May 28, 2023

Step-By-Step: How to Install, Set up, and Configure Windows Server 2022

By Roger Carvalho

Windows Server 2022 is the latest version of Microsoft’s server operating system, designed to meet the demands of modern data centers and hybrid cloud environments. Building upon the foundation of its predecessor, Windows Server 2019, this new release brings several enhancements and features aimed at improving security, scalability, and efficiency.

On this page:

New Features in Windows Server 2022
System Requirements for Installing Windows Server 2022
Windows Server 2022 Installation Options
Installing Windows Server 2022
Configuring Windows Server 2022
Installing the Latest Windows Server Updates
Bottom Line

Let’s begin.

New Features in Windows Server 2022

These are some of the main new features of Windows Server 2022:

Hybrid capabilities: Windows Server 2022 offers seamless integration with Azure services, enabling organizations to build hybrid cloud solutions and leverage Azure Arc for centralized management and governance across on-premises and cloud environments.
Security enhancements: The new version introduces advanced security features, including secured-core server integration, enhanced Windows Defender Firewall, and improvements in Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), ensuring robust protection against emerging threats. Windows Server 2022 enables TLS 1.3 and HTTPS by default. Typically, this protects client data connecting to the server and eliminates outdated encryption algorithms. The advanced multi-layer security in the Server 2022 Security Module provides the comprehensive protection servers need in today’s modern technological world.
Secure Naming Resolution: The DNS client in Windows Server 2022 now supports DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), which encrypts DNS queries using the HTTPS protocol.
Application compatibility: Windows Server 2022 offers improved application compatibility through the App Compatibility feature-on-demand (FOD), allowing organizations to run legacy applications smoothly.
Performance and scalability: With increased scalability and performance improvements, Windows Server 2022 enables organizations to handle demanding workloads and take advantage of the latest hardware advancements.
Storage improvements: The latest release introduces features like Storage Migration Service (SMS) for simplified storage management and improvements in Storage Spaces Direct, providing more efficient and flexible storage solutions.
Containerization: Several platform improvements for Windows containers, including application compatibility and the Windows container experience for Kubernetes.
Better tools and application: Microsoft Edge is included in Windows Server 2022, replacing Internet Explorer. New improvements to Windows Admin Center for managing Server 2022 include the ability to report on the current status of security core features.
HotPatching: A new way to install updates on new Windows Server Azure edition virtual machines (VMs) without requiring a reboot after installation.

System Requirements for Installing Windows Server 2022

To install Windows Server 2022, your system should meet the following minimum requirements:

Processor: 1.4 GHz 64-bit processor
RAM: 2 GB (Server Core installation) or 4 GB (Server with Desktop Experience installation). ECC (Error Correcting Code) type or similar technology for physical host deployments.
Disk space: 32 GB or more
Network: Gigabit Ethernet adapter with a throughput of at least 1 Gb/s (10 Gbps recommended). Compliant with the PCI Express Architecture Specification.
Optical drive: DVD drive (if installing from a DVD)
Additional Requirements: UEFI 2.3.1c-based system and firmware supporting Secure Boot, Trusted Platform Module, graphics device, and monitor supporting Super VGA (1024 x 768) or higher resolution.

Windows Server 2022 Installation Options

Users can choose the installation option that best suits their specific requirements, balancing the need for a graphical interface with considerations such as resource usage, security, and remote management capabilities:

Server Core: This installation option provides a minimalistic server environment without the graphical user interface (GUI). It is suitable for scenarios where the server will be managed remotely using command-line tools or through a web-based interface. Server Core offers a smaller attack surface, improved performance, and reduced resource requirements compared to the Server with Desktop Experience option.
Server with Desktop Experience: This installation option provides the familiar Windows desktop interface along with the full graphical experience. It includes a Windows shell, Internet Explorer, and other components typically found in a client version of Windows. Server with Desktop Experience is recommended for scenarios that require local administration, compatibility with applications requiring a GUI, or scenarios where a server is used for both server and client purposes.

Installing Windows Server 2022

To start the installation of Windows Server 2022 on either a virtual or physical machine, follow the instructions below:

Obtain the Windows Server 2022 installation media from Microsoft Evaluation Center:
- If you have a physical copy, insert the installation DVD into the DVD drive.
- If you have a downloaded ISO file, mount it as a virtual DVD drive or create a bootable USB drive using a tool like Rufus.
Power on the machine and configure the boot order (The exact steps can vary depending on your computer’s manufacturer, so refer to the documentation or consult the manufacturer’s website for instructions):
Start the installation process:

