Installation of Windows Server 2022 on Oracle VM VirtualBox

1. Objective

The objective of this document is to demonstrate the step-by-step installation of Windows Server 2022 on a virtual machine using Oracle VM VirtualBox as part of a SOC lab setup.

2. Prerequisites

• System with minimum 16 GB RAM
• Oracle VM VirtualBox installed

3. Installation Steps

Step 1: Download Windows Server 2022 ISO

The Windows Server 2022 ISO file was downloaded from the Microsoft Evaluation Center.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-server-2022

Step 2: Create New Virtual Machine

A new virtual machine was created in VirtualBox with the following configuration:

• Name: Win2022Server or WinServer2022
• Type: Microsoft Windows
• Version: Windows 2022 (64-bit)

In VM folder Specify the folder path on the local system where the virtual machine will be stored. The storage location can be customized based on user preference

The downloaded ISO file was attached to the virtual machine via the storage settings.

[Figure 1: VM Creation]

[Figure 2: VM Creation]

Step 3: Allocate Memory (RAM) and CPU

Memory was allocated to ensure smooth performance of the virtual machine.

• Allocated RAM: 4300 MB (or based on system capacity)
• CPU Allocation: 2 processors

Two CPU cores were allocated to enhance the virtual machine’s performance and support efficient multitasking during lab operations.

[Figure 3: RAM Allocation & CPU]

Step 4: Create Virtual Hard Disk

A virtual hard disk was created to store the operating system and files.

• Disk Type: VDI
• Storage: Dynamically Allocated
• Size: 50 GB

[Figure 4: Disk Creation]

Step 5: Start Virtual Machine & Windows Setup

The virtual machine was started, and the Windows Server installation process began.

The Windows Setup screen appeared, where language, time, and keyboard preferences were selected.

The installation process was initiated by clicking the “Next” button

[Figure 5: VM Startup]

Step 6: Select Operating System

Windows Server 2022 Standard Evaluation (Desktop Experience) was selected to enable GUI-based interaction.

Windows Server 2022 offers multiple editions such as Datacenter Evaluation and Standard. The Datacenter edition is designed for large-scale enterprise environments with advanced virtualization and networking features. However, for this SOC lab setup, the Standard (Desktop Experience) edition is selected as it provides all necessary core server features with a GUI, making it more suitable for beginners and lab practice.

[Figure 6: OS Selection]

Step 7: Choose Installation Type

The “Custom: Install Microsoft Server Operating System only (Advanced)” option was selected.

[Figure 7: Installation Type]

Step 8: Disk Selection

The available virtual disk was selected for installation.

Click “Next”.

[Figure 8: Disk Selection]

Step 9: Installation Process

The Windows Server installation process started and required some time to complete.

[Figure 9: Installation Progress]

Step 10: Set Administrator Password

After installation, the Administrator account password was configured.

[Figure 10: Password Setup]

Step 11: Login to System

The system was successfully installed and accessed using the Administrator credentials.

After the installation was completed, the Windows Server login screen was displayed. However, direct keyboard input from the host machine does not work immediately within the virtual machine.

To interact with the virtual machine, the input was captured by clicking inside the VM window. The Ctrl + Alt + Delete command was then sent using Input → Keyboard → Insert Ctrl + Alt + Delete, which enabled login to Windows Server.

[Figure 11: Login page]

[Figure 12: Windows Server Dashboard]

[Figure 13: OS Version]

4. Conclusion

Windows Server 2022 was successfully installed on a virtual machine using VirtualBox. This setup will be used further for SOC lab activities such as log monitoring, security configuration, and integration with SIEM tools like Wazuh.

Hacker4help, Keyur, Amish Patel