Your Windows VPS arrives with a clean system: what runs on it is up to you. A few Windows Server quirks surprise people used to desktop Windows, so they are worth knowing before they cost you an hour.
Why does my Windows server block every download?
On Windows Server, Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration is on by default. It blocks nearly every download and floods you with permission prompts.
To turn it off:
- Open Server Manager.
- Click Local Server in the left pane.
- Find the IE Enhanced Security Configuration line and click On.
- Set Administrators to Off and confirm.
Then install a modern browser and use it for everything else. Do not let Internet Explorer become your working browser.
How do I install software without using a browser?
Windows Server 2022 and 2025, and Windows 11, ship the winget package manager. It is faster and safer than a manual download:
winget search notepad++
winget install Notepad++.Notepad++
winget upgrade --allPackages come from the Microsoft repository or from the vendor, which keeps you away from download sites that bundle unwanted software with their installers.
How do I keep my Windows VPS up to date?
Let Windows Update install the security patches, schedule the reboot for a quiet hour, and keep your applications up to date as well.
Windows Update remains your first line of defence.
- Settings > Windows Update: confirm security updates are installing.
- Schedule the reboot for a quiet hour in your business.
- Check your applications too: an outdated database or web server is an open door even on a fully patched Windows.
- Before a major update, take a snapshot: rolling back takes minutes instead of a full reinstall.
How do I keep an eye on my VPS disk space?
With Disk Cleanup or Settings > System > Storage, and by clearing old application logs and the temporary folders of your business software.
A full disk stops updates, logs and sometimes services from starting. Two habits are enough:
- run Disk Cleanup or Settings > System > Storage now and then;
- clear old application logs and the temporary folders of your business software, often far larger than Windows itself.
The Graphs tab in the client area shows CPU, memory, network and disk activity over the last hour, day, week or month. An unusual plateau lasting several days usually means a process has drifted.
How many simultaneous RDP sessions can I open?
Windows Server allows two simultaneous remote administration sessions by default. That is not a limit of your plan, it is a Microsoft licensing rule. To let several people work on the same server at once you must install the Remote Desktop Services role and buy the matching client access licences (RDS CALs) from Microsoft or an authorised reseller. By-Hoster does not supply those licences.
If an idle session is holding a slot, close it properly (Sign out, not the window's close button) or end it from Task Manager > Users.
What should I do if Windows asks me for an activation key?
Above all, do not buy a key from a third-party marketplace: open a ticket with the Service Technique quoting the exact message and the Windows edition concerned.
The Windows image is preinstalled by By-Hoster from its own templates. If an activation message appears on your server, do not buy a key from a third-party marketplace: such keys are frequently revoked, and a revocation leaves you worse off. Open a ticket with the Service Technique from the client area, quoting the exact message and the Windows edition concerned.
Which habits prevent bad surprises on a Windows VPS?
Two: install nothing whose purpose you could not explain, and leave Windows Defender in place without ever stacking two antivirus products.
- Install nothing whose purpose you could not explain. Every added program is extra attack surface.
- Windows Defender is present and active: leave it in place unless you have a specific reason to install something else, and never stack two antivirus products.