In the following walkthrough, we installed Windows Server 2022 in a Hyper-V Virtual Machine with the following configuration (you can create similar Virtual Machines after Turning on Hyper-V on Windows 11.):
Virtual Machine: Generation 2 with Secure Boot enabled (template Microsoft Windows)
Processor: 2 virtual processors
Memory: 4096 MB (Dynamic Memory enabled)
Hard Drive: 50 GB (VHDX, Dynamically expanding)
DVD Drive: connected to Windows Server 2022 installation media (ISO file), and set as primary boot entry
Network Adapters: 1 connected to Hyper-V External Virtual Switch and 1 connected to Hyper-V Private Virtual Switch (optional)

Installing Windows Server 2022 (Desktop Experience)

1. When computer starts, press any key to boot from the installation media
2. Once the installation media has booted, you will be presented with the Windows Setup screen. Select your language, time and currency format, and keyboard preferences and click "Next"
3. On the next screen, click "Install Now" to begin the installation process
4. Select the edition of Windows Server 2022 (any WITH Desktop Experience) that you want to install. Choose the appropriate edition for your needs and click "Next"
5. Read and accept the license terms and click "Next"
6. On the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen, select "Custom: Install Microsoft Server only (advanced)" to perform a clean installation
7. Choose the disk or partition where you want to install Windows Server 2022. If you're installing on a new hard drive or a drive with no data you need to preserve, select the unallocated space or the whole disk, and click "Next." If you're installing on a drive with existing data, make sure to back up your important files before proceeding
8. Windows Server 2022 will begin installing. The installation process may take some time, so be patient
9. After the installation is complete, your computer will restart. You can click "Restart now" to restart it immediately
10. The computer might restart a couple of times to complete the installation process
11. You will be prompted to create a password for the Administrator account. Enter a secure password, confirm it and click "Finish"
12. Windows Server 2022 will finalize the installation and prepare the desktop. Enter the password for the Administrator that you set in the previous step and press "Enter"
13. You will be logged in to your newly installed Windows Server 2022. Answer the "Networks" prompt according to your needs/environment setup
14. You can close the message suggesting to install "Windows Admin Center". You can also disable this message so it is not presented every time that you login

Installing Windows Server 2022 (Server Core)

1. When computer starts, press any key to boot from the installation media
2. Once the installation media has booted, you will be presented with the Windows Setup screen. Select your language, time and currency format, and keyboard preferences and click "Next"
3. On the next screen, click "Install Now" to begin the installation process
4. Select the edition of Windows Server 2022 (any WITHOUT Desktop Experience) that you want to install. Choose the appropriate edition for your needs and click "Next"
5. Read and accept the license terms and click "Next"
6. On the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen, select "Custom: Install Microsoft Server only (advanced)" to perform a clean installation
7. Choose the disk or partition where you want to install Windows Server 2022. If you're installing on a new hard drive or a drive with no data you need to preserve, select the unallocated space or the whole disk, and click "Next." If you're installing on a drive with existing data, make sure to back up your important files before proceeding
8. Windows Server 2022 will begin installing. The installation process may take some time, so be patient
9. After the installation is complete, your computer will restart. You can click "Restart now" to restart it immediately
10. On the "Administrator - The user's password must be changed before signing in" prompt, choose "OK" and press "Enter"
11. Enter a secure password, confirm it and press "Enter"
12. On the "Administrator - Your password has been changed" prompt, choose "OK" and press "Enter"
13. Windows Server 2022 will finalize the installation and you will be logged in to your newly installed Windows Server 2022 Core. However, instead of a full desktop environment, you will be greeted with a command-line interface

Configuring Windows Server 2022

Configuring Windows Server 2022 (Desktop Experience)

1. Once you are logged in to your newly installed Windows Server 2022, click "Local Server" to configure the server settings
2. Click the "Computer name" to rename your system to a more friendly and meaningful name
3. On "Computer Name" tab of "System Properties" window, click "Change"
4. Type the new "Computer name" and click "OK"
5. Windows will warn you that restarting the computer is needed to apply the change, click "OK"
6. On "System Properties" window, click "Close"
7. Click "Restart Later" so you can perform other configuration changes before restarting the computer
8. Back to "Local Server" tab of "Server Manager", click the "Time zone"
9. On "Date and Time" tab of "Date and Time" window, click "Change time zone..."
10. Select the proper time zone for the region where you are located and click "OK"
11. On "Date and Time" window, click "OK"
12. Back to "Local Server" tab of "Server Manager", click (one of) the Ethernet entry(ies)
13. Rename you network connection(s) to more meaningful name(s), by right-clicking them, clicking "Rename", typing a new name and pressing "Enter". The machine that we are configuring has 2 network connections, 1 connected directly to the Internet and 1 connected to our internal LAB network, so we renamed them "WAN" and "LAN" respectively
14. To check the configuration of our "WAN" (or another Network Connection Name that you might have chosen) network connection, right-click it and click "Status"
15. On "WAN Status" window, click "Details"
16. See that our network connection is set to use DHCP and in this case, it got all network configuration, including IP address, Subnet Gateway and DNS Server from the built-in DHCP Server of Hyper-V hosting this virtual machine. Click "Close"
17. On "WAN (or your Network Connection Name) Status" window, click "Close"
18. To check the configuration of our "LAN" (or another Network Connection Name that you might have chosen) network connection, right-click it and click "Status"
19. On "LAN Status" window, click "Details"
20. See that our network connection is set to use DHCP but it could not reach a DHCP Server, so a non-routable autoconfiguration was performed by "Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)", click "Close"
21. To enter a manual network configuration, click "Properties"
22. You can disable Network Protocols that you do not need, like Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), for example
23. Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) network protocol and click "Properties"
24. Enter manually the network configuration, including IP address, Subnet Gateway and DNS Server, according to the network that your system is connected to, and click "OK"
25. On "LAN Properties" window, click "Close"
26. On "LAN Status" window, click "Close"
27. To restart your computer after completing all the initial/basic configuration, right-click the Windows menu, click "Shut down or sign out" and click "Restart"
28. Choose a proper reason for restarting the system and click "Continue"

