Setting Up Windows 11 VM in Unraid - Quick Guide

Why I am making this post?

There is a lot of great discussion and YouTube guides on creating a Windows 11 VM in Unraid. However, I couldn't find a quick written source that I can digest in less than 2-5mins. Here is an attempt to write okay the steps in hopes it may be useful beyond just me. This will assume you will already have Unraid setup.

1. Setup you Windows 11 VM

2. Mount your Unraid Share

3. Resources

(Also, this will be a great reference for myself)

Setting up your Windows 11 VM

1. Download your Windows 11 ISO.

   1. Straight from the source: Download Windows 11 via microsoft.com

   2. If you are behind a VPN, you may be blocked. Download Rufus, then use their option to download the Windows ISO

2. Upload the Windows ISO into your isos, share in Unraid.

   1. Shares -> Browse /mnt/user/isos -> Upload)

3. Download the Windows VirtiO driver via Unraid.

   1. Settings -> VM Manager -> Default Windows VirtIO driver ISO (optional) -> Top Item/Latest

4. Create your Windows 11 VM in Unraid

   1. VMs -> Add VM -> Windows 11

   2. Important things to configure. If I have not listed it below, I have used the default.

      1. Logical CPUs: Minimum 2 core, choose which cores to use.

      2. Initial Memory: Recommend 4096 MB and above

      3. USB Controller: 3.0 (qemu XHCI)

      4. OS Install ISO: Windows ISO should show up once you click into the field

      5. VirtIO Drivers ISO: Windows VirtIO driver should show up once you click the field

      6. VirtIO Drivers CDRom Bus: SATA

      7. Unraid Share Mode: This allows you to passthrough Unraid Shares into the Windows 11 VM. Choose whichever you want. You can add multiple by click on the + icon on the left.

      8. VM Console Protocol: SPICE, I had more luck getting it to display properly with SPICE instead of VNC.

      9. Network Model: e1000

      10. Start VM after creation: Untick

   3. Click Create, and it should setup.

5. Start Windows 11 install using "Start with console(SPICE). Be quick to hit something like spacebar or it will toss you into Shell.

6. Go through Windows 11 install.

   1. Once you reach the point you need to find a Disk to install Windows 11 onto, it will not auto-detect the vdisk. You will need to first install Windows VirtIO drivers. Just use "Locate Drivers", point to the CDROM drive with the Windows VirtIO driver mounted, and click okay. This should then install the necessary drivers and you will see you disk shortly afterwards. The rest is then is just Windows 11.

Passing through your Unraid share so your Windows 11 VM will mount it.

Once you have successfully installed Windows 11 and able to go into the Operating System, you will see that your Unraid share is not mounted, it isn't in Disk Management, or anywhere else for that matter. You will need to go through a few additional steps.

1. Download & Install WinFSP drivers, Windows File System Proxy

2. Install Windows VirtIO drivers via the Windows VirtIO ISO that should still be mounted. Browse into the CD, at the bottom, install the x64 driver package.

3. Restart Windows 11

4. Start the VirtIO-FS service. Once back into Windows 11, go into services.msc. Find VirtIO-FS, Right-click into Properties and change from Manual -> Automatic, click OK. Right-click again, click Start.

5. Create a dependency between WinFSP and the VirtIO service. Run Powershell or Command Line (Run as Administrator). Type "sc config VirtioFsSvc depend=WinFsp.Launcher". You should then be presented with a success message.

6. You are done! You should see your Unraid share in This PC.

Great Resources I found

• Easily Download & Install Windows 11 VM on Unraid

• virtioFS on Windows VMs - Testing and comparing - Is it ready for the Prime Time?

• How To: Setup VirtioFS Under Windows and Mount Multiple Unraid shares as individual drive letters

By this point, you should have successfully created your Windows 11 VM in Unraid!

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