Re-install or change OS

Self-service re-install

With our VPS services, you have the ability to completely re-install your OS, or even change your OS, on your own at any time. Doing so will let you fine tune your VPS to exactly your specifications. The instructions for doing so are identical to setting up custom partitions, so please see: Custom Partitions

If you are not looking to do anything custom, but just want your VPS reset back to the way you had it in the beginning, please see: Can you reset by VPS back to "factory defaults"?

To change your OS, however, there is one extra step. You will need to change the media (.iso) that appears in your VPS' CD-ROM/DVD drive, so you can boot from the new OS install media.

We have an ISO library with many standard OS / distributions; to choose an ISO from this list, perform the following in the Portal:

  • Click on your VPS service to reveal the "Virtual Machine Detail" screen.

  • Find the section labeled CD-ROM

  • Choose an ISO file from the list

  • Click Load ISO

This change usually takes effect immediately. However, on some older OS / distributions, you may need to do a complete shutdown and boot, as outlined below:

Shut down your VPS completely (halt -p or shutdown -h now) and then "Boot" it from the Portal or SSH management console. Note: You will still need to tell your VPS to boot from the CD-ROM, it does not do this by default simply because the ISO was changed. As noted above, the instructions for doing so are here.

If you need an ISO that is not in the list, send us an email at support@arpnetworks.com or open a support issue requesting to change the media in your VPS' CD-ROM/DVD drive, and include the following:

  • Your VPS UUID (found in the Portal under "My Services")
  • The URL to the .iso file you want

The URL must be in the form we can provide to wget.

We will perform the media change free of charge.

Hands free re-install

If you would like us to perform the media change and re-install the OS for you, thereby not requiring any work on your part, there is a $20 USD fee for the labor. The operating systems we can install for you are listed under the "Operating System" drop-down box on our order page: https://www.arpnetworks.com/order?product=vps