Absolutely :) - simply continue reading this article to understand the two options (buy monthly license from us / bring your own) available for customers who would like to use Microsoft Windows Server on their dedicated servers.
No. At the current point in time (20 / Feb / 2021), we do not allow running Microsoft Windows / Microsoft Windows Server on any of our range of Virtual Server (VPS) packages.
This is due to the extremely high CPU and Disk I/O resource use of Windows compared to UNIX-based OS's such as Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.
For servers where the OS was either installed by one of our automated systems, or manually by a staff member - generally Microsoft Remote Desktop (RDP) will be configured for remote access over the internet, and we will provide you with secure admin login details for you to access the server via an RDP client, such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Viewer.
Upon customer request, we may be able to install and setup alternative remote access software for you, such as TeamViewer, TightVNC, RealVNC, AnyDesk, or other remote desktop software - so long as the installation process isn't very time consuming, and the software is free (or for paid software - you've provided license / activation details to our staff for us to activate the software).
We generally prefer that customers accept the default setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop, as it's the easiest for our staff / automated systems to setup and provision. Customers can then install any third party remote access software they please - via MS Remote Desktop.
If a customer has their own license / activation method for Windows Server, we'll boot the system into the installer, and require that the customer handles the installation + activation themselves.
To make this possible, we give the customer login credentials for a remote IP KVM, usually on a temporary lease of 3 to 24 hrs. The customer can then control the system as if they were sitting in front of it, with a keyboard and mouse - by using a remote console, either with a HTML5 web console, or a Java applet.
The customer may then install Windows / Windows Server using the official installer booted from a CD / USB stick / PXE, and install the system from scratch as they please.
After the OS is installed, it's up to the customer to setup some form of remote access software, such as Microsoft Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, or any other software that they prefer to use to remotely administer the system.
In most of our regions, IP KVM's can only be leased for a short period of time (usually 2 to 6 hrs, in some cases up to 24 hrs) for free, and use for an extended period of time / a permanent IP KVM would incur an additional monthly fee and/or setup charge. In very select regions (currently only "US-RS"), IP KVM's may be included, and permanently attached to the dedicated server at no cost.
Due to the fact an IP KVM usually can only be leased for a short period of time, and a permanent KVM would generally increase the monthly cost of a server by a considerable amount - it's very important that customers who manually install the OS, ensure that they prioritise setting up remote network access to their server immediately after the OS is installed.
For German and Finnish dedicated servers, we can install and license Windows Server 2019 as part of your monthly bill for any DE or FI dedicated server.
At the time of writing (20 / Feb / 2020), the current monthly prices which we can offer Microsoft Windows Server for DE/FI dedicated servers are:
NOTE: The above prices and available Windows Server version choices are subject to change, there's no guarantee that when ordering a DE/FI dedicated server from us, that we'll be able to offer those Windows Server versions / those exact prices.
Please be aware, due to the way that Windows is licensed, if you decide to cancel your dedicated server within the 10 day refund period, we CANNOT refund the license fee for Windows, since our licensing provider does not allow refunds for Windows licenses (but the license will still be cancelled, there's no contract to keep paying the license after cancelling your server).
For dedicated servers in all regions (inc. DE / FI), we can offer most common versions of Windows Server, and possibly desktop versions of Windows (e.g. Windows 10) for customer installation.
We would boot the server into the official installer, and then give you temporary remote KVM access for you to install the OS yourself, which you would be responsible for using your own license or other activation methods.
If you're interested in either of these options, simply place an order on our order form for the dedicated server you're interested in, select "Other" as the operating system, and enter into the Notes field something similar to the following examples:
If you're ordering a German or Finnish dedicated server, and would like us to provide you with a Windows Server license with a rolling monthly contract, enter something like:
Please install Windows Server 2019 Standard (please charge for monthly license)
Assuming you ask for a monthly license, you will receive an email within 24-48 hours with an invoice to pay for the first month of the license - after that's paid, we'll continue handling your server order, and will install Windows Server for you, with your purchased Windows license pre-entered and activated with Microsoft.
For all regions (inc. Germany and Finland), if you're willing to install the OS yourself, and are happy to bring your own license (or other activation means), enter something like:
Please install Windows Server 2019 Datacenter (Manual install, I will handle the licensing myself)
If you have a license key for Windows Server, but are uncomfortable installing the OS yourself, then simply include in the notes that you would like one of our technicians to install Windows Server for you - along with your License key - then we'll install Windows Server for you, and activate it with Microsoft using the license key you provided.