How to Change the Network Card to Virtio, Intel PRO, or Realtek in Virtualizor

This guide shows you how to change the virtual network card on your VPS using the Virtualizor end-user panel. The network card is sometimes called the network interface card (NIC), network adapter, or network driver: it is the emulated hardware your VPS operating system uses to reach the network. Virtualizor lets you switch between several card types, including Virtio, Intel E1000 (the emulated Intel PRO/1000 adapter) and Realtek 8139. Switching cards is most often needed when an operating system does not have a driver for the current card, or when you want the better network performance that Virtio offers.

Last reviewed: 27 July 2026, against Virtualizor 3.2.9 (latest stable). This article reproduces the official Virtualizor procedure for changing the network card of a VPS from the end-user panel. Virtualizor releases frequently, so always cross-reference the current version of the official documentation before starting. Direct links to every section used in this guide are provided below.

Official Documentation Reference

• Virtualizor End User panel: Manage VPS: how to open the VPS management page
• Virtualizor End User panel: Enduser ISO: documents the VPS Configuration screen and the stop-start requirement
• Virtualizor End User API: VPS Configuration: the full list of network card types the panel offers
• Virtualizor FAQ: DHCP and network driver issues: official guidance on Virtio drivers for Windows and the Intel E1000 fallback
• Virtualizor End User panel: VNC: console access that works even when the VPS has no network
• Virtualizor 3.2.9 stable release announcement

Prerequisites

• A KVM-based VPS managed through Virtualizor. Container-based virtualisation does not use an emulated network card, so this option does not apply there.
• Your Virtualizor end-user panel address and login details, which are in your Noiz welcome email.
• A maintenance window of a few minutes: the VPS must be stopped and started for the new card to take effect.
• If you plan to switch a Windows VPS to Virtio: the Virtio network drivers must be installed inside Windows first. See the Windows section below.

Which Network Card Should You Choose?

The Network Card drop-down in Virtualizor lists the following options, exactly as named in the official documentation:

• Realtek 8139(default): the standard emulated card. Almost every operating system, including very old ones, ships with a driver for it, but it is the slowest option.
• Virtio: a paravirtualised card with the best network performance and lowest overhead. Modern Linux distributions support it out of the box. Windows needs the Virtio drivers installed before you switch.
• Intel E1000: emulates the widely supported Intel PRO/1000 gigabit adapter. A good middle ground: Windows and Linux recognise it without extra drivers, and Virtualizor officially recommends it as the fallback when Virtio drivers cannot be installed.
• Novell NE2000, Intel i82559er, AMD PCNET and Novell E2000 ISA: legacy cards for old operating systems. Only choose these if you know your OS specifically needs one of them.

For most Linux servers, choose Virtio. For Windows without Virtio drivers, or any OS that fails to detect the current card, choose Intel E1000.

Change the Network Card

Step 1: Open the VPS Management Page

1. Log in to your Virtualizor end-user panel. The address is in your Noiz welcome email and looks like https://vps.yourdomain.com:4083 (this is an example only, replace it with the address you were given).
2. Click List All to display your VPS list.
3. Click the arrow shown next to the VPS ID of the server you want to change. This opens the VPS management page.

Step 2: Open VPS Configuration

1. On the VPS management page, select the VPS Configuration option. This screen also holds the boot order and ISO settings for your VPS.

Step 3: Select the New Network Card

1. Find the Network Card drop-down menu.
2. Select the card you want, for example Virtio or Intel E1000.
3. Save the configuration.

Step 4: Stop and Start the VPS

1. From the panel, Stop the VPS and wait for it to power off completely.
2. Start the VPS again.

A full stop and start is required so the VPS is rebuilt with the new virtual hardware. A reboot issued from inside the operating system is not always enough, because the virtual machine itself is not recreated.

Installing Virtio Drivers on a Windows VPS

Windows does not include Virtio network drivers, so install them before switching the card to Virtio. This is the procedure from the official Virtualizor FAQ:

1. Download the official Virtio driver ISO, linked from the virtio-win driver documentation.
2. On the VPS Configuration screen, attach the driver ISO as the secondary ISO, then stop and start the VPS. If you cannot add your own ISOs, ask the Noiz support team to attach the driver ISO for you.
3. Inside Windows, open Device Manager, right-click the network adapter showing a warning mark and choose to update or install its driver.
4. Browse to the mounted ISO, choose the NetKVM folder, then the folder matching your Windows version and architecture, and complete the installation.
5. Switch the network card to Virtio as described above, then stop and start the VPS.

Troubleshooting

Symptom: no network after switching to Virtio. The operating system has no Virtio driver. Use the panel's VNC console to check: on Windows the network adapter appears in Device Manager with a warning mark. Either install the Virtio drivers as described above, or switch the card back to Intel E1000 and stop and start the VPS. This fallback is the official Virtualizor recommendation.

Symptom: the change does not seem to take effect. The VPS was probably rebooted from inside the operating system rather than stopped and started from the panel. Stop the VPS, wait for it to power off fully, then start it again.

Symptom: there is no VPS Configuration option on the management page. This option only appears when it has been enabled for your service, and it does not exist for container-based VPS products. Open a support ticket and the Noiz team will change the card for you from the administrative side.

Symptom: you cannot reach the VPS at all after the change. Use the VNC option in the panel, which gives you console access without needing a working network connection, and revert the card to its previous setting if necessary.

If you are on a Noiz managed VPS plan, you do not need to do this yourself: contact the Noiz support team and the change will be made for you. If you are self-managed and get stuck at any step, open a support ticket with the Noiz support team and include your VPS ID and the card type you are trying to use.