Windows on VMware ESXi - Fast & Easy Installation Guide
Install Windows on VMware ESXi the fast way: the VM settings that matter, the PVSCSI driver step when Setup shows no disk, and why VMware Tools comes before everything else.
📑Chapters
- Create the VM and pick the right guest settings
- Choose the network adapter now, not later
- Upload the Windows ISO to the datastore
- The driver step — when Setup shows no disk, load PVSCSI
- Install Windows, then install VMware Tools immediately
- Finish honestly — update, snapshot, activate
📋 Overview & Step-by-Step Guide
Create the VM and Pick the Right Guest Settings
In the ESXi Host Client or vSphere Client, choose Create / Register VM, then Create a new virtual machine. Select the guest family Windows and the exact version you are installing — this choice matters more than it looks, because ESXi uses it to pre-select the hardware. For modern Windows versions the wizard defaults the storage controller to VMware Paravirtual (PVSCSI), the fastest option. Keep it — just know that this one default creates the famous empty-disk screen later, and Step 4 below is the planned answer to it, not a surprise.
Give the VM a clear name — you will read it in backup and monitoring lists for years. Pick a datastore with real free space: a Windows VM wants 60 GB or more, and thin provisioned is fine on a lab host. Set 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM as a sane starting point for a desktop Windows guest; a light Windows Server can start at 2 vCPU and 4 to 8 GB. Leave the firmware on EFI for any modern Windows — BIOS firmware belongs to old guests.
Choose the Network Adapter Now, Not Later
The wizard offers two realistic choices and they are not equal. VMXNET 3 is the high-performance adapter — up to 10 Gbps and the lowest CPU cost — but Windows Setup carries no driver for it, so the fresh VM has no network until VMware Tools is installed. E1000E emulates a common Intel card, Windows has the driver built in, and networking works from the first minute — but it is capped at 1 Gbps and uses more host CPU.
For the smoothest first install, either accept no network during setup and install Tools immediately after, or start with E1000E and switch to VMXNET 3 once Tools is in. Decide now, because changing the adapter later changes the MAC address and the guest sees a brand-new network card.
Upload the Windows ISO to the Datastore
The ISO must live on the host, not on your laptop. In the datastore browser, open the datastore, create a folder such as ISO and upload the Windows image there — use the official Windows ISO from Microsoft. This takes a few minutes on a gigabit LAN; do it once and every future VM uses the same copy.
Then edit the VM, point CD/DVD Drive 1 at that ISO, and tick Connect and Connect at power on. Forgetting the connect tick is the silliest common failure: the VM powers on, finds no boot device, and sits on a black screen that looks far more serious than it is. Save, power on the VM, and open the console quickly to catch the "Press any key to boot from CD" prompt.
Setup Shows No Disk — Load the PVSCSI Driver
Windows Setup stops at "Where do you want to install Windows?" and the list is empty. Nothing is broken: the disk hangs off the PVSCSI controller and the Windows disc simply has no driver for it. Add a floppy drive to the VM (Edit settings → Add other device → Floppy drive) and connect the driver image that ships with every ESXi host:
/vmimages/floppies/pvscsi-Windows2008.flpIn Setup, click Load driver, browse to the floppy drive, and select VMware PVSCSI Controller. The disk appears in the list — select it and continue normally.
Install Windows, Then Install VMware Tools Immediately
Finish Setup as you would on a physical PC. The moment the desktop appears, install VMware Tools before anything else: in the console menu choose Guest OS → Install/Upgrade VMware Tools, then run setup.exe from the mounted Tools disc inside the guest and reboot.
Tools is not optional polish. It delivers the real display driver (the generic one is why the console looks blurry and lags), the VMXNET 3 network driver, clean shutdown and reboot from the host, time synchronisation and accurate performance counters. Half of all "my ESXi Windows VM feels broken" complaints end at this one install — which is why this guide puts Tools before everything else.
Finish Honestly — Update, Snapshot, Activate
Run Windows Update until it stops offering updates, then take a snapshot of the clean machine and name it honestly — the source page's own example is "Clean install - before software". A snapshot is a rollback point, not a backup: delete it once the VM proves stable for a few days, because long-lived snapshots slow the VM and quietly eat datastore space.
Finally, activate Windows with a proper licence. A VM needs its own licence just like a physical PC — virtualisation does not make Windows free.
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🎙️ Full Transcript — tap to expand
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide & Solutions - Install Windows on VMware ESXi in Minutes | Fast & Easy Guide. On-screen demonstration by Technical Anshu....
Install Windows on VMware ESXi the fast way: the VM settings that matter, the PVSCSI driver step when Setup shows no disk, and why VMware Tools comes before everything else.
(transcript ends here on the source page)
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