Saturday night I ran the Microsoft Small Business Server Transition Pack for a client. This transition pack is not a widely used tool, as most people who have outgrown an SBS are usually in the market for a new server as well. This particular client had an SBS server installed just about a year ago, so the hardware reinvestment was not a good approach.

There are several blog posts and articles on preparation for the TP, and how Windows looks different after the transition, as well as what to do if the transition pack fails. However, the documentation seemed to be a big black hole in terms of the step-by-step process itself. With the documented known issues with running the TP being essentially disaster situations and non-functioning servers, needless to say it made the process quite unsettling going in.

Although I’m lacking in screenshots, here was my step-by-step experience with the transition.

1. Shutdown Backup Exec Services
2. Shutdown Symantec Antivirus Services
3. Shutdown VMware Services
4. Change 3rd party applications to manual startup
5. Export HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Small Business key from registry
6. Delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Small Business key from registry

(Documentation suggests that you uninstall Internet Explorer 7 as well, but 6 was still installed on this system.)

7. Remove Ethernet cable
8. Launch TP from disc
9. Enter TP key
10. Enter administrator password
11. Reboot #1 (all reboots are automated)
12. Reboot #2
13. Reboot #3
14. Windows Setup Screen
15. Reboot #4
16. Windows Setup Screen
17. A prompt for the install.exe file on the SBS 2003 R2 Technologies disc. HUH??
18. Found SBS discs and the R2 Tech disc, there is no “install.exe” on the CD!!
19. PANIC!!
20. Found blog post saying you can ignore or cancel. Whew!
21. Finish automated setup
22. Reboot #5
23. Windows 2003 Standard Edition bootup screen
24. Activate Windows dialog
25. Plug in Ethernet adapter
26. Activate YES / Register NO – activate -> Success!
27. Reboot #6
28. TP Finish screen
29. Import HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Small Business key to registry
30. Start Backup Exec Services change to automatic startup
31. Start Symantec Antivirus Services change to automatic startup
32. Start VMware Services change to automatic startup
33. Add TP CALs

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 54 minutes.

From here you are recommended to reinstall your service packs. So there is another reboot or two and another hour or two of work.

After running the Transition Pack, I seem to be questioning the option as a true value add. I am still unclear if the cost and time justifies the value gained in contrast to upgrading. Upgrading is often a harder sell of course, as some business owners are just reluctant to jump on the latest Windows release (I have a client that finally upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 in October of this year!). But if you must use the TP, hopefully this post will help.

Special thanks to all the people who failed their way through the TP process in the past. You helped to add to the documentation of known issues of the mysterious Transition Pack, so your plight was not in vain!