Proxmox: Windows 10

Install Windows 10 as guest on Proxmox.

Followed the best practise guide for Windows 10 on Proxmox, with other elements taken from the Habitats Tech blog.

• Download Windows 10 (ISO) to Proxmox Datacenter -> pve -> local drive -> ISO Images
• Download stable Virtio image (ISO) to Proxmox

Create VM

• In Proxmox, click Create VM, tick Advanced at bottom of popup
  • General tab: set Name = windows10, Start at boot = unticked, click Next
  • OS tab: set Storage = local, ISO Image = Windows ISO Image above, Type = Microsoft Windows, Version = 10/2016/2019, click Next
  • System tab: set Graphic card = VirtIO-GPU, Machine = q35, BIOS = OVMF (EUFI), EFI Storage = local-zfs, SCSI Controller = VirtIO SCSI, QEMU Agent = ticked, click Next
  • Disks tab: set Bus/Device = SCSI, Storage = local-zfs, Disk size = 64GiB, Cache = Write back, tick Discard and Advanced -> SSD emulation
  • CPU tab, select Cores = 4, click Next
  • Memory tab: set Memory (MB) = 4096, click Next
  • Network tab: set Model = VirtIO (paravirtualized), click Next
  • On the Confirm tab: Start after created = unticked, click Finish
  • The VM will be created

Setup VirtIO Drivers Disk

• Driver ISO uploaded above
• In VM -> Hardware, click Add button
• Select CD/DVD Drive, set Bus/Device = IDE, number 0, Storage = local, ISO Image = VirtIO ISO, click Add

Install Windows 10

• Click on the VM, select Console
• NOTE: At the next stage, the system will start and the “Press any key to boot from DVD” appears very quickly. You need to press any key on the keyboard so the installation starts, otherwise installation will timeout and fail, and the only way to recover is by Stopping the VM (DO NOT use any other option like Shutdown)
• Click Start Now and press any key quickly
• Set Language / Time & Currency / Keyboard to English UK
• Click Install now button
• At the Activate Windows screen, click I don’t have a product key
• Select Windows 10 Pro, click Next
• Set I accept the licence terms = ticked, click Next
• At the Installation type page, select Custom (advanced)
  • 1 = Click Load driver to install the VirtIO Hard Disk driver
    • Click Browse button, select CD Drive with VirtIO ISO in it, select folder “vioscsi/w10/amd64” and click OK
    • Select the Red Hat VirtIO SCSI pass-through controller, click Next
    • Should see the 64GB drive
  • 2 = Click Load driver to install the VirtIO Ethernet driver
    • Click Browse button, select CD Drive with VirtIO ISO in it, select folder “NetKVM/w10/amd64” and click OK
    • Select the Red Hat VirtIO Ethernet Adapter, click Next
    • After loading will return to the disk drive page
  • 3 = Click Load driver to install the VirtIO Balloon driver
    • Click Browse button, select CD Drive with VirtIO ISO in it, select folder “Balloon/w10/amd64” and click OK
    • Select the VirtIO Balloon Driver, click Next
    • After loading will return to the disk drive page
  • These three drivers should run a fast virtualized Windows 10 system
  • Select the drive, click Next. Windows starts copying files (takes a while!)

Setup Windows 10

• Accept region = United Kingdom, click Yes
• Accept keyboard = United Kingdom, click Yes
• At Second keyboard, click Skip, wait another long while
• Select Set up for personal use, click Next
• On the account page, select Offline account
• On the enjoy page, select Limited experience
• At the user page, enter Name = bob
• At the password page enter Password = [STRONGBOX], click Next
• At the confirm page, re-enter password as above, click Next
• On the next three pages, set Security questions as per [STRONGBOX], click Next each time
• At the Use your location page, select No, click Accept
• At the Find my device, select No, click Accept
• At the Send diagnostic data page, select Required only, click Accept
• At the Improve inking & typing page, select No, click Accept
• At the Tailored experiences page, select No, click Accept
• At the Advertising ID page, select No, click Accept
• At the Customise your experience page, click Skip
• At the Cortana page, select Not now

Install Guest Agent

• In Windows, go to File Explorer and select the drivers disk DVD
• Go to the install file at \guest-agent\qemu-ga-x86_64.msi, and double click
• This will install the guest agent

Add Drivers and Services

• Run the virtio-win-gt-x64.msi file located directly on the CD
• Deselect the Qxl and Spice features if not intending to use Qxl and Spice (left selected)
• The RAM usage and IP configuration should be shown in the summary page of the VM

Update Windows

• In the Windows search box, type Update and select Check for updates option
• Avoid Optional quality update, just wait for any updates to be installed
• Keep checking until all up to date

Snapshot

• In VM -> Snapshots, click Take Snapshot
• Set Name = Clean_install, Include RAM = unticked, Description = as required, click Take Snapshot
• Can return here if anything untoward happens from here in
• Remove two DVDs, no longer needed (needs reboot of VM)

Activate Windows 10

• Disable Windows Defender
  • In the Windows search box, type “virus”, click on Virus & threat protection
  • Under Virus & threat protection settings, click Manage settings
  • Turn off Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, Automatic sample submission
• In Microsoft Edge search for “ugtechmag activate windows” and followed second method, including script copied below
• In the Windows search box, type Notepad, and select the app
• Paste the following code into Notepad:

  @echo off
  title Windows 10 ALL version activator&cls&echo ************************************&echo Supported products:&echo - Windows 10 Home&echo - Windows 10 Professional&echo - Windows 10 Enterprise, Enterprise LTSB&echo - Windows 10 Education&echo.&echo.&echo ************************************ &echo Windows 10 activation...
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 3KHY7-WNT83-DGQKR-F7HPR-844BM >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 7HNRX-D7KGG-3K4RQ-4WPJ4-YTDFH >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk PVMJN-6DFY6-9CCP6-7BKTT-D3WVR >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk MH37W-N47XK-V7XM9-C7227-GCQG9 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk NW6C2-QMPVW-D7KKK-3GKT6-VCFB2 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 2WH4N-8QGBV-H22JP-CT43Q-MDWWJ >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk DPH2V-TTNVB-4X9Q3-TJR4H-KHJW4 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk WNMTR-4C88C-JK8YV-HQ7T2-76DF9 >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 2F77B-TNFGY-69QQF-B8YKP-D69TJ >nul
  echo ************************************ &echo.&echo.&set i=1
  :server
  if %i%==1 set KMS_Sev=kms.chinancce.com
  if %i%==2 set KMS_Sev=NextLevel.uk.to
  if %i%==3 set KMS_Sev=GuangPeng.uk.to
  if %i%==4 set KMS_Sev=AlwaysSmile.uk.to
  if %i%==5 set KMS_Sev=kms.chinancce.com 
  if %i%==6 set KMS_Sev=kms.shuax.com
  if %i%==7 exit
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /skms %KMS_Sev% >nul
  cscript //nologo c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato | find /i "successfully" && (echo.&  ************************************ & echo. & choice /n /c YN /m "Do you want to restart your PC now [Y,N]?" & if errorlevel 2 exit) || (echo The connection to the server failed! Trying to connect to another one... & echo Please wait... & echo. & echo. & set /a i+=1 & goto server)
  shutdown.exe /r /t 00
  

• Save to Documents/activate.bat (select All Files in Save as type dropdown)
• Right-click on file and Run as administrator, say Y to confirmation dialog
• Should activate windows…

Share Folder / Apps

• From File Explorer share Documents folder, open on Mac
• Copy Visio folder from Titan/Software, install on Hyperion