# Installation

This article walks through downloading the Proxmox VE ISO, creating a bootable USB drive, and installing Proxmox on your server hardware.

<span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">Note</span>: Proxmox VE is a bare-metal installer. The entire target drive will be erased. Back up any important data before proceeding.

### Creating Bootable Drive

1. Download the Proxmox VE ISO
2. Visit the official Proxmox [download page](https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads)
3. Select the latest Proxmox VE ISO Installer and download it to your computer.
4. Create a Bootable USB Drive Using [Rufus](https://rufus.ie) or [Etcher](https://etcher.balena.io)
5. Open Rufus, select your USB device, select the Proxmox ISO, and click Start
6. Accept any format warnings- all data on the USB will be erased

### First Boot and Install

1. Insert the USB into your Proxmox server and power it on
2. Enter BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, F12, DEL, or ESC at boot) and set USB as the first boot device
3. At the Proxmox boot menu, select: Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)  
    <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">Note</span>: If the graphical installer hangs or fails, try 'Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI)' — it has better hardware compatibility.
4. Accept the End User License Agreement (EULA)
5. Select Target Hard Disk — click Options to choose the filesystem:  
     • ext4 (default) — simple, reliable, good for most setups  
     • ZFS — advanced, supports RAID, snapshots, data integrity checksums (requires more RAM)
6. Configure Location &amp; Time Zone — select your country, time zone, and keyboard layout
7. Set the Administrator Password — set a strong root password and enter an email address for alerts
8. Configure Network Settings:  
     • Select your network interface (NIC)  
     • Hostname: e.g., pve.localdomain  
     • IP Address: set a static IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100)  
     • Netmask: typically 255.255.255.0  
     • Gateway: your router's IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1)  
     • DNS Server: e.g., 8.8.8.8 or your router's IP
9. Review the summary and click Install
10. Once installation completes, remove the USB drive and click Reboot

### First Access via Web Browser

1. On another computer, open a web browser
2. Navigate to your Proxmox server's IP and port 8006:  
    [https://192.168.1.100:8006](https://192.168.1.100:8006)
3. Accept the self-signed SSL certificate warning in your browser
4. Log in with:  
     • Username: root  
     • Password: (the password you set during installation)  
     • Realm: Linux PAM standard authenticatio

<span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">Note</span>: You will see a 'No valid subscription' popup — this is normal for the free/community version. Click OK to dismiss it.