How to reinstall the operating system on your VPS

Reinstalling the OS wipes your VPS disk and installs a fresh copy of the chosen operating system. It is the fastest way to recover from a misconfigured or compromised server, or to switch to a different Linux distribution.

When to reinstall

• The server is badly misconfigured and you cannot fix it
• The server has been compromised and you want a clean slate
• You want to switch from one Linux distribution to another (e.g., Ubuntu to AlmaLinux)
• Starting a new project with different software requirements

Back up first

Before reinstalling:

• Download a copy of all important files via SCP or SFTP
• Export all databases with mysqldump
• Note your current software configuration and installed packages

Reinstall from CustomerPanel

1. Log in to customerpanel.ca
2. Go to Services → My Services → your VPS
3. Click Reinstall (or Reinstall OS)
4. Select the operating system and version you want
5. Confirm by typing the required phrase or checking the acknowledgment box
6. Click Reinstall

The reinstall process takes 3–10 minutes. Once complete, you will receive an email with the new root password. The server IP remains the same.

After reinstall

1. SSH in with the new root credentials from the email
2. Update all packages immediately
3. Configure the firewall
4. Create a non-root user
5. Install your web stack and software
6. Restore your data from backups

See the getting-started guides for your chosen OS: Ubuntu | AlmaLinux

Related: How to choose the right operating system for your VPS | Linux and Windows operating systems for VPS-which to choose | Manage VPS | VPS snapshots

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