NT family of products you can clearly see these combinations when you invoke winver.exe and examine the second line of output:
Clearly Windows NT 4 Server is major version 4 with minor version 0. Both Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 are major version 5 of Windows NT. They have different minor versions. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are both version 6.0 of Windows NT. (They share the same codebase.) Build 6001A new revision, or Build, emerges when a new version of Windows is generated from the source code. The build number is an incremental attribute value to identify superseding builds. Microsoft has decided to use 6001 as the Build number for all Windows Server 2008 test versions and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 test versions. To differentiate between the test versions Microsoft has decided to use an additional revision number. This additional revision number started at 16384 at the release of the August Community Technology Preview (CTP) when Windows Server 2008 was still known as Windows Server Codename "Longhorn". Determining the versionThere are two methods to determine your version of Windows Server 2008:
The BuildLabEx methodThe method of using the BuildLab value is a fairly common method to determine Windows versions and patch levels. The BuildLabEx value is an extensive version of the BuildLab value and holds more information. Through the registryThe BuildLabEx value is stored in the registry. This allows the method to be used on both the fully installed version of the Operating System and Server Core installations. Using your favorite registry tool you can easily read the version of your Operating System here:
Values for this registry key start with 6001, followed by the second revision number, followed by some processor information, some more build and version information and the time and date on which the build was made. Below is a table with values for the second revision number corresponding with publicly available versions of Windows Server 2008 / Windows Server Codename "Longhorn":
The CSDVersion methodThe CSDVersion represents the Service Pack level of the Operating System. It also contains a value for the CSDBuildNumber at the end. Note: The value for CSDVersion is stored in a registry key not far from the BuildLabEx key, but checking it through the registry would basically make this method resemble the previous method too much. Besides: the CSDVersion can be obtained much easier. WinVer.exeIf you're using a full installation of Windows Server Codename "Longhorn" or Windows Server 2008 you can just run WinVer.exe (no command line options necessary) On the second line behind the major, minor and revision number you'll find CSDBuildNumber value at the end. WMICIt’s also possible to determine the version of your Operating System using the Windows Management Instrumentation Console (WMIC). Since Server Core doesn't offer winver it's the preferred way for Server Core users to determine their version. You can query the value for CSDBuildNumber using the following command:
The value is a string with ends with a number, which has a correlation with the second revision number: the CSDBuildNumber. This number seems to resemble the number of builds from the August 2006 CTP, which had 5600.16384 as its revision number. Below is a table with CSDBuildNumbers corresponding with publicly available versions of Windows Server 2008 / Windows Server Codename "Longhorn":
ConcludingIt's not difficult to determine the version of your Windows Server Codename "Longhorn" or Windows Server 2008 box. If you're running a full installation you can find it using winver.exe, in the registry and using the Windows Management Instrumentation Console (WMIC). If you're a hardcore admin running Server Core you can find it in the registry or feed your beloved wmic some more commands. Happy testing! Further readingRetrieving the Properties of the Operating System How do I tell what version of Windows Server 2008 I have?Windows Server 2008 Server Core. Click Start.. Click Run or Start Search.. Type the following text into the available window, and then press <ENTER>. systeminfo.. In the System Information window, review the value for the System Type item:. What version is Windows 2008 R2?Windows Server 2008 R2 is the fifth version of the Windows Server operating system produced by Microsoft and released as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009, shortly after the completion of Windows 7.
How do I know if I have Windows Server 2008 R2?At the command prompt, type “winver”, which will tell you what version of Windows you are running. 2. Right click on computer and select “Properties”. If you are running R2, it will say so.
How can I tell what Windows Server version I have?System Properties. Click Start > Settings > System > click About from the bottom of the left-hand menu.. You'll now see Edition, Version, and OS Build information. ... . You can type the following in the search bar and press ENTER to see version details for your device.. “winver”. “msinfo” or "msinfo32" to open System Information:. |