Docker Engine + Windows 11 VM (on Linux Mint 22.1) — Cheat Sheet

Host: Linux Mint 22.1 (Ubuntu 24.04 base) · CPU: AMD (SVM) · Goal: Install Docker Engine, and run a Windows 11 VM via Docker (dockurr/windows).

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1) Install Docker Engine (from Docker’s APT repo)

Your system already has the Docker repo configured. If not, follow Docker’s official instructions for Ubuntu 24.04 first.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Enable + start
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

User without sudo: add your user to the docker group and re-login.

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker    # temporary in current shell; full fix is log out/in

Sanity checks:

docker version
docker run --rm hello-world

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2) Prepare KVM (hardware acceleration)

Check CPU virtualization flags (AMD = svm expected):

egrep -o '(svm|vmx)' /proc/cpuinfo | sort -u

If /dev/kvm is missing, enable SVM in BIOS/UEFI: - Reboot → BIOS (Del) → Advanced CPU Settings → SVM Mode: Enabled → Save & exit.

Load KVM modules and verify:

sudo modprobe kvm
sudo modprobe kvm_amd        # Intel would be: kvm_intel
lsmod | grep -E '(^kvm$|kvm_amd)'
ls -l /dev/kvm               # expect: crw-rw---- root kvm

If needed (until next reboot):

sudo chgrp kvm /dev/kvm
sudo chmod 660 /dev/kvm
newgrp kvm

Make modules persistent:

printf "kvm\nkvm_amd\n" | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/kvm.conf >/dev/null

Diagnostics if loading fails:

dmesg | grep -i kvm
modinfo kvm | head
modinfo kvm_amd | head || sudo apt install -y linux-modules-extra-$(uname -r)

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3) Create Windows 11 VM via Docker (dockurr/windows)

Project folder:

mkdir -p ~/win11-vm && cd ~/win11-vm

compose.yaml (basic, auto-download Windows 11 Pro):

services:
  windows:
    image: dockurr/windows
    container_name: win11
    environment:
      VERSION: "11"        # 11 Pro; 11l = LTSC
      RAM_SIZE: "8G"       # adjust
      CPU_CORES: "4"
      DISK_SIZE: "128G"
      USERNAME: "Docker"   # optional: first-boot user
      PASSWORD: "admin"
    devices:
      - /dev/kvm
    ports:
      - "8006:8006"        # web console (noVNC)
      - "3389:3389/tcp"    # RDP
      - "3389:3389/udp"
    volumes:
      - ./windows:/storage # persistent VM storage
    restart: unless-stopped
    stop_grace_period: 2m

Use your own ISO (instead of auto-download): add a line under volumes:

    volumes:
      - ./Win11_24H2_English_x64.iso:/boot.iso  # your ISO beside compose.yaml
      - ./windows:/storage

When /boot.iso is present, VERSION is ignored.

Start the VM:

docker compose up -d
docker logs -f win11   # watch progress (Ctrl+C to exit)

Access console (installer): - Browser → http://localhost:8006 - Proceed with standard Windows setup (choose Windows 11 Pro for RDP support).

Use RDP for better performance (Linux Mint):

sudo apt install -y remmina freerdp3-x11
remmina    # connect to 127.0.0.1:3389 (user/password from above)

Inside Windows: Settings → System → Remote Desktop → Enable (if needed).

Lifecycle:

docker ps
docker stop win11
docker start win11
docker compose up -d   # apply resource changes after editing compose.yaml

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4) Optional: Shared folder & LAN IP

Share a host folder to the VM (exposed as SMB share inside the container):

    volumes:
      - /home/$USER/WinShare:/data

In Windows: \\host.lan\Data (or use the container’s IP). Map as a drive if desired.

Give the VM a dedicated LAN IP (macvlan):

# Create network (adjust subnet/gateway/parent NIC)
docker network create -d macvlan \
  --subnet=192.168.1.0/24 \
  --gateway=192.168.1.1 \
  --ip-range=192.168.1.200/29 \
  -o parent=enp4s0 vlan

Add to compose.yaml:

    networks:
      vlan:
        ipv4_address: 192.168.1.200
networks:
  vlan:
    external: true

(Optionally add DHCP: "Y" and /dev/vhost-net to let Windows request its own DHCP IP; see project docs.)

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5) WinApps Prep

Inside Windows: 1) Install apps you want to publish (e.g., Office).
2) Ensure RDP is enabled and allowed in Firewall.
3) Create a stable local admin user + password.
4) Disable sleep/hibernate (Settings → Power → Sleep = Never).

Then follow WinApps’ Docker backend steps on Linux to generate launchers that RDP into this VM.

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6) Troubleshooting quick refs

• permission denied on /var/run/docker.sock → add user to docker group, re-login, check ls -l /var/run/docker.sock (group docker, mode 660).
• context "desktop-linux" not found → docker context use default (or recreate default).
• docker-credential-desktop missing → remove credsStore/credHelpers from ~/.docker/config.json.
• /dev/kvm not found → enable SVM in BIOS, modprobe kvm kvm_amd, verify permissions.
• Slow video → use RDP (localhost:3389) instead of the web console.
• Change RAM/CPU/DISK → edit env vars in compose, docker compose up -d.

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One-liners you’ll reuse

# Show context & switch to local
docker context ls
docker context use default

# Basic Docker sanity
docker version && docker info

# KVM checks
ls -l /dev/kvm
lsmod | grep -E '(^kvm$|kvm_amd)'
dmesg | grep -i kvm

# VM lifecycle
docker logs -f win11
docker stop win11 && docker start win11