No Boot after installing RDS on Windows Server 2025

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aroelle

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Oct 1, 2024
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Hello, I have a very strange problem with Windows Server 2025 and RemoteDesktop-Services.

What happened:
Installed a Domain-Controller with Windows Server 2025 on Proxmox 8.3.0 - used virtio 0.1.266 and everything works fine.
Installed a 2nd Windows Server 2025 and joined Domain.
Then I installed Remote-Desktop-Services.
The installation initiates an automatic reboot - and the reboot fails - starting automatic repair.

There are no disks visible when using diskpart in command prompt in recovery environment.
That explains, why Windows is unable to boot.
But why does this happen?

- I just re-installed the server again - same error.
- I re-installed the server using virtio 0.1.262 - same error ( I know that there are problems with this version)
- I re-installed the server using virtio 0.1.248 - same error
- I installed the driver manually in Windows recovery environment (pnputil -i -a vioscsi.inf)
-----> Drives are now visible with diskpart, but still no boot.
- I wanted to re-install the server, but all drives are offline in Windows-Setup.
-----> Found thread in this forum to enable all drives in Proxmox boot options - but still no boot
- I installed the driver via command prompt, started diskpart and used "clean" to empty the drives

I finally gave up and installed Windows Server 2022, joined domain and installed RDS - everything works fine.

I cannot figure out, what is causing this problem.
Is this a Windows Server 2025-with-RDS-issue?
Or is it a Windows Server 2025-with-Proxmox-issue?

Has anyone experienced similar problems?
 
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I installed a second DC with IDE only.
Everything was fine in the beginning.
I added Active-Directory-Services, promoted to DC, restart, Boom!
Back to automatic repair.
I can boot the VM in Protected-Mode but it won't boot normally anymore.

The other VM I installed yesterday did not start either, when I restarted the Host today.
Yesterday everything worked fine - several reboots - no problem.
I shut down VMs and Host as it should be.
Today I started Proxmox, started the VM - automatic repair.

This is ridiculous.
I found several posts in this forum like this one:
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/windows-server-2025-und-nested-hyper-v.157565/page-2

He wanted to install the Hyper-V-role and ran into the same problem.
I installed Remote-Desktop-Services on VM1 (SCSI) and Active-Directory on VM2 (IDE) and the problem occured.
The other VM #3 had no roles installed - it supposed to be an Application-Server.
Next day - same problem as well.

I re-installed all VMs with Server 2022 and no problems so far.
It has to be some problem with Server 2025 and Proxmox, as far as I can tell.
 
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what is your CPU host ?
what is VM's CPU type ?

edit: No problem here, with Windows Server 2025 as RDS ( without AD ) as VM on fresh PVE on new HPe DL20 Gen11 (Xeon E-2436).
 
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Thx for your reply.

My server is a new Lenovo ST650 V3 with an Intel Xeon Silver 4510 (12 Cores / 24 vCPUs).
I always use "Host" as CPU type in my VMs.

Everything installed from scratch two days before.
 
FWIW, I'm experiencing similar issues with Windows Server 2025 Standard on latest Proxmox pve. Everything went fine with installation, but after AD is installed (and promoted to DC in my case), Windows Installer service is stuck "starting" along with other anomalies (including installation failures and various applications failing - such as FlexLM licence manager and others).

Initial thoughts had the issues attributed to vm settings (CPU type/features, machine type), but so far testing of alternatives has not resolved the problem.

Next step will be to compare with Windows Server 2022 Standard, then attempt to isolate at what point the problems appear (as you hinted, it seems to start with AD or promotion to DC).

Looking forward to ideas/thoughts/solutions.
 
Ich habe es nun auch mehrmals probiert, sobald man den Windows 2025 in die Active Directory und die RDS Rollen installiert, fährt der Server nicht mehr hoch man kann nur noch über Reperatur und dann Startsystem im Abgesicherten Modus starten, Aber wenn man den Abgesicherten Modus mit Netzwerk startet und zum Beispiel die Rollen wieder löscht und den Server aus der AD nimmt, bleibt das Problem trotzdem bestehen.

Wenn ma jetzt aber die RDS Rollen auf dem Server lokal installiert geht es, bedeutet man installiert den Server neu dann installiert man die RDS Rollen, neustart und es funktioniert, aber ich wollte den RDWeb testen und dieses geht nur als AD Mitglied.

Ich habe noch keine Lösung gefunden.

I have now tried it several times, as soon as you install the Windows 2025 in the Active Directory and the RDS roles, the server no longer starts up, you can only start via repair and then start system in safe mode, but if you start the safe mode with network and, for example, delete the roles again and take the server out of the AD, the problem still persists.

