Learn how to set up Windows to enable ICMP and allow connections via Remote Desktop Protocol.
After a fresh installation of a Windows Server operating system on a Dedicated Server, remote access and the ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) response can sometimes be disabled.
Requirements
- a Windows dedicated server in your OVHcloud account
- access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
Instructions
Step 1: Log in with KVM
To access the KVM console of your Dedicated Server, please follow the steps in this guide.
Step 2: Finish the Windows setup
When the KVM session is established, the initial setup screens will be displayed. Here you need to configure your Country or region, the App language, and your Keyboard layout. Once you have done this, click Next.
In the second screen, enter a password for your Administrator account and confirm it, then click Finish.
Windows will apply your settings and then display the Login screen. Click the Send CtrlAltDel button in the top right corner to sign in.
Enter the password you have previously created for your Administrator account and click on the Arrow button.
This completes the initial setup. Once logged in, you need to change the appropriate Windows Firewall settings.
Step 3: Modify Windows Firewall
Open the System and Security control panel, then the Administrative Tools section. Double-click on Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
Here you can enable the respective ICMP and Remote Desktop rules (right-click on the rule and select Enable rule in the context menu).
Your server should now be responding to requests using these protocols.
Activating Windows boot logs (optional)
Activating Windows boot logs can be helpful for server error diagnostics.
Connect to your server via a Remote Desktop or KVM session. Open the Windows start menu and click on Run.
Enter "msconfig" and click on OK.
In the new window, check the box next to Boot log. Click on OK.
The next time your server boots, the logs will be saved into a .txt file. The file path is C:\Windows\ntbtlog.txt.
To access the contents of this file in rescue mode, please follow the instructions in our Activating and Using Rescue Mode on a Dedicated Server guide.
Go further
For more information and tutorials, please see our other Dedicated Server support guides or explore the guides for other OVHcloud products and services.