How to set up a Windows VPS?

If you have just got yourself a Windows VPS (Virtual Private Server), there are some basic configurations and installations you should do before you use it to host an application or website. These steps will help make sure your VPS is secure, reliable, and easy to manage over time. 

You’ve likely already received an email from your hosting provider about these initial setups, mentioning terms such as “firewall rules,” “remote desktop configurations,” and “updating DNS records.” We understand these terms can be intimidating, especially if you are new to this. 

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to break down each step in clear, easy-to-understand instructions. Follow along to get everything ready quickly and with confidence.

What is a Windows VPS?

A Windows VPS is a virtualized computing environment that runs the Windows operating system. Even though it provides you with dedicated computational resources, in reality, it’s just a partition of a more powerful physical machine. This physical machine, often referred to as a “host” or “parent” server, is shared among multiple VPS users.

This begs the question: “Well, then how are the resources dedicated to me?”. Let’s answer that with an analogy:

Think of the parent server as an apartment building. Several tenants share the building, but each apartment (your VPS) is its own private space. You have dedicated rooms (CPU, RAM, and storage) within your apartment that no one else can access. 

In the computing world, this apartment-like isolation is achieved through virtualization technology, which allows the host server to divide its resources and allocate them to each VPS. This means that the RAM, CPU cores, and storage space assigned to you are reserved for your use, regardless of what other VPS users on the same physical server are doing.

All this makes a VPS significantly safer than shared hosting in which the activity of one user can impact the performance of others. Plus, you can access and work with it remotely, installing software and changing settings just as you would on a physical Windows computer.

Benefits of using a Windows VPS

Here are some additional reasons to choose a Windows VPS:

• A Windows VPS offers many of the benefits of a dedicated server without the high price tag.
• If you’re used to Windows, you’ll find the interface and tools easy to work with.
• You can run Windows-specific applications and tools that may not work on other operating systems.
• Since you have administrative (root) access to your VPS, you have full control over the server environment. For example, you can tweak the registry and other system settings to match your needs.
• The isolation improves your security posture. Firstly, if another user’s VPS on the same host server is compromised, your VPS remains shielded from the breach. Secondly, having root access allows you to implement your own security measures, such as installing firewalls and malware detectors.

Prerequisites for setting up Windows VPS

Before you start our guide on how to set up a Windows VPS server, let’s quickly go over some prerequisites:

• Windows VPS hosting plan: You need to sign up for a hosting plan that provides a Windows VPS. 
• Remote Desktop Connection (RDP): This is the tool you’ll use to connect to your VPS from your local computer.
• Administrator login credentials: You will need the admin username and password to log into the VPS and make system changes.
• Basic knowledge of Windows OS: You should have some knowledge of how to navigate Windows menus, run commands, and install/uninstall software.
• Stable internet connection: To enjoy a smooth and responsive experience, you’d need a reliable internet connection. 
• Domain name (optional): We’ll also cover how to configure a domain name on your Windows VPS. If you’d like to follow along with that part, grab a domain name.

Step by step guide to setting up a Windows VPS

With the prerequisites sorted, let’s go through the steps needed to set up your Windows VPS.

Step 1 — Access your Windows VPS via RDP

Before you can configure your VPS, you need to log in to it. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the most common way to connect to a Windows VPS. Follow these steps:

1. Gather the information you need to log in: the IP address, username, and password. 
2. On your local Windows computer, type “Remote Desktop Connection” in the search bar and open the program.

3. Type the VPS IP address in the “Computer” field and click “Connect.”

4. When prompted, enter the administrator username and password. 
5. Once connected, you will see the Windows login screen of your VPS. Log in using your credentials. 

Step 2 – Configure basic Windows server settings

We’ll start with some essential configurations that will keep your server secure and running well:

1. First things first, update your server so that all the necessary patches are installed. Follow these steps:

1. Press Win + S, type Check for updates, and click the result.
2. Click Check for updates to scan for available patches.

3. If updates are found, click Install now.

2. The default administrator password is often generic and should be changed immediately:

1. Press Win + S, type cmd, and open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following command after replacing the placeholder with a strong, unique password.

net user Administrator <new_password>  

3. Log out and log back in using the new password.

3. Next, we will enable the firewall and security settings. (If you’re unsure how to configure your firewall properly, check out our step-by-step guide on how setting up a firewall on a cloud server.)

1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.

2. Make sure the firewall is turned on for both private and public networks.
3. Click Advanced settings on the left sidebar.
4. Under Inbound Rules, ensure that only the necessary ports (e.g., RDP on port 3389) are open.

5. Block any enabled ports that you don’t require. 

4. We’ll also set the time zone and date/time settings.

1. Right-click the clock in the taskbar and select Adjust date/time.
2. Ensure that your time zone is correct and that the time and date are accurate.

5. Windows Server comes with many services enabled by default, some of which you may not need. Let’s disable them to improve performance.

1. Press Win + S, type services.msc, and open it.
2. Find and disable any unnecessary service. For example, you can disable the Print Spooler service if you don’t use printers.
3. To disable, set Startup type to Disabled, and click Stop.

