Unable to convert to Server with a GUI from Server Core on an upgraded Windows Server 2012 machine

View products that this article applies to.

Symptoms

Assume you have a full installation of either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. You upgrade to Windows Server 2012 and choose option "Server with a GUI".

After the upgrade you convert the Server with a GUI installation to Server Core.
In this scenario, if you try to convert back to Server with a GUI, the operation may fail and rollback to Server Core.

Notes

The “Server with a GUI” option is the Windows Server 2012 equivalent of the Full installation option available in Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
In Windows Server 2012, An administrator now has the ability to switch between a Server with GUI and a Server Core, as needed. You convert an installation from Server with GUI to Server Core.

↑ Back to the top

Cause

This problem occurs due to the following three unused WINEVT registry entries being carried over by upgrade:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{bc2eeeec-b77a-4a52-b6a4-dffb1b1370cb}
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{57e0b31d-de8c-4181-bcd1-f70e880b49fc}
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{8c9dd1ad-e6e5-4b07-b455-684a9d879900}

↑ Back to the top

Resolution

Important This section contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

For converting Server GUI to Server Core, you need to remove the registry keys mentioned above.

To delete the unwanted WINEVT registry keys, follow these steps:

From the Command prompt or Powershell prompt, run the following commands:
- reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{bc2eeeec-b77a-4a52-b6a4-dffb1b1370cb}
- reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{57e0b31d-de8c-4181-bcd1-f70e880b49fc}
- reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Publishers\{8c9dd1ad-e6e5-4b07-b455-684a9d879900}
Restart the computer.
Run the following PowerShell command to add back the GUI management tools and desktop shell to the server and convert it back into a Server with a GUI:

PS C:\> Install-WindowsFeature Server-Gui-Mgmt-Infra,Server-Gui-Shell –Restart

↑ Back to the top