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Linux Mint VM (XFCE) — Proxmox

Setup guide for a Linux Mint XFCE desktop VM on Proxmox. Used for DVD ripping (MakeMKV/VLC) and general desktop access via RDP.

1. Create the VM

In the Proxmox web UI, click Create VM (top right).

General tab

  • Set a Name (e.g., mint-xfce)
  • Note the VM ID (auto-assigned, e.g., 100)

OS tab

  • Select Use CD/DVD disc image file (iso)
  • Storage: choose where your ISO lives (e.g., local)
  • ISO Image: select your Linux Mint XFCE .iso
  • Guest OS Type: Linux, Version: 6.x - 2.6 Kernel

System tab

  • Machine: q35 (recommended)
  • BIOS: OVMF (UEFI) if you want UEFI, or keep SeaBIOS for simplicity
  • Add EFI Disk if using UEFI (Proxmox will prompt you)
  • SCSI Controller: VirtIO SCSI single

Disks tab

  • Bus/Device: VirtIO Block or SCSI
  • Storage: pick your target storage pool
  • Disk size: 25 GB minimum, 40–50 GB recommended for a desktop

CPU tab

  • Sockets: 1, Cores: 2–4
  • Type: x86-64-v2-AES or host (host gives best performance if you won't migrate the VM)

Memory tab

  • RAM: 2048 MB minimum, 4096 MB recommended for a smooth desktop

Network tab

  • Model: VirtIO (paravirtualized) — best performance
  • Bridge: vmbr0 (your default bridge)

Click Finish — don't start it yet.

In the VM's Hardware tab:

  • Display: Change from Default to VirtIO-GPU for better graphics
  • USB Tablet (under Add > USB Device): add a USB tablet device — fixes mouse alignment in the console

In the Options tab:

  • Boot Order: make sure the CD/DVD (ide2) is first
  • QEMU Guest Agent: enable it (you'll install the agent inside the VM later)

3. Install Linux Mint

  1. Start the VM and open the Console
  2. Mint boots to a live desktop — double-click Install Linux Mint
  3. Follow the installer: language, keyboard, timezone
  4. Installation type: "Erase disk and install Linux Mint" (this only affects the virtual disk, not your host)
  5. Create your user account
  6. Let it install, then click Restart Now when prompted

When it says "remove the installation medium," go to the VM's Hardware tab → CD/DVD Drive → set it to Do not use any media, then send a reboot from the console.

4. Post-install setup inside the VM

Update everything

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install QEMU guest agent

Enables proper shutdown and IP reporting in Proxmox:

sudo apt install -y qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent

Install VirtIO display drivers / SPICE tools

Better resolution and clipboard sharing:

sudo apt install -y spice-vdagent

Then reboot the VM. Back in Proxmox, you should now see the VM's IP address reported on the Summary tab.

5. Remote Desktop (xrdp)

sudo apt install xrdp
sudo systemctl enable --now xrdp

Windows RDP will work to remote into the Linux VM. On Bazzite, install Remmina:

flatpak install flathub org.remmina.Remmina

Fix grey screen on XFCE + xrdp

XRDP on Mint/XFCE sometimes opens a grey screen by default. Fix it by creating a session file:

echo "startxfce4" > ~/.xsession
chmod +x ~/.xsession

Then restart XRDP:

sudo systemctl restart xrdp

Fix paste not working in xrdp

If Ctrl+Shift+V doesn't work:

xrdp-clipboard &

6. DVD Playback

Install DVD libraries

sudo apt install libdvd-pkg
sudo dpkg-reconfigure libdvd-pkg

Install VLC

sudo apt install vlc

First, find your optical drive device:

lsblk

Look for a device of type rom (e.g. sr0, sr1). Then create the symlink — assuming sr1:

sudo ln -s /dev/sr1 /dev/dvd

Then in VLC: Tools → Preferences → Input / Codecs → change the default optical device to /dev/dvd.

Update the XFCE autorun command in Settings Manager → Removable Drives and Media → Multimedia to:

vlc dvd:///dev/dvd

7. MakeMKV

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:heyarje/makemkv-beta
sudo apt update
sudo apt install makemkv-bin makemkv-oss

8. Tailscale

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | bash
sudo tailscale up --operator=jake

Ensure Tailscale automatically starts on boot:

sudo systemctl enable --now tailscaled

Check that it is enabled:

sudo systemctl status tailscaled

9. Mount OMV Share

Install CIFS utilities if not already present:

sudo apt install cifs-utils

Create a credentials file so your password isn't visible in fstab:

sudo nano /etc/.smbcredentials

Add:

username=yourusername
password=yourpassword

Lock it down:

sudo chmod 600 /etc/.smbcredentials

Then add a line to /etc/fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

//server-ip/sharename  /mnt/sharename  cifs  credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,iocharset=utf8,_netdev  0  0

systemctl daemon-reload
sudo mkdir /mnt/sharename
sudo mount -a