By default, Windows 11 will be installed. But you can add the `VERSION` environment variable to your compose file, in order to specify an alternative Windows version to be downloaded:
Open 'File Explorer' and click on the 'Network' section, you will see a computer called `host.lan`, double-click it and it will show a folder called `Data`.
Inside this folder you can access any files that are placed in `/storage/shared` (see above) on the host. You can optionally map it to a drive letter, for easy access.
In order to download any ISO image that is not part of the list above, start a fresh container with the URL of that ISO specified in the `VERSION` environment variable, for example:
If you want to modify the settings used during the automatic installation, you can do this by editing the answer file corresponding to your Windows edition, for example [win11x64.xml](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dockur/windows/master/assets/win11x64.xml) in the case of Windows 11 Pro.
Apply your modifications to it, and add this line to your compose file:
To run your own script after installation, you can create a file called `install.bat` and place it in a folder together with other files it needs (programs to install for example). Then bind it in your compose file like this:
The example folder `/home/user/example` will be copied to `C:\OEM` during installation and the containing `install.bat` will be executed during the last step.
It's best to use the automatic installation, as it optimizes various settings for use with this container. These tweaks will give you maximum performance and prevent common issues.
- Start the container and connect to [port 8006](http://localhost:8006) of the container in your web browser. After the download is finished, you will see the Windows installation screen.
- Start the installation by clicking `Install now`. On the next screen, press 'OK' when prompted to `Load driver` and select the `VirtIO SCSI` driver from the list that matches your Windows version. So for Windows 11, select `D:\amd64\w11\vioscsi.inf` and click 'Next'.
- Choose `Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)`, and click `Load driver` on the next screen. Select 'Browse' and navigate to the `D:\NetKVM\w11\amd64` folder, and click 'OK'. Select the `VirtIO Ethernet Adapter` from the list and click 'Next'.
- Once you see the desktop, open File Explorer and navigate to the CD-ROM drive (E:). Double-click on `virtio-win-gt-x64.msi` and proceed to install the VirtIO drivers.
To verify if your system supports KVM, run the following commands:
```bash
sudo apt install cpu-checker
sudo kvm-ok
```
If you receive an error from `kvm-ok` indicating that KVM acceleration can't be used, check the virtualization settings in the BIOS.
* ### How do I increase the amount of CPU or RAM?
By default, 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of RAM are allocated to the container, as those are the minimum requirements of Windows 11.
If there arises a need to increase this, add the following environment variables:
```yaml
environment:
RAM_SIZE: "8G"
CPU_CORES: "4"
```
* ### How do I connect using RDP?
The web-viewer is mainly meant to be used during installation, as its picture quality is low, and it has no audio or clipboard for example.
So for a better experience you can connect using any Microsoft Remote Desktop client to the IP of the container, using the username `docker` and by leaving the password empty.
There is a good RDP client for [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.rdc.androidx) available from the Play Store and one for [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id714464092?l=en-GB) in the Apple Store. For Linux you can use [FreeRDP](https://www.freerdp.com/) and on Windows just type `mstsc` in the search box.
* ### How do I assign an individual IP address to the container?
By default, the container uses bridge networking, which shares the IP address with the host.
If you want to assign an individual IP address to the container, you can create a macvlan network as follows:
```bash
docker network create -d macvlan \
--subnet=192.168.0.0/24 \
--gateway=192.168.0.1 \
--ip-range=192.168.0.100/28 \
-o parent=eth0 vlan
```
Be sure to modify these values to match your local subnet.
Once you have created the network, change your compose file to look as follows:
```yaml
services:
windows:
container_name: windows
..<snip>..
networks:
vlan:
ipv4_address: 192.168.0.100
networks:
vlan:
external: true
```
An added benefit of this approach is that you won't have to perform any port mapping anymore, since all ports will be exposed by default.
Please note that this IP address won't be accessible from the Docker host due to the design of macvlan, which doesn't permit communication between the two. If this is a concern, you need to create a [second macvlan](https://blog.oddbit.com/post/2018-03-12-using-docker-macvlan-networks/#host-access) as a workaround.
* ### How can Windows acquire an IP address from my router?
After configuring the container for macvlan (see above), it is possible for Windows to become part of your home network by requesting an IP from your router, just like a real PC.
To enable this mode, add the following lines to your compose file:
Please note that in this mode, the container and Windows will each have their own separate IPs. The container will keep the macvlan IP, and Windows will use the DHCP IP.
Yes, this project contains only open-source code and does not distribute any copyrighted material. Any product keys found in the code are just generic placeholders provided by Microsoft for trial purposes. So under all applicable laws, this project would be considered legal.
The product names, logos, brands, and other trademarks referred to within this project are the property of their respective trademark holders. This project is not affiliated, sponsored, or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation.
