windows-vps Windows Server can run containers, but the rules are different from the Linux world most Docker documentation assumes. There are two completely separate runtimes with different kernels, two isolation modes with different compatibility guarantees, and a Windows Server host has no Docker Desktop — you install the engine directly. This guide covers what actually works … Read more
Group Policy is the feature that turns a Windows Server into centrally managed infrastructure rather than a file server with a domain bolted on. For a small business, the payoff is concrete: password rules enforced everywhere, mapped drives that appear without a helpdesk call, screen locks that satisfy an insurer, and printer deployment that survives … Read more
IIS is the one Windows Server role almost every hosted VM ends up running, and it is also the role people install by clicking through Server Manager and then never configure properly. This guide installs IIS from PowerShell, creates a dedicated application pool, publishes a site on a host header, opens the firewall correctly, and … Read more
Windows administrators have three realistic remote access protocols: RDP for graphical sessions, VNC/ RFB for console-level access, and SSH for text and automation. They are not competitors so much as different layers — most well-built servers use all three. This article compares them on transport, encryption, authentication, bandwidth, and licensing so you can pick deliberately … Read more
Windows Server fills up a VPS disk far faster than most admins expect. A 100 GB system volume on a busy Windows VPS typically loses 20–40 GB per year to component store growth, IIS logs, Windows Update caches, and shadow copies. This guide walks through the exact folders that consume space, how to measure them … Read more
Windows Update on a VPS has one failure mode that matters more than any other: it reboots while you are asleep, and you find out when a customer emails at 9 a.m. This guide covers the exact policy settings, deadlines, and automation that keep a Windows VPS patched without ever interrupting business hours. Why Default … Read more
Every IIS deployment decision starts with one question that has a real answer, not a preference: does this application need .NET Framework, .NET (formerly Core), or both? This guide gives you the decision in a table, the exact installation steps for each runtime, and the compatibility traps that force an unwanted rewrite six months in. … Read more
A Windows VPS without a tested backup strategy is one bad deploy, ransomware event, or corrupted NTFS volume away from total data loss. Windows Server ships a capable, free backup engine — Windows Server Backup (WSB) — plus the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) that makes application-consistent snapshots possible. This guide explains the difference between … Read more
The very first thing you do on a fresh Windows VPS is usually the thing you never revisit: signing in over Remote Desktop for the first time. That first session determines whether the server is manageable for the next two years or a source of recurring friction. This is the practical setup sequence — enabling, … Read more
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is the primary way administrators connect to Windows Server. Out of the box, RDP is functional but not hardened — it listens on port 3389, accepts password authentication, and trusts the default self-signed certificate. This guide walks through a complete RDP setup on Windows Server 2022 and 2025, with security configurations … Read more