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Rahimah Sulayman
Rahimah Sulayman

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Create a Virtual Machine

Preface

"Imagine if you could summon a brand-new, high-performance computer out of thin air in less than sixty seconds. No hardware to buy, no cables to plug in, and—best of all—no fear of breaking your own system".

In software development, a great idea is only as strong as the environment it lives in. While many focus solely on the code, I believe that true engineering excellence starts with infrastructure. Deploying a Windows Server 2025 Azure Edition Virtual Machine is a critical architectural choice. It's not just about "getting a server", it's a deliberate move to utilize hotpatching for zero-downtime.

In this post, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I leverage enterprise-grade virtualization to bridge the gap between a visionary concept and a production-ready reality. Because at the end of the day, I don’t just write scripts; I build systems that scale.

First, we'll create the virtual machine, and then connect it and test.

Create a windows virtual machine

Step 1:
In the Azure portal, search for and select Virtual Machines.

VM
Step 2:
Select + Create.

create
Step 3:
Select Virtual Machine.

select VM

Step 4:
Create a new Resource Group and give it a name. This helps to keep your work organized. Then select OK.

newrg

Step 5:
Select Availability zone. Notice you can select more than one zone, but this increases your bill.

availabilityzone

Step 6:
Give your virtual machine a name, it must be globally unique. Select a region.

vmnameandregion

Step 7:
Select an image. It's a template that contains everything needed to start a server instantly. We'll choose a windows version because we want to install a windows virtual machine.

image

Step 8:
Give your virtual machine a username. Just a your physical computer has a name, the virtual machine also has.
Notice the characteristics a username must possess.

username
Step 9:
Provide a password and confirm it.
Notice the characteristics of the password.

notice

Step 10:
On the inbound port rules section, select Allow selected ports. Notice the caution. We'll select it because we need to test the virtual machine.

port
If we select None, notice all internet will be blocked.

noport
RDP (Port 3389) is selected by default because it must be open so you can connect from your local computer to the virtual one. It allows you to "remote in" and see the Windows desktop as if you were sitting right in front of it.
http80

Step 11:
On the Monitoring tab, disable boot diagnostics. Boot Diagnostics takes actual screenshots of the VM's console, it could theoretically capture sensitive information, so it's best practice to disable it.

disable

Step 12:
On the Tags tab, enter a name/value pair to help categorize your resources. Enter as many as you need, maximum is 14.

tags

tagresources

Step 13:
Select Review + create to validate the virtual machine.

review+create

Step 14:
Now that it has passed validation, select Create to deploy the virtual machine. Notice the price.

price

Step 15:
Wait for the virtual machine to deploy, then select Go to resources.

resourcedeployed

Configure simple settings in the virtual machine and then connect it

Step 1:
Under the settings section, select configuration and adjust the idle timeout to 30 minutes by sliding.

Settings

Step 2:
Be sure to save your changes and close.

savenclose

Step 3:
On the overview page, select connect.

connect

Step 4:
Select Check access and notice the accessible port.
You can reset your password in two places.

pwreset

pwreset

passwd

Step 5:
Select Download RDP file and then, open the file after downloading.

RDP

Step 6:
Select Connect.

connect

Step 7:
Provide the password used earlier, and select OK.

password

Step 8:
Select yes to connect the virtual machine.

yes

Now, we are in the virtual machine

vm

Notice the username and the virtual machine name. And it has the same features as a regular computer, this is because it's basically a computer in the cloud.

samefeatures

Step 9:
Now, we can disconnect.

disconnect

Key Takeaway

Creating a Virtual Machine is about more than just "spinning up a server"—it’s about architecting for the future. By leveraging cutting-edge environments like Windows Server 2025, your project becomes a resilient, high-availability platform. This setup demonstrates a commitment to professional-grade infrastructure: reliability, scalability and problem-solving.

In the world of development, anyone can write code—but it takes a disciplined engineer to build the stable environment that allows that code to thrive. The foundation is now set. The infrastructure is robust. Now, it’s time to deliver.

Top comments (1)

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fredrick_chukwuma_13220c9 profile image
Fredrick Chukwuma

Good job 👏🏽