With the release of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, many people are eager to download and install the latest and greatest Operating Systems from Redmond. For people who have deployed one of the pre-release versions of Windows 8, Windows Server 8 and Windows Server 2012, the big question now is which version they are running. (and whether they can perform in-place upgrades to the RTM version)

When you want to upgrade, transition or migrate to Windows Server 2012 and want assistance from the guys and girls at the TechNet forums you might even get asked for it. (or at least get asked for the ‘name’ of the version)

To determine the version of your Windows 8, Windows Server 8 and/or Windows Server 2012 installations, we use the same method as we used for Windows Server 2008, but with a little twist.

Method 1, through the registry

To determine the build number for the installed Operating System from the registry, we query the following registry key:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CurrentBuildNumber

Tip!
Alternatively you can query the BuildLab, BuildLabEx, and CurrentBuild registry keys in the same location. All these keys will begin with the same four digits for Windows 8, Windows Server “8” and Windows Server 2012.

Method 2, using WMI

To determine the build number for the installed Operating System with WMI, use the following commandline on a prompt:

wmic os get buildnumber

Method 3, using the GUI

If you get too exited to wander through the registry or using the command line, there is a graphical tool, that you can use. Simpy start it by typing the following word in the Start screen:

Winver

Getting friendly names

The second step is to get the friendly name for the build number you just fetched. The table below shows you the corresponding version of Windows 8:

Below is the table for Windows Server “8” and Windows Server 2012: