$25 x 12 months add's up to a lot over the years. Windows Server 2012 R2 offers exciting features and enhancements across virtualization, storage, networking, virtual desktop infrastructure, access and information protection, and more. Everything then stays the same but no longer being billed for the copy of windows. Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard At the heart of the Microsoft Cloud OS vision, Windows Server 2012 R2 brings Microsoft's experience delivering global-scale cloud services into your infrastructure. Them into the control panel and onto the servers. But my server provide tells me that people buy SPLA keys all the time and inputs I know I can buy windows server 2012 R2, pay for a KVM link and wipe the whole server and install that way but i'll lose 3 years of work and have to reconfigure everything. I use the server to Host about 14 game servers, an 8 person VOIP server, FTP server, and one static website, along with using it as a backup storage for media. What I have done was, Rented the server and then rented the license for the Windows server and installed the OS directly to the system making it the main OS as I didn't need Hyper-V or ESXI, as I just needed a server with the full OS. I rent a full dedicated server and I am not running any VM's on it.

No the $25 a month is just for the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard 64-bit OS.

Buy windows server 2012 r2 base license