Introduction

Virtual Machines (VMs) are the heart of cloud computing allowing you to run different operating systems and applications without investing in physical hardware. Whether you're building a test environment, learning how to manage infrastructure, or deploying workloads for your team, creating and configuring an Azure VM is a fundamental cloud skill.

In this lab-based guide, we’ll walk through a full step-by-step process of deploying a Windows 10 Virtual Machine on Microsoft Azure. You’ll create a VM, configure disks and access controls, and even extend the idle timeout to suit your usage. By the end of this project, you’ll have a fully operational virtual computer, accessible via RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), and formatted with an additional data disk.

Skilling Objectives

• Provision a Windows 10 VM in Azure
• Assign access permissions securely using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Attach and format an additional data disk
• Access your VM using RDP and perform disk management tasks

Step 1: Create a Virtual Machine on Azure

🧠 Pre-requisite: You must have an active Azure subscription.

1. Log in to the Azure Portal.

2. In the top search bar, type Virtual Machines and select it.
   

3. Click + Create → Virtual machine.
   

Step 2: Configure the Basics

1. Under Resource group, click Create new and name it IbrahimRG.

2. Give your VM a name, e.g., IbrahimVM.
   

3. Select a Region close to your users or workload.

4. Choose Availability Zone if required for resilience.

5. Under Image, select Windows 10.

   ⚠️ Note: If you don’t find Windows 10 in the dropdown, click “See all images” and search for it manually.
   

6. Choose a Username, e.g., sudais, and create a Password (confirm it).

7. Under Inbound port rules, allow RDP (for remote access). You may also enable HTTP, HTTPS, or custom ports as needed.

8. Tick the Licensing box to confirm usage rights.
   

Step 3: Configure Monitoring and Tags

1. Go to the Monitoring tab.

2. Disable Boot diagnostics to reduce startup logs for now (optional for testing).
   

3. Under the Tags tab, add the following key-value pairs:

   • Department: HR
   • Purpose: Hire
   • Staff: Oladosu

These tags help track costs and usage across your organization.

Step 4: Review and Create

1. Click Review + Create.
   

2. Wait for validation to pass, then click Create.

3. Once deployment finishes, click Go to resource.
   

Step 5: Assign Access Control (IAM) Roles

To allow specific users to log into the VM:

1. On the VM resource, go to Access Control (IAM).

2. Click + Add → Add role assignment.
   

3. In the Role field, search and select Virtual Machine Administrator Login.

4. Click Next.
   

5. Under Members, click + Select members, choose users to add, then click Select.
   

6. Click Review + assign to finalize.
   

Step 6: Configure Idle Timeout for IP Address

1. In the VM’s Overview pane, click on the IP Address.
   

2. Under Configuration, increase the Idle timeout (minutes) to 30.

3. Click Save.
   

Step 7: Attach and Format a New Data Disk

Adding a second disk improves storage flexibility for files or application data.

1. In the VM menu, select Disks.

2. Click + Create and attach a new disk.
   

3. Enter a name, e.g., ibrahim-disk.

4. Click Apply.
   

Once created, we’ll connect to the VM and format this disk.

Step 8: Connect to the VM via RDP

1. Go to Overview.

2. Click Connect → RDP.
   

3. Download the .rdp file.
   

4. Open the file and connect.
   

5. Enter the VM username and password you created earlier.
   

6. Accept all certificates and login prompts.

Congratulations! You now have access to a fully functioning Windows 10 virtual machine.

Step 9: Format the Data Disk from Inside the VM

1. Inside the VM, search for Disk Management.

2. Open Create and format hard disk partitions.
   

3. Find Disk 2 (this is your newly attached disk).

4. Right-click on the disk space and select New Simple Volume.
   
   

5. Follow the wizard: Click Next, assign a letter, and Finish.
   

You now have a new drive ready to store files.

Conclusion

This hands-on project walked you through creating and configuring a Windows 10 Virtual Machine on Azure — from resource group setup to disk formatting. Along the way, you practiced critical skills in:

• Infrastructure provisioning
• Identity and access management
• Remote desktop connectivity
• Disk management and tagging

These foundational skills are essential for any aspiring cloud engineer or IT professional exploring Microsoft Azure. Whether you’re testing apps, training with live environments, or simulating enterprise setups — VMs remain a flexible, powerful tool in your cloud toolkit.