Q. Why do I get a Virtual Disk Service (VDS) error when I try to use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Disk Management snap-in to remotely access a Server Core installation?

A. You get the VDS error because, by default, the VDS service isn't started on a Server Core installation. Use the following code to make sure the service starts during boot-up.

sc config vds start= auto
net start vds

Then, use the following command to enable the remote-volume-management firewall exception:

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Remote Volume Management" new enable=yes

The output will be

Updated 3 rule(s).
Ok.

You'll stop receiving the VDS-related error, and you can use the Disk Management MMC snap-in to remotely access the Server Core installation.