But if you install the RDS roles on the server locally it works, that means you reinstall the server, then you install the RDS roles, restart and it works, but I wanted to test the RDWeb and this only works as AD member.

I have not found a solution yet.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
Ich habe heute mal bei einer Neuinstallation von Windows 2025 die vorherigen Treiber von VirtiO benutzt um zu schauen ob das Problem immer noch besteht, und ja es ist immer noch so, sobald man den Server 2025 in die AD aufnimmt dann startet er immer wieder durch bis dann wieder die Felder kommen um den abgesicherten Modus zu starte, daher habe ich mal die Startprotokollierung angeschaltet (gleiche Problem auch mit den neuen Virtio Treibern von Januar2025: es werden keine Hardware Treiber mehr geladen, als ob keine Hardware mehr da ist.

Today I used the previous drivers from VirtiO during a new installation of Windows 2025 to see if the problem still exists, and yes it is still like that, as soon as you add the server 2025 to the AD it starts again and again until the fields come up again to start the safe mode, so I switched on the startup logging (same problem with the new Virtio drivers from January 2025: no more hardware drivers are loaded, as if there is no more hardware.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 

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issue seems isn't related to virtio drivers.
you can confirm it with Intel as vEthernet, then no virtio install at all.
I don't have time ATM but I'm curious to reproduce the problem.
 
I have install new with eEthernet Intel, but same problem after connect a AD, and i have boot in the SafeMode. And have Errore 1048 with ID 10005 with one of other errores is:

DCOM got error "1084" attempting to start the service ShellHWDetection with arguments "Unavailable" in order to run the server:​

Sorry my Screeshot is in German. But i think this is a problem with TPM, i have TPM2.0 is the last screen.
 

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Yes this have in the first step with iso without TPM and Secure Boot, but is same, and i look for Errors in my Domain Controller but no Errores, now download windows 2022 and test with Windows 2022.
 
Hallo Leute, ich habe nun ein Windows 2022 Eval aufgesetzt in Proxmox mit den gleichen Einstellungen wie bei dem Windows 2025, aber leider das gleiche Problem, sobald ich die Terminal Rollen installiere, startet er nicht, aber es ist nicht so das er auch nicht startet sobald ich ihn in die AD aufnehme, das funktioniert. Ich habe bei dem 2022 auch die aktuellen Virtio Treiber genommen, ich würde es dann nochmal testen, mit älteren VirtiO Treibern, und auch mal nur nit der vEthernet Intel, aber ich glaube das wird auch nichts bringen. Also bei Windows 2022 Aufnahme in die AD funktioniert, nach installation von den RDS Rollen kein Start mehr, Windows 2025 kein Start mehr schon nach Aufnahme AD, vielleicht kann jemand das mal ausprobieren, ich habe die Evaluierungs ISOs von Microsoft benutzt. Als nächstes würde ich auch noch probieren auf einem anderen Proxmox eine Test Domain zu installien und da das ganze nochmals durchzuprobieren, als Info in meinen jetzigen Test war es ein DC 2019 auch eine Proxmox VM welche produktiv ist (es ist auch ein Windows 2016 RDS produktiv Proxmox VM, dieser muss aber ersetzt werden da er ausläuft.

Hey guys, I've set up a Windows 2022 Eval in Proxmox with the same settings as Windows 2025, but I'm facing the same issue. As soon as I install the Terminal Services roles, the system won't start anymore. However, it does start if I only join it to the AD, so that's not the problem.

I also used the latest VirtIO drivers for Windows 2022, but I’ll try again with older VirtIO drivers and also test using only the vEthernet Intel adapter. But I doubt that will make a difference.

So, on Windows 2022, joining the AD works fine, but after installing the RDS roles, it won’t start anymore. On Windows 2025, it already fails to start right after joining the AD. Maybe someone else can test this. I used the evaluation ISOs from Microsoft.

Next, I’m planning to set up a test domain on another Proxmox instance and try everything again. Just for reference: In my current test, the DC is a Windows Server 2019 VM running on Proxmox (which is also a production VM). Additionally, there’s a Windows Server 2016 RDS VM running in production on Proxmox, but it needs to be replaced because it's reaching end-of-life.
 
Did the following:
Thanks to @_gabriel

Changed CPU to x86-64-v2-aes
Changed to SeaBios
Changed to VirtioBlock device
Virtio ISO 248

Now its running, does not stop anymore after AD join or something else.
Great!

Is there performance problem with this CPU type? Allway used "host" before
 
same issue here:

win server 2025
virtio V266
Proxmox: V 8.3.5

CPU: host
BIOS: OVMF (UEFI)
SCSI: VirtIO SCSI Single

After joining the server to AD reboot failed.
only changed the CPU type to: x86-64-v2-aes

Server reboot OK
 
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