| Installation Option | Best For | GUI? | License Requirement | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Legacy apps, admin familiar with GUI | Full Windows 11-like UI | Standard or Datacenter | | Server Core (Recommended) | Modern apps, containers, security | Command-line / PowerShell only | Standard or Datacenter | | Datacenter (Desktop/Core) | High virtualization, SDN | Varies | Datacenter license | | Azure Stack HCI | Hyper-converged infrastructure | No (WAC only) | Special subscription |
The Evaluation ISO defaults to Datacenter Edition with Desktop Experience. You cannot convert an Evaluation to a Retail license without a clean reinstall (or a specific unsupported DISM command). 4. Cryptographic Validation (Don't Skip This) After downloading, you MUST verify the ISO hash to ensure it hasn't been tampered with (e.g., by a MITM attack or a compromised CDN). download windows 2022 server iso
Download the official Evaluation ISO, verify the SHA256 hash, use Ventoy to create bootable USB, and treat the 180-day limit as a reminder to automate your server configuration via PowerShell DSC or Ansible. Never download from a third-party site. | Installation Option | Best For | GUI
on the download page (usually in a separate text file). Never download from a third-party site
Get-FileHash -Path "C:\Downloads\Windows_Server_2022_Evaluation.iso" -Algorithm SHA256