Installing Windows Server 2022 on Proxmox VE – Step-by-Step Guide

🪟 Introduction

In this guide, we’ll walk through the complete installation of Microsoft Windows Server 2022 on Proxmox VE. This guide assumes you have a working Proxmox VE installation and want to create a virtual machine for Windows Server.

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💾 Step 1: Download Windows Server 2022 ISO

1. Visit the official Microsoft evaluation center: 👉 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2022

2. Choose ISO format and fill in the required details (you can use temporary information).

3. Download the ISO on your local machine.

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📤 Step 2: Upload ISO to Proxmox

1. Login to your Proxmox Web UI at:

   https://<your-proxmox-ip>:8006
   

2. Select the Datacenter → Node → local (or local-lvm) → ISO Images.

3. Click Upload, browse to the downloaded Windows_Server_2022.iso file, and upload it.

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🖥️ Step 3: Create a New VM

1. Click Create VM (top right corner).
2. Fill out:
   • VM ID and Name (e.g., windows2022)
3. Under OS, choose:
   • Use CD/DVD disc image file (iso)
   • Select the Windows Server 2022 ISO
   • Guest OS Type: Microsoft Windows
   • Version: 2022
4. Under System:
   • Set BIOS to OVMF (UEFI)
   • Enable QEMU Guest Agent
   • Machine: q35
5. Under Hard Disk:
   • Bus/Device: VirtIO
   • Disk size: at least 60GB
6. Under CPU:
   • Sockets: 1
   • Cores: 4 (or more depending on your host)
7. Under Memory:
   • Assign at least 4096 MB of RAM
8. Under Network:
   • Model: VirtIO (paravirtualized)

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📥 Step 4: Add VirtIO Drivers (Recommended)

To allow Windows to detect the disk and network adapter, you must also mount the VirtIO drivers ISO:

1. Download the VirtIO Windows Drivers ISO from: 👉 https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/

2. Upload the virtio-win.iso to the same ISO Images section.

3. In the VM Hardware tab, click Add → CD/DVD Drive, select virtio-win.iso.

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🔧 Step 5: Start the VM and Begin Installation

1. Start the VM and open the Console.
2. Follow the Windows installation wizard:
   • Choose Custom: Install Windows only
   • Click Load driver when no disks are found
   • Browse to virtio driver CD, select appropriate Windows 2022 → viostor driver
   • Disk should now appear → proceed with installation
3. After install, also install:
   • NetKVM driver (for network)
   • Balloon driver (for memory management)

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🔄 Step 6: Post-Installation

After the system boots:

• Install QEMU Guest Agent from virtio CD
• Update Windows Server via Windows Update
• Activate your license if needed
• Set static IP and domain role (if applicable)

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📌 Final Recommendations

• Backup VM regularly
• Enable snapshots for testing
• Monitor system usage from Proxmox interface
• Consider adding TPM if required by your application

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✅ Conclusion

Your Windows Server 2022 VM is now running smoothly on Proxmox VE. This setup is great for testing, Active Directory labs, or production environments.