Free Windows Server 2008 R2 Evaluation Virtual Images for Hyper-V

A lot of my students ask me if they can get a copy of the Hyper-V virtual image that they use in class to do labs. The answer to that question is no. Microsoft does not allow training centers to distribute those images because of licensing requirements. However, Microsoft was kind enough to allow people to download a free 180-day evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise as well as Windows Server 2008 Server Core edition.

The evaluation period is 180-days (6 months), which is a long time to evaluate and experiment with the product. This is perfect for developers, testers, trainers, and students.

Keep in mind that at some point Microsoft will stop making these virtual images available to the general public, most likely after the next version of Windows Server is released.