How to install VirtIO drivers for Windows Server 2016

Estimated reading time: 1 min

Install VirtIO drivers for Windows Server 2016

In this article, we’re explaining how to install the VirtIO drivers on Windows Server 2016.

Prerequisites

  • VPS with Windows Server 2016 installed.
  • You have to be logged in as an administrator.
  • We are using Chrome. Click here to learn how to install Chrome with Powershell.

Step 1: Log in with RDP into Windows Server 2016

Connect to your server with the login credentials which you can find in your client area.

Step 2: Downloading the Virtio Installer

Go to https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/ . Look for the most recent file and click on it. In our case it’s Virtio-Win-0.1.189. Click on the .exe file. The download will start.

WS2016 Fedora

Click on the download to start the installation.

WS2016 Virtio Win

A window will pop up. Click on Run to start the installer.

WS2016 Virtio Win Run

Step 3: The installation

Accept the license terms and conditions, then click on Install

WS2016 Virtio Win Installer-1

Click on Next to continue.

WS2016 Virtio Win Installer-2

Accept the terms in the License Agreement and click Next.

WS2016 Virtio Win Installer-3

The features list contains: Balloon, Network, Pypanic, Qemufwfcg, Qemupciserial, Viorng, Vioscsi, Vioserial, Viostor.

In the next menu, you can choose whether you want to install the feature and where you want them to be installed. In our case, we’re keeping it how it is. Click Next to continue.

WS2016 Virtio Win Feature List

To start the installation, click Install.

WS2016 Virtio Win Installer-4

Now click Finish to finish the installation.

WS2016 Virtio Win Installer-5

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully installed the VirtIO drivers on Windows Server 2016.

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Comments

    • Yavuz Aydin says

      There is a chocolatey package to make this install easier but it looks like it's using outdated versions. You could use the PowerShell script "tools\chocolateyInstall.ps1" from the chocolatey package as a base for your own script.

    • Yavuz Aydin says

      During installation you can mount the virtio iso (which should be available on our platform by default or can be downloaded from the same URL mentioned above in step 2) and load the drivers when Windows states it can't find any harddisk to install to.

      Another option is to inject the drivers into your installation WIM image but this process is more complicated.

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