Installing Windows

The installation of Windows on ARM servers is currently not supported.

1. Getting Started

1. In the Server Control Panel (SCP), turn off your server under Control.

2. Go to Media > DVD Drive.

3. Insert the desired Windows installation DVD.

4. Set the Set boot mode to DVD? switch to on.

5. Click Attach DVD.

2. Starting the Installation

1. Open the menu item Control and restart the server.

2. Connect to the VNC console via the menu item Screen.

3. You will now see all outputs as if you were connected directly to the server with a screen.

4. After the Windows DVD has booted, follow the Windows Installer until you are prompted to select the storage location.

The Installer will ask you which edition of Windows you want to install. Typically, you should select the version with Desktop.

3. Selecting Storage Space

Windows does not natively support the drivers used by KVM virtualization. Therefore, you will need to load a driver CD, which we provide in the SCP. To do so, follow these steps and leave the screen (VNC console) open:

1. Check which driver is used for virtualization. You can find this information under Media > Driver.

2. Insert the Windows VirtIO Drivers CD under Media > DVD Drive.

3. In the Windows installation wizard, on the screen click Load driver during partitioning and then click Browse.

4. Find the folder containing the drivers on the inserted CD, then install them by clicking on a driver and clicking Install. You can make multiple selections by pressing and holding the Ctrl key.

Please note that the installation wizard cannot automatically search subfolders at this point. Therefore, you must manually select the specific folder where the correct driver is located.

4. Completing the Installation

1. Once the correct driver has been loaded, the hard drive will be recognized.

2. Remove the driver CD from Media > DVD Drive and reinsert the Windows installation DVD.

If you receive an error message during the installation process, it is likely because you have not reinserted the Windows installation DVD.

3. You can now partition the hard drive and complete the installation. If you want to reinstall your server completely, it is usually best to delete all existing partitions and create one partition that uses all the available storage space. Windows will then automatically create the necessary partitions. Once you have finished partitioning, click Next to start installing Windows.

5. Installing Additional Drivers

To ensure that your server is connected to the network, for example, additional steps are required after starting Windows for the first time.

1. After starting Windows for the first time, right-click the Windows Start Menu Icon and select Device Manager.

2. You will now see several devices for which no driver has been installed yet.

3. Right-click on each of these, select Update driver, and then Browse my computer for driver software.

4. Insert the Windows driver CD again under Media > DVD Drive.

5. In Windows, you can now click on Browse... and select the CD. The CD will be searched for the appropriate driver, including all subfolders, and the driver will be installed when you click Next.

6. Repeat this process for each device for which the driver is missing according to Device Manager.

7. The Windows installation is now complete.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)