Windows Server 2025 Standard Evaluation Activation

Dear Joonsik Kim,

The error you're encountering is common and occurs because a retail product key cannot be used to directly activate an "Evaluation" version of Windows Server. You maybe convert your current evaluation installation to the full standard version without needing to reinstall the entire operating system.

You can do the following steps:

Step 1: Verify Your Current Server Edition

Firstly, let's confirm that your server is running the evaluation edition.

Open the Start Menu, type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

• In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: codeCode DISM /Online /Get-CurrentEdition
• The output should show that the current edition is ServerStandardEval.

Step 2: Convert Your Evaluation Version to the Standard Version

Now, we will use a command to convert the operating system to the full retail version using the product key you have purchased.

• In the same administrative Command Prompt window, type the following command. Be sure to replace XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX with your actual product key: DISM /Online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
• Press: Enter. The process will begin, and it might seem to pause for a while at certain percentages; this is normal.
• Once the command has finished, you will be prompted to restart your server. Type Y and press Enter to reboot. Step 3: Verify Activation After your server restarts, it should be converted to Windows Server 2025 Standard and will attempt to activate automatically. You can verify the activation status.
• Go to Settings > Update & Security > Activation. It should now show Windows as activated.
• Alternatively, you can open a new Command Prompt as administrator and type slmgr /xpr and press Enter. A message should appear confirming that Windows is permanently activated. Following these steps should resolve the 0x80041023 error and fully activate your Windows Server 2025. If you find this answer helpful, please feel free to hit "accept answer." It was a pleasure assisting you! 😊