Persistent User Profile Service Error After WSL Installation on Windows 11

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm encountering a recurring issue that seems to be triggered by installing WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) on Windows 11.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Run: wsl --install -d Ubuntu
3. Reboot Windows 11.
4. Set username and password for Ubuntu.

Problem:

Following these steps, I experience an error message stating "the Windows User Profile Service cannot access the user profile" every time I turn on my PC after a fresh boot.

Troubleshooting attempts:

• I've formatted my PC completely.
• I've created a new user account (the one I'm currently using).
• Unfortunately, none of these solutions have resolved the issue.

The error only occurs on the first boot of the day after a WSL installation. Interestingly, after persistently attempting to log in, the system eventually loads without a user profile. A simple restart then restores everything to normal functionality.

I really don't know what other fixes to try, what do you think the problem could be?

Thank you all for any tips.

Answer 1

Hi Dario,

Thanks for your post. Please try the following steps to resolve your concern:

• Copy the Default folder (in C:\Users) from another windows 11 computer.
• Rename the Default folder to something like DefaultOLD (just to keep it for safety reasons).
• Paste it in your Users folder.
• To make sure that you won't have problems with permissions of the "implant" folder, just transfer it via a FAT/FAT32 formatted USB stick (those filesystems don't have permissions).

More information: Troubleshooting Windows Subsystem for Linux | Microsoft Learn