Running a Windows Server 2025 VM in Proxmox VE 🌱

  1. Log into the Proxmox web UI
  2. Select a storage from the left navigation pane to download the .iso to
  3. Select ISO Images in the left sub-navigation pane
  4. If running Proxmox 6, download the Server 2025 iso Download and the VirtIO driver iso Download and upload them both to the Proxmox ISO image library
  5. If on Proxmox 7, click Download from URL and paste the download URLs from above > Click Query URL > Click Download
  6. Right click the Proxmox node name > Create VM
  7. Give the VM a unique ID and Name > Next
  8. Set the Type to Microsoft Windows and Version to 11/2022 and select the Server 2025 iso, Check the box for VirtIO drivers > select the VirtIO driver iso
  9. On the System tab, set the BIOS to SeaBIOS, Choose to enable/disable TPM and set the TPM Storage device, Check the Qemu Agent box and set the SCSI Controller to VirtIO SCSI > Next
  10. On the Disks tab, set the Storage device and Disk size to at least 30GB, Bus/Device to VirtIO Block and Cache to Write back > Next
  11. On the CPU tab, set Cores to 2 or more and the Type to host > Next
  12. On the Memory tab, set the Memory to 4096 or more > Next
  13. Leave the defaults on the Network tab > Next
  14. Verify the summary and click Finish
  15. Select the Server 2025 VM > Hardware
  16. Click the Add dropdown > CD/DVD Drive
  17. Double click the new CD/DVD Drive > Select Use CD/DVD disc image file (iso) > Select the storage where the VirtIO driver iso was downloaded > Select the virtio .iso file > Click OK
  18. Right click the Server 2025 VM in the left navigation pane > Start
  19. Click console in the left sub-navigation menu
  20. If prompted, press a key to boot to the CD/DVD drive
  21. Set the Language settings > Click Next
  22. Set the Keyboard settings > Click Next
  23. Click the I agree everything will be deleted checkbox > Click Next
  24. Enter a product key or select I don't have a product key > Click Next
  25. Select the desired edition > Click Next
  26. On the License Terms screen click Accept
  27. Click Load Driver > Browse > Expand the VirtIO driver disc > Navigate to amd64\2k22 > Click OK > Next
  28. With the Unallocated Space selected, click Next
  29. Click Install
  30. Wait for Windows to copy files, the VM will reboot several times
  31. If prompted, enter a Product Key or click Do this later
  32. Enter and confirm a password for the Administrator account > Click Finish
  33. Select the Keyboard icon > Ctrl-Alt-Del
  34. Input the administrator password and login
  35. Welcome to Windows Server 2025

Optional Steps

  1. Open File Explorer > Navigate into the VirtIO Disc > Right click virtio-win-guest-tools.exe > Run as administrator
  2. Step through the installer, accepting all the defaults
  3. After the installation completes shutdown the VM
  4. Back in the Proxmox web UI, select Hardware from the left sub-navigation menu
  5. Select the CD/DVD drive with the VirtIO iso attached > Remove > Yes
  6. Double click the remaining CD/DVD drive > Select Do not use any media > Click OK
  7. Click Start at the top right of the screen restart the VM
  8. Click console in the left sub-navigation menu