Windows 2003 R2 from standard to enterprise

Source
www.computing.net (more related to windows 2003)
Upgrading

windows 2003 standard edition R2 SP2 32bit
and i need to upgrade it to the enterprise edition
because i have 8GB RAM physically installed and the standard edition only recognizes 4GB.
When I launch the installer of the enterprise CD i get the following error:
“Setup cannot run in program compatibility mode. To run Setup normally, go to My Computer, double-click the CD icon, and then double-click the Setup.exe file”.
Please note that I tried to run setup by double clicking the executable but I directly received the same error.

Solution

First please refer to the following supported upgrade path:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/whyupgrade/supportedpaths.mspx

Please also note you can only upgrade to Enterprise 32bit from your system.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810613

If you can meet the upgrade requirements, please try steps below:

1. Insert the Windows Server 2003 Enterprise CD.

2. Click Start, point to Accessories, and then click Program Compatibility Wizard.

3. In the wizard, click Next.

4. Choose “I want to use the program in the CD-ROM drive” and click Next.

5. Choose “Do not apply a compatibility mode” and click Next.

6. Click Next.

7. Check the box before “Allow non-administrators to run this program” and click Next.

8. Click Next.

Now you can double-click the executable file to install Windows Server 2003 Enterprise again.

If the issue persists, please let me know if your Windows Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise are retail or OEM versions. Does your Windows Server 2003 Enterprise include R2 and SP2?

Hope it helps.

Tim Quan MSFT