Uploading a custom ISO to your VPS

You can upload and boot your own ISO on a Hostworld VPS through Virtualizor. You add the ISO by URL, attach it to your VPS, make the CD drive first in the boot order, then use the HTML5 VNC console to run the installer. When you have finished, move the hard disk back to the top and remove the ISO so the VPS boots from disk.

Before you start

This section covers what you need in place and the common pitfalls.

• Know where to do this. VPS management at Hostworld uses Virtualizor. You reach it from the Hostworld client area. Do not look in cPanel. cPanel is for shared and reseller hosting.
• You need a direct ISO URL. Virtualizor downloads the ISO from a link you supply. The link must point to the ISO file itself, be publicly accessible, and not require a login or a click on a mirror selector. Linking to a downloads page or a gated URL causes the fetch to fail. Virtualizor stores provider and end user ISOs on the host in /var/virtualizor/iso after download.
• Check you can see “Enduser ISO”. The option to add a custom ISO appears in the End User panel only if it is enabled for your service. If you do not see it, it is not enabled. Please open a support ticket and we will enable or advise.
• Understand what you are changing. You will set the ISO to attach to your VPS, set the boot order to put the CD drive first and the hard disk second, then stop and start the VPS so the change takes effect.
• Do not use “Re‑Install OS”. That is a different feature. “Re‑install OS will create fresh VPS without any data.” It wipes the existing disk and is not the same as booting your own ISO.
• Have a console plan. You will need the in‑browser VNC console to drive the installer. In Virtualizor this is “Launch HTML5 VNC Client”. Without the console you cannot answer the installer prompts.
• Expect to configure networking after installation. When you install from your own ISO, the automatic Hostworld templates are not applied inside the operating system. Your assigned addresses are listed in Virtualizor under “IP(s)”. Be prepared to set those details, including gateway and DNS, inside AlmaLinux 9 or Ubuntu 24.04 after the first boot.
• Avoid a boot loop. If you leave the CD drive first with the ISO still attached, the VPS will keep booting the installer. After installation, remove the ISO or change the boot order so the hard disk is first.

Step 1: Open your VPS in Virtualizor and confirm the Enduser ISO feature

First make sure you are in the right panel and that your service can add an ISO.

• Log in to the Hostworld client area and open the VPS management link for your service to reach Virtualizor.
• Look for the option to manage or add an ISO as an end user. Virtualizor only shows this if it has been enabled for your VPS.
• If it is missing, please open a support ticket. Tell us which VPS you are working on and that you need the Enduser ISO feature enabled.

Step 2: Add your custom ISO by URL

This step tells Virtualizor where to fetch the image and what to call it in your account.

• In Virtualizor’s End User panel, add a new ISO. You will be asked for:
  • ISO URL: the direct, publicly accessible link to the .iso file.
  • Name: a label so you recognise it later. For example, “AlmaLinux‑9‑x86_64” or “Ubuntu‑24.04‑live‑server”.
• Save it. Virtualizor downloads the ISO to the node and makes it available to your account.

If the ISO does not appear or the add action fails, it is usually because the link is not a direct file URL. Try a different mirror that ends in .iso and is accessible without cookies or a login. If you still have trouble, please open a support ticket and include the URL you are using.

Step 3: Attach the ISO to your VPS and set the boot order

This step tells your VPS to boot from the ISO rather than the disk.

• In your VPS configuration in Virtualizor, set the ISO you added so that it is attached to the virtual CD drive.
• Set the boot order to:
  1. CD Drive
  2. Hard Disk
• Apply the configuration.

Virtualizor requires a full stop and start for this to take effect. A soft reboot is not enough.

Step 4: Stop and then start the VPS to apply the change

This step makes the VPS read the new settings on power‑up.

• Shut the VPS down from Virtualizor so it is in a powered‑off state.
• Start the VPS again. Do not use a reboot action here. You want a clean power cycle.

On the next boot the VPS reads the boot order you set. With the CD first and the ISO attached, it will load the installer from your image.

Step 5: Launch the HTML5 VNC console and run the installer

This step gives you a keyboard and screen for the installation.

• In Virtualizor, click “Launch HTML5 VNC Client” to open the in‑browser console.
• Wait for the ISO installer to appear in the console. Interact with it in the browser. Follow the prompts for your OS. You control partitioning, users and packages here.
• Target the VPS’s primary virtual disk for installation. Complete the installer and allow it to finish writing to disk.

If you close the console window by mistake, reopen it from Virtualizor. If the console never shows an installer screen, power off and on again, then confirm the ISO is still attached and the CD drive is first in the boot order.

Step 6: Change the boot order back and detach the ISO

This step prevents a boot loop and returns the VPS to booting from its disk.

• Power the VPS off from Virtualizor once your installer has completed.
• Edit the VPS settings so the boot order is:
  1. Hard Disk
  2. CD Drive
• Remove or unassign the ISO from the VPS if you no longer want it attached.
• Start the VPS. It should boot from the newly installed system on disk.

If the VPS drops back into the installer at this point, check that the ISO is not still attached and that the hard disk is first in the boot order.

Step 7: Configure networking inside the OS if needed

This step puts your assigned Hostworld IP details into the operating system you have installed.

• In Virtualizor, open the “IP(s)” view for your VPS. Note the assigned IPv4 address, gateway and any other details shown.
• Inside AlmaLinux 9 or Ubuntu 24.04, set those details so the interface comes up with the correct address and gateway. A custom ISO install does not inherit the Hostworld network templates, so this part happens in your OS.
• If you are unsure where to enter these values in your chosen installer or OS tools, complete the install and then configure networking after first boot using the distribution’s documented method.

If you finish installation and cannot reach the VPS on the network, you can still access it via the HTML5 VNC console in Virtualizor to correct the settings.

Step 8: Remove the ISO from your account if you no longer need it

This step keeps your account tidy and avoids the ISO being offered to your VPS again.

• Open the ISO management page in Virtualizor’s End User panel.
• Remove the ISO you added if you are done with it.

You can add it again later with the same process if you need it back.

Troubleshooting and recovery

• The Enduser ISO option is missing. It is only available if it has been enabled for your service. Please open a support ticket and we will enable or assist.
• The VPS keeps booting the installer. Change the boot order so the hard disk is first, or detach the ISO from the VPS. Then stop and start the VPS again.
• The ISO will not add or download. Check the URL. It must be a direct link to a .iso file that does not require login. If in doubt, try a different mirror that ends in .iso. If it still fails, include the URL in a support ticket.
• I used the wrong feature and lost data. The “Re‑Install OS” action is destructive and creates a fresh VPS without any data. If you clicked that, there is no undo. For future installs, mount your ISO and change the boot order instead of using rebuild.
• The system does not boot after installation, or I need files. Virtualizor has a Rescue Mode you can enable for KVM VMs. You turn it on in the End User panel, then boot to recover files or repair the system. If you need help with this, please open a support ticket.
• I cannot drive the installer. Use “Launch HTML5 VNC Client” in Virtualizor. The in‑browser console is how you send keyboard and view the screen during installation.

What next

If you have installed AlmaLinux 9 or Ubuntu 24.04 from your ISO and the VPS boots from disk, your next steps are usually to configure networking, harden SSH and start deploying your stack. Our VPS section has broader topics you may want next. See our VPS guides. If you are at the choosing stage and want a fresh VPS to install to, our UK plans are here: Linux VPS.

If you run into a point where a panel setting is missing, an ISO fails to fetch, or the VPS does not behave as described, the quickest route to help is to open a support ticket. That logs the case against your account in WHMCS so we can see your service and act on it.