Step 3 – Install necessary software and tools

After setting up basic settings, it’s time to install the software you need to run your applications. Let’s get installing:

Install Web Hosting Tools (IIS)

Follow these steps to install IIS:

1. Open Server Manager from the Start menu.
2. In Server Manager, click Add roles and features.
3. On the next page, choose Role-based or feature-based installation.
4. Next, choose Select a server from the server pool, and choose your server.
5. Choose Web Server (IIS) and click Next.
6. Choose any additional features and click Next.
7. Finally, once on the Summary of Features to Install page, review your selections.
8. Click install and wait. 
9. Once installed, open a browser on your VPS and type http://localhost to see the default IIS page.

Install Microsoft SQL Server

If your applications require a database, Microsoft SQL Server is a solid choice for Windows. Here’s how to install it:

1. Visit the official Microsoft SQL Server download page and download the installer. There are different versions available; choose one that fits your needs.
2. Open the downloaded file and select the Basic installation option for a simple setup.

3. Accept the license terms and choose the installation path.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to make other selections related to the features and configurations you need. 
5. Once installed, launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to manage your databases.

Install Plesk

Next, we will be installing a control panel. Since cPanel is a Linux-only solution, we will install Plesk, a handy alternative for websites running on Windows servers:

1. Download the Plesk installer for Windows. 
2. Press Win + S, type cmd, and open Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Navigate to the directory where you downloaded Plesk and then run the following command to install Plesk:

plesk-installer.exe –select-product-id=panel –select-release-latest –installation-type=recommended

4. After installation, log in to the Plesk control panel (visit https://<SERVER_HOSTNAME_OR_IP_ADDRESS>)  to complete the initial configuration.

Step 4 – Set up remote access and user roles

Once your applications are installed, it’s important to create separate user accounts for people who will work on your server. This helps keep your server secure.

Create new user accounts

Follow these steps to define new user accounts:

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Local Users and Groups.
2. In the left pane, click on Users.
3. Right-click on Users and select New User….
4. Enter the username and a strong password.

5. Uncheck User must change password at next logon if you want to set a permanent password from the start.
6. Click Create to finish.
7. Repeat the above steps until you have created all the required users.

Configure user permissions

Not all users need full control over the server, so next, we will assign permissions based on user roles to minimize risks.

1. Decide what each user should access. For example, one user may be allowed to handle web server settings, while another handles database tasks.
2. Open Local Users and Groups again.
3. Double-click a group (e.g., Administrators, Users, or database) to manage its members. For example, you may add all your database administrators to the database group. 
4. For added security, you can also configure folder and file permissions. To do so:

1. Right-click any folder, select Properties, then go to the Security tab.
2. Click Edit to add a user or group and set the level of access (read, write, etc.).

Step 5 – Configure a domain on your Windows VPS

Finally, if you plan to use your Windows VPS for hosting a website, you’d need to point your domain to it. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Log in to the account where you registered your domain.
2. Look for options like “DNS settings” or “Manage DNS” For example, on the Cloud.co.za dashboard, this feature is known as “Manage DNS”:

3. Next, you need to update the DNS records:

1. A Record: This points your domain to your VPS’s IP address.
2. CNAME Record (if needed): Points a subdomain (e.g., www.blog.yourdomain.com) to your main domain.

4. Save your changes.
5. It may take a few hours for the changes to take effect worldwide. Meanwhile, you can use online tools like DNS Checker to check the propagation status. 

Common issues and troubleshooting

Setting up a Windows VPS can at times be challenging, even if you try to do everything correctly. Here are some common problems you may face and how to fix them:

Can’t connect to VPS via RDP?

You try to connect to your VPS using RDP but are met with an error or no response at all. 

Solutions:

• Check that the VPS is running and the network is stable.
• Verify that the RDP port (default is 3389) is open in the firewall.
• Confirm that you are using the correct IP address and login credentials.
• If nothing else works, try restarting the VPS.

Slow performance?

Your VPS struggles to handle the tasks or traffic as efficiently as you expected. 

Solutions:

• Monitor your CPU, RAM, and storage usage to identify bottlenecks.
• Optimize any running applications to use fewer resources.
• Check for any background processes that may be unnecessarily consuming resources.
• If resource usage is high because of excessive traffic or application demands, adding more resources may be the only solution.

DNS or domain issues?

You are facing domain/DNS related errors when accessing your website hosted on the VPS.

Solutions:

• Double check that your DNS records (A, CNAME) are set up correctly.
• Use tools like nslookup or online DNS checkers to diagnose the problem.
• If you have just made some DNS changes, wait for them to propagate. The propagation can sometimes take up to 48 hours.
• If the issue persists, seek assistance from your hosting provider. 

Software installation errors

You face errors while installing software on your Windows VPS.

Solutions:

• Ensure that your VPS meets the minimum system requirements for the software.
• Run the installer as an administrator as this can solve any permission-related problems.
• Check for any compatibility issues or required dependencies before running the installer. 

Firewall and security configurations

Misconfigured firewall or security settings can block essential services and ports.

Solutions:

• Review your firewall rules to verify that they allow traffic on the required ports.
• Regularly update your security settings and software to keep yourself protected against threats.
• Enforce strict security measures to protect your sensitive data.
• Test your VPS using network tools to confirm that only the necessary ports are open.
• If you make any changes, restart the services or the VPS to make sure they are applied.

Conclusion

Initializing remote access, installing necessary updates, configuring the firewall, deploying hosting tools and databases, and configuring DNS records are all important aspects of setting up a Windows VPS. We hope that this guide has allowed you to perform all these steps without difficulty and that your VPS is now ready for action!

If you are still in the market for a reliable Windows VPS hosting, Explore flexible and high-performance options with our Windows VPS hosting plans.