Onidel Cloud allows you to bring your own licensed copy of **Windows Server** and install it manually via a custom ISO. This guide walks you through preparing and installing Windows Server on a VPS using our VNC and ISO mounting features.

# **Upload your Windows Server ISO**

1. **Prepare a direct HTTP URL that points to your Windows Server ISO file**. Links from cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox are typically not supported unless they provide a direct download link.

2. Login to [**Onidel Cloud**](https://cloud.onidel.com/), then go to Orchestration > [Custom ISOs](https://cloud.onidel.com/cloud/orchestration/isos)

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBNZz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--183bef5abf84df33011808d2a71772fce5f79d7b/w1.png)

3. **Paste the direct ISO URL** into the input field and click **Upload**

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBNdz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--37b2e2424f075f7af71c420793064fcd6c423833/w2.png)

4. If the URL is valid, Onidel Cloud will begin transferring the ISO to your account. The download status will be updated every 5 minutes. Once the upload is complete, you will see a green `Active` status.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBOQT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--c07b8e0addd365bde93192ce31cdd3e323639d15/w3.png)

5. The ISO is now ready to be attached to your VPS for installation.

# **Create your custom VPS**

1. Head over to [**Virtual Machine Deploy**](https://cloud.onidel.com/cloud/compute/vm/deploy) page, the first step is to select the **Server Type**, then select the **Location**.

2. When selecting the image, you will see the uploaded ISO available in the ISO dropdown. Choose your uploaded **Windows ISO**.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBOUT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--24803c94c322b2c989ae3215af6012ee9331d66c/w4.png)

3. You can skip **SSH Keys** and **Firewall Group** section unless you have specific requirements.

4. In the **Server Configuration** section, you can select the resources you require either with the prebuilt plans or customise the specifications. Windows Server will fit comfortably onto our $9.9/month plan, but you may customise your resources for your intended workload.

5. Choose your preferred payment cycle. Onidel Cloud supports both hourly billing and subscription-based plans, with discounts available for longer-term commitments.

6. Select any additional features you need, such as automatic backups.

7. Click **Deploy Now**. If you are selecting a subscription-based plan, an invoice will be generated for payment. Once the payment is completed, your VPS will be online and ready for installation in under 30 seconds.

# **Changing VPS Settings**

Once your VPS is ready, you will receive an email with the access details. Before proceeding with the Windows installation, a few additional configuration steps are required:

1. Go to the VM Management page and open the **Settings** tab.

2. **Enable TPM**, switch the **Boot Mode to UEFI**, and click **Change Boot Mode** to apply the changes.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBOZz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--f6e5b0dbd8e109ec6b33ac3025c889d1b6c903ce/w5.png)

3. Next, navigate to **Storage > ISO Images** and attach the **Virtio Drivers ISO**.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBOdz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--66bb9f0589deccfd897171f65966fb915b3bc933/w6.png)

4. Open the **VPS Console**, and follow the on-screen instructions to begin the Windows installation process.

# **Installing Drivers**

1. During installation, Windows Server may not detect any available drives for installation. To resolve this, click **Load driver**, then browse to the **virtio-win-0.1.262** drive. Navigate to the **amd64** directory, select the folder corresponding to your operating system version, and install the necessary storage drivers.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBPQT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--cb39aacbb14063d886a42a6ba48f02872927e94d/w7.png)

2. The installer should now detect the storage driver. Select it from the list and click **Next** to continue.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBPUT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--668b1ff795724a0fc9703e0d5bede70c3a0124bf/w8.png)

3. We will also need to install the network drivers. Click **Load driver** again, navigate to the driver disk, open the **NetKVM** directory, select the folder that matches your operating system version, and click **Next** to install

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBPZz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--ea5d0b1fe2f9e994a0de2f93b767f480c8201d02/w9.png)

4. Once the storage and network drivers are installed, return to the drive selection screen and click **Next** to proceed with the installation.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBPdz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--18861e30c551b80db52044a1415e1dd308a785df/w10.png)

5. Windows will begin copying files from the ISO and will automatically reboot once this step is complete. There is no need to detach the installation ISO at this point - as long as no keys are pressed during boot, Windows will continue the setup process automatically.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBQQT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--45158388e610eb366812c5f6057cef0cee3b6b9c/w11.png)

6. After the server reboots, you will be prompted to configure initial settings and set a password for the **Administrator** account. At this point, the Windows Server installation is complete. To enable Remote Desktop access, you will need to log in via the console.

7. Click the **Console Commands** button, then select **Ctrl + Alt + Del** to bring up the login screen.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBQUT09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--b4eded4ce8ce0ff0c0449a5fff89a9eec02782d0/w12.png)

8. To enable Remote Desktop access, navigate to the system settings and find Remote Desktop option.

   ![](https://cw.hypercore-internal.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBQZz09IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--d4eefb3c60b82fbd69204bb623dd2cb7ea14d5d1/w13.png)

9. Once Remote Desktop is enabled, you can log into the server using any remote desktop client. A successful login with the **Administrator** account will automatically log you out of the rescue console session.