Configuring Windows Server 2022 (Server Core)

1. To rename your system to a more friendly and meaningful name, type "2" and press "Enter"
2. Type the new "Computer name" and press "Enter"
3. Type "N" and press "Enter", so you can perform other configuration changes before restarting the computer
4. Type "9" and press "Enter"
5. On "Date and Time" tab of "Date and Time" window, click "Change time zone..."
6. Select the proper time zone for the region where you are located and click "OK"
7. On "Date and Time" window, click "OK"
8. To enter the network configuration, type "8" and press "Enter"
9. The machine that we are configuring has 2 network connections, 1 connected directly to the Internet and 1 connected to our internal LAB network. Type "1" and press "Enter" to see the first one's configuration
10. See that our network connection is set to use DHCP and in this case, it got all network configuration, including IP address, Subnet Gateway and DNS Server from the built-in DHCP Server of Hyper-V hosting this virtual machine. Press "Enter" to return
11. Once again, type "8" and press "Enter"
12. Type "2" and press "Enter" to see the second network connection's configuration
13. See that our network connection is set to use DHCP but it could not reach a DHCP Server, so a non-routable autoconfiguration was performed by "Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)", type "1" and press "Enter" to enter a manual network configuration
14. Type "1" and press "Enter" to set the network adapter address, Type "S" and press "Enter" to choose a Static IP address, type the IP address, subnet mask and default gateway, always pressing "Enter" after typing the proper values. Press "Enter" when you finish to return
15. Once again, type "8" and press "Enter"
16. Type "2" and press "Enter" to see the second network connection's configuration
17. See that there is no DNS server configured on this network connection, Type "1" and press "Enter" to set DNS Servers, type the IP addresses of the preferred and alternate DNS servers, always pressing "Enter" after. Press "Enter" when you finish to return
18. To restart your computer after completing all the initial/basic configuration, type "13" and press "Enter", type "Y" to confirm you are sure about restarting the system and press "Enter"
19. After computer is restarted, type your password and press "Enter" to log in back
20. See that the "Computer name" is the new one that you have set

Installing the Latest Windows Server Updates

Updating Windows Server 2022 (Desktop Experience)

1. After you log in to your Windows Server 2022, on "Local Server" tab of "Server Manager" window, click "Windows Update"
2. Click "Check for updates"
3. Windows Server will download and install all available updates
4. Once the updates are installed, click "Restart now"
5. On that same screen, you can configure Pause in the automatic update, Change active hours when Windows Server is allowed to perform update, View update history and configure Advanced options
6. After computer is restarted and you log in back, you should see the message "You're up to date" in "Windows Update" window

Updating Windows Server 2022 (Server Core)

1. After you log in to your Windows Server 2022, type "6" and press "Enter"
2. Type the option for the updates you want your system to search for and press "Enter". Type "A" and press "Enter" to install All updates that are found
3. Windows Server will download and install all available updates. Once the updates are installed, type "Y" and press "Enter" to restart Windows Server
4. After computer is restarted, type your password and press "Enter" to log in back
5. Type "6" and press "Enter"
6. Type the option for the updates you want your system to search for and press "Enter". See that there are no more updates available, meaning your system is up to date. Press "Enter"
7. Type "5" and press "Enter" to see the Windows Update configuration
8. Type the option related to how you want to configure Windows Update and press "Enter", press "Enter" once again to return

Bottom Line

Installing Windows Server 2022 is a crucial step towards building a robust and secure server environment. This article has provided a comprehensive guide on how to install the operating system, perform initial configuration, and install the latest updates. By following the steps outlined in the article, users can ensure a smooth installation process and take advantage of the new features and enhancements offered by Windows Server 2022. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below and our team will be happy to assist you.

Tagswindows-server-core windows-server