Extend Windows Server 2008 trial version

I have been working on Windows Server 2008 for quite some time now and i found it great in many new ways. I must say, the developers behind server 2008 have worked really hard to make it more secure, stable and user friendly.
You can download the 60 days trial version of server 2008 (Enterprise Edition) by clicking here.
However you can extend the trial period by resetting it up to 3 times so you will have 240 days to evaluate it. This information can also be found in the knowledge base article here.

1) first check how many days of evaluation period is left. Click Run in the menu Start, then type slmgr.vbs -dli and click OK. The script will take some time to load before it will show you a Windows Script Host message window that says how much time is left.
2) Click Run in the menu Start, then type slmgr.vbs -rearm and click OK. After a couple of seconds it will show you the message window that the command has completed. Restart your system to apply the reset!

3) You can verify it by running the slmgr.vbs -dli command again.

You can also automate this process by using the Task Scheduler. You can configure the Task Scheduler to run the Slmgr.vbs script and to restart the server at a particular time. To do this, follow these steps:

1.Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Task Scheduler.
2.Copy the following sample task to the server, and then save it as an .xml file. For example, you can save the file as Extend.xml.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<Task version="1.2" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task">
  <RegistrationInfo>
    <Date>2007-09-17T14:26:04.433</Date>
    <Author>Microsoft Corporation</Author>

  </RegistrationInfo>
  <Triggers>
    <TimeTrigger id="18c4a453-d7aa-4647-916b-af0c3ea16a6b">
      <Repetition>
        <Interval>P31D</Interval>

        <StopAtDurationEnd>false</StopAtDurationEnd>
      </Repetition>
      <StartBoundary>2007-10-05T02:23:24</StartBoundary>
      <EndBoundary>2008-09-17T14:23:24.777</EndBoundary>

      <Enabled>true</Enabled>
    </TimeTrigger>
  </Triggers>
  <Principals>
    <Principal id="Author">

      <UserId>domain\alias</UserId>
      <LogonType>Password</LogonType>
      <RunLevel>HighestAvailable</RunLevel>
    </Principal>

  </Principals>
  <Settings>
    <IdleSettings>
      <Duration>PT10M</Duration>
      <WaitTimeout>PT1H</WaitTimeout>

      <StopOnIdleEnd>true</StopOnIdleEnd>
      <RestartOnIdle>false</RestartOnIdle>
    </IdleSettings>
    <MultipleInstancesPolicy>IgnoreNew</MultipleInstancesPolicy>

    <DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>true</DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>
    <StopIfGoingOnBatteries>true</StopIfGoingOnBatteries>
    <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate>
    <StartWhenAvailable>false</StartWhenAvailable>

    <RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>false</RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>
    <AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand>
    <Enabled>true</Enabled>
    <Hidden>false</Hidden>

    <RunOnlyIfIdle>false</RunOnlyIfIdle>
    <WakeToRun>true</WakeToRun>
    <ExecutionTimeLimit>P3D</ExecutionTimeLimit>
    <DeleteExpiredTaskAfter>PT0S</DeleteExpiredTaskAfter>

    <Priority>7</Priority>
    <RestartOnFailure>
      <Interval>PT1M</Interval>
      <Count>3</Count>

    </RestartOnFailure>
  </Settings>
  <Actions Context="Author">
    <Exec>
      <Command>C:\Windows\System32\slmgr.vbs</Command>

      <Arguments>-rearm</Arguments>
    </Exec>
    <Exec>
      <Command>C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe</Command>
      <Arguments>/r</Arguments>

    </Exec>
  </Actions>
</Task>

4.In the Task Scheduler, click Import Task on the Action menu.
5.Click the sample task .xml file. For example, click Extend.xml.
6.Click Import.
7.Click the Triggers tab.
8.Click the One Time trigger, and then click Edit.
9.Change the start date of the task to a date just before the end of your current evaluation period.
10.Click OK, and then exit the Task Scheduler.
The Task Scheduler will now run the evaluation reset operation on the date that you specified.