# Fix Proxmox Windows VM Reporting Incorrect Memory Usage

## What are VirtIO Drivers?

> VirtIO Drivers are paravirtualized drivers for kvm/Linux. In short, they enable direct (paravirtualized) access to devices and peripherals for virtual machines using them, instead of slower, emulated, ones. -https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Windows_VirtIO_Drivers

## Configuring VM Settings

1. Log into the Proxmox web UI
2. Select a storage from the left navigation pane to download an .iso file to
3. Select ISO Images in the left sub-navigation pane
4. If running ProxMox 6, download the VirtIO Windows .iso Download and upload it to the ProxMox ISO image library
5. If on ProxMox 7, click Download from URL and paste the download URL from above > Click Query URL > Click Download
6. Expand the Proxmox node in the left navigation and select the Windows VM
7. Select Hardware from the left sub-navigation menu
8. Double click the CD/DVD drive > Select the Storage with the VirtIO .iso > Select the VirtIO .iso > Click OK
9. Select Options from the left sub-navigation menu
10. Double click the QEMU Guest Agent option > Check the Use QEMU Guest Agent box > Click OK
11. Click Start to power on the VM
12. Click console in the left sub-navigation menu

## Installing VirtIO Drivers and QEMU Guest Agent

1. Log into Windows
2. Open File Explorer > Navigate to the CD/DVD drive
3. Launch virtio-win-guest-tools.exe
4. Step through the VirtIO-Win installer accepting all the defaults
5. Restart the Windows VM

## Troubleshooting

1. If Proxmox still isn't reporting the correct memory usage, navigate to VM > Hardware > Memory
2. Check the Advanced option > Make sure ballooning is enabled > Click OK
3. Stop then Start the VM for the change to take effect