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Mounting Custom ISOs and Configuring Boot Priority

The Media tab in the FREAKHOSTING VPS Control Panel lets you mount custom ISO images to a virtual CD/DVD drive and control which device your server boots from. This is how you install operating systems that are not in our standard template library, boot into recovery environments, or run diagnostic tools — essentially anything that requires booting from an image file.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

5 Minutes

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Custom ISO Mounting Is Disabled by Default

The ability to mount custom ISO images is disabled by default on all VPS accounts. If you need this feature enabled, please open a support ticket and our team will activate it for your server.Open a Support Ticket →

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Why Would I Need a Custom ISO?

Most users never need this feature — the standard OS templates available during VPS setup cover the common cases. But there are situations where mounting your own ISO is the only way to get what you need:
  • Proxmox VE — You want to run a virtualization platform on your VPS for nested VM management.
  • pfSense / OPNsense — You are building a virtual firewall or router appliance.
  • Windows Server — You need a specific Windows Server version or edition that is not available as a standard template.
  • Custom Linux distributions — Alpine, Arch, NixOS, or any distribution not in our template library.
  • Network appliances — VyOS, MikroTik RouterOS, or other specialized networking software.
  • Recovery tools — SystemRescue, Hiren’s Boot CD, or GParted Live for disk repair and data recovery.
  • Diagnostics — Memtest86+ or other hardware testing tools.
If your use case involves any of these, request custom ISO access through a support ticket and you will be up and running in no time.

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Accessing the Media Tab

1

Navigate to Your Server

Click on Servers in the top navigation bar, then click Manage next to the server you want to configure.
2

Open the Media Tab

Click on the Media tab in the server management navigation. You will see power controls at the top, the CD/DVD-ROM section in the middle, and the Boot Order section below.

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CD/DVD-ROM — Custom ISO Section

The CD/DVD-ROM section shows the current status of your virtual optical drive:
  • DRIVE ACTIVE — An ISO image is currently mounted and ready.
  • DRIVE INACTIVE — No media is loaded. The virtual CD/DVD drive is empty.
There are two ways to mount an ISO to your server: inserting a remote ISO via URL or selecting a preset CD/DVD image provided by FREAKHOSTING.

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Option 1: Mount a Remote Custom ISO via URL

You can mount any publicly accessible ISO image by providing its direct download URL. This is the most flexible option — you control exactly which image gets loaded.
1

Click Custom CD/DVD

Click the Custom CD/DVD button to reveal the URL input field.
2

Enter the ISO URL

In the URL input field (prefixed with https://), enter the direct link to your remote ISO file. For example: releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso
3

Insert the ISO

Click the Insert button to mount the remote ISO to your server’s virtual CD/DVD drive. The drive status badge will change from DRIVE INACTIVE to DRIVE ACTIVE.

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Remote ISO URL Requirements

  • The URL must be HTTPS — do not include the https:// prefix in the input field (it is already added automatically).
  • The URL must end in .iso — other file extensions are not accepted.
  • The URL must not contain any redirects — it must be a direct download link.
  • Inserting an invalid ISO may render your server un-bootable and would need to be ejected with the server powered off.

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Option 2: Mount a Preset CD/DVD Image

FREAKHOSTING may provide preset CD/DVD images (such as recovery tools or popular installation media) that are ready to use without needing a URL.
1

Open the Preset List

Click the Preset CD/DVD button to view the available preset images.
2

Select and Mount

Choose the preset image you want to use. It will be mounted to the virtual CD/DVD drive automatically.
The panel may display “No Media Available” if no preset images are currently configured. This is normal — you can still mount your own ISO using the Custom CD/DVD option above (once the feature is enabled on your account).

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Unmounting / Ejecting a Custom ISO

To release the virtual drive, click the Eject button next to the currently mounted ISO. The drive status will return to DRIVE INACTIVE.
If the custom ISO section is not visible or the controls are greyed out, the feature has not been enabled on your account yet. Please open a support ticket and request that custom ISO mounting be activated for your server.

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Boot Order Configuration

The Boot Order section controls which device your server attempts to boot from first. You will see two icons representing the available boot devices:

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

Boot from the server’s primary disk drive. This is the default setting — your server boots the operating system installed on its main storage. The HDD icon appears highlighted when selected.

CD/DVD (Custom ISO)

Boot from the virtual CD/DVD drive. Select this when you need to boot from a mounted ISO image — for example, to install a new operating system or run a recovery tool.

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Changing the Boot Order

1

Select the Boot Device

Click on either the HDD icon or the CD/DVD icon to select your preferred boot device. The selected option will appear highlighted.
2

Apply the Change

Click the Apply button to save the new boot order.
3

Restart the Server

For the boot order change to take effect, restart your server using the power controls at the top of the Media tab (Boot, Shutdown, Restart, or Power Off).

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Full Walkthrough: Installing a Custom OS

Here is the complete process from start to finish, using Proxmox VE as an example:
1

Request Custom ISO Access

Open a support ticket and ask for custom ISO mounting to be enabled on your server. Wait for confirmation.
2

Mount the ISO

Go to the Media tab, click Custom CD/DVD, paste the direct URL to the Proxmox VE ISO (e.g., enterprise.proxmox.com/iso/proxmox-ve_8.3-1.iso), and click Insert.
3

Set Boot Order to CD/DVD

In the Boot Order section, click the CD/DVD icon, then click Apply.
4

Restart and Open VNC

Restart the server using the power controls at the top. Then open the VNC Console to interact with the installer as it boots from your ISO.
5

Complete the Installation

Follow the on-screen installer prompts in VNC to install the operating system to the server’s primary disk.
6

Clean Up

After installation completes, switch the boot order back to HDD, click Apply, and Eject the ISO. Restart the server — it will now boot into your newly installed OS.

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Common Use Cases

To install a custom OS: (1) Mount the ISO image in the CD/DVD section, (2) Set the boot order to CD/DVD, (3) Restart the server, (4) Use VNC to interact with the installer, (5) After installation, set the boot order back to HDD and unmount the ISO.
If your server is unbootable or you need to repair a filesystem, mount a rescue ISO image (such as SystemRescue), set the boot order to CD/DVD, and restart. You can then use the recovery tools through VNC to repair your server’s disk. This is similar to booting from a USB recovery drive on a physical computer.
Custom ISO mounting is disabled by default on all accounts. If no ISO images are listed and the Custom CD/DVD button is not functional, you need to request activation. Please open a support ticket and let our team know you would like the custom ISO feature enabled for your server.
You likely forgot to switch the boot order back to HDD after installation. Go to the Media tab, set the boot order to HDD, click Apply, eject the ISO, and restart the server.
You do not upload ISOs directly to FREAKHOSTING. Instead, you provide a public HTTPS URL that points directly to the ISO file. If you have a custom ISO, host it on a web server or cloud storage service with a direct download link ending in .iso, then use the Custom CD/DVD option to mount it.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: March 2026 | VPS Support: Custom ISO management simplified.