VirtIO Block or IDE

Sisdyiyy

New Member
Jul 27, 2026
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Hello,
I migrated a Windows Server 2003 VM from VMware to Proxmox. I tested different disk bus types, but the VM only boots when using VirtIO Block or IDE. I have already installed the VirtIO drivers, but it still fails to boot when I switch the disk bus to SCSI.

Is there anything I might have missed? Also, would you recommend using VirtIO Block or IDE for better performance and stability on Windows Server 2003?

Thank you
 
The recommendation is to use virtio dirvers for best performance:
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Windows_2003_guest_best_practices

In the wiki its also mentioned:
"the latest VirtIO iso do not include drivers for Windows 2003. You need to download an older version."
You may consider to use an old version, I am not sure which one would be correct for win 2003.


Just one note, (probably not related since your VM boot, I just needed to drop this out of my mind):
Do you know if MergeIDE was applied before the migration? there's a known issue with boot after migration, that only resolved after applying the MergeIDE registry modifications within the VMware environment prior to migration:
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/windows-server-2003-import-from-esxi-6-5.162494/post-749409
 
Oh you already have thread about this: