Windows device OS installation

Note: There are unresolved issues regarding support for netbooting Windows Server although it works just fine on some hardware.

Windows 7+

There are two methods for installation of Windows 7 (and newer). The preferred method is the native install. A backup method for non-compliant BIOS using wimboot is also available.

Native Installation

1. Plug device into clusterducks storage network
2. Configure device BIOS boot order:
   • Network
   • Optical drive / USB key (Windows install media)
3. In clusterducks panel, create new (empty) volume & group, at least 15GB
4. In the Networks page, configure your network's default group so new devices are automatically placed in it
5. If device is already listed in the panel, assign it to the newly created group. If the device is not listed in the panel, allow it to boot and it will then be listed.
6. Mark the device as thawed (saving state between reboot) so the new installation is not wiped after the first reboot
7. Use the "Exit to CDROM" iPXE menu item to ensure that the netboot sequence is ended after the empty volume boot fails since no operating system is installed.
8. Windows installer begins to load. When it asks to load drivers from an external disk, the device network drivers may be needed.

If the clusterducks virtual disk does not show up for installation, check the network drivers and try again.

Tip: Inside the Windows Installer, use shift+F10 for access to cmd.

Windows XP

See this page for information on Windows XP support.