Preparing a Windows Server Image for Timeweb Cloud

This guide explains how to manually prepare an optimized Windows Server image (using Windows Server 2012 R2 as an example) for uploading to Timeweb Cloud virtual machines. We’ll use NTLite together with VirtIO drivers. The goal is to integrate the necessary drivers (without them, the custom OS will not boot on the cloud), lighten the system, and disable unnecessary services and telemetry.

1. Preparing the Files

• Copy the contents of the Windows Server 2012 R2 ISO to a folder, for example: C:\utils\WS2012ISO.
• Download the latest VirtIO drivers (for Windows Server 2012 R2, it’s recommended to use virtio-win-0.1.171.iso).
• Mount both ISOs in the system.

2. Adding install.wim and boot.wim to NTLite

1. Run NTLite as Administrator.
2. Click Add → Image directory and select C:\utils\WS2012ISO.
3. Under Operating systems, you’ll see install.wim with multiple Windows Server editions.
4. Double-click the desired edition (for example, Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (GUI)) to mount the image.

Tip: You can remove unnecessary editions to make the image smaller.

3. Integrating VirtIO Drivers

1. Go to Integrate → Drivers.
2. Click Add → Directory and select the required VirtIO folders.
3. Add the following drivers:
   • NetKVM — network adapter
   • viostor — disk controller
   • vioscsi — SCSI interface
     These may be located at paths like D:\viostor\2k12R2\amd64
4. Make sure they appear in the Driver queue (bottom-left corner, usually 2 entries).

4. Optimizing install.wim

Go to Remove → Components and disable everything unnecessary. It’s safe to remove media components, telemetry, support tools, and other junk. You can even clean up Explorer if you’re not a 1C developer 🙂

5. Configuring Services and Settings

Go to Configure → Services and disable the following:

• Windows Firewall — not needed if you have an external firewall (Timeweb Cloud provides one)
• Diagnostic Policy Service
• Windows Error Reporting Service
• Remote Registry
• Program Compatibility Assistant
• Windows Update (if you plan to update manually)
• Server Manager — disable autostart

In the Settings section, disable:

• All telemetry, speech recognition, ads, and suggested content options
• Pre-installed apps and OEM apps

Also, configure folder display options (show file extensions, etc.) and set the default network to private (for RDP access).

1. Scroll to the bottom and select Finish → Apply (the section may be hidden on small screens).
2. Click Process in the top-left corner and wait for completion.

6. Processing boot.wim

1. Do the same for the boot image. In the left panel, under Start → Image, select Boot/Setup → 2. Microsoft Windows Setup (x64).
2. Add the same VirtIO drivers (otherwise the installer won’t detect the disk).
3. Do not remove anything critical from Boot — only telemetry and diagnostics if you really want to reduce size.

7. Building the ISO

1. Now you can build the new ISO. Select the folder in the list.

Then click Create ISO.

1. Set the following:
   • Source folder: C:\utils\WS2012ISO
   • Output file: C:\utils\WS2012R2_CUSTOM.iso
   • Label: WS2012R2_CUSTOM
2. Click Start.

Once finished, you’ll have a ready ISO file with integrated drivers and removed junk — ready to upload to Timeweb Cloud. The resulting Windows Server 2012 R2 image detects VirtIO disks and network adapters out of the box, installs correctly, takes up less space, boots faster, and doesn’t spy or send reports.