WSL 2 Ubuntu-24.04 fails to start — Error 74 (CreateInstance/E_FAIL) — Critical production data inside VHDX

Question

WSL 2 Ubuntu-24.04 fails to start — Error 74 (CreateInstance/E_FAIL) — Critical production data inside VHDX

Yousef Turky 0

Hello,

I’m encountering a critical issue with my WSL 2 Ubuntu-24.04 distribution on Windows 11 Home 24H2.

When attempting to start the distribution, I consistently get the following error:

The distribution failed to start. Error code: 74, failure step: 2  
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_FAIL

📌 Environment Info:

Windows Edition: Windows 11 Home 24H2
Windows build: 10.0.26100.4351
WSL version: 2.5.7.0
Kernel version: 6.6.87.1-1
WSLg version: 1.0.66
MSRDC version: 1.2.6074
Direct3D version: 1.611.1-81528511
DXCore version: 10.0.26100.1-240331-1435.ge-release
Distro: Ubuntu-24.04 (Version 2)

wsl --list --verbose shows:

  NAME            STATE           VERSION  
  * Ubuntu-24.04    Stopped         2

📌 Issue Context:

The distro contains large and sensitive production data for my personal and business sites, stored within its ext4.vhdx

The VHDX file is intact:

  C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\wsl\{GUID}\ext4.vhdx (28GB)

Attempts to import-in-place this VHDX into a new temporary WSL distro also fail with the same error
WSL itself is healthy (wsl --version, --status, and other distros work fine if installed)
This issue appeared immediately after a system shutdown following active use of WSL (likely an unclean shutdown)

📌 Steps Tried:

Verified VHDX presence and size
Attempted wsl --import-in-place to a new distro → same error
Tried wsl.exe lsblk and mounting commands → fail due to instance startup error
Confirmed distro BasePath via registry
WSL kernel and userland are up to date

📌 Problem Impact:

This distribution contains critical sensitive data for active production websites.
I urgently need to access this data, or at minimum repair the VHD filesystem (via e2fsck or equivalent) without risking data loss.

This is extremely urgent due to the nature of the data contained within the distro. I would greatly appreciate direct guidance or escalation if possible.

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

To address the issue with your WSL 2 Ubuntu-24.04 distribution failing to start with error code 74, you can attempt the following steps to repair the VHD filesystem and regain access to your data:

Shutdown all WSL distributions: Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the command:
```
   wsl.exe --shutdown
```
Mount the VHDX file: Use the following command to mount the VHDX file. Replace <path-to-ext4.vhdx> with the actual path to your VHDX file:
```
   wsl.exe --mount <path-to-ext4.vhdx> --vhd --bare
```
Identify the block device: After mounting, identify the block device name by running:
```
   wsl.exe lsblk
```
Repair the filesystem: Use the e2fsck command to check and repair the filesystem. Replace <device> with the block device name you identified (e.g., sdc):
```
   wsl.exe sudo e2fsck -f /dev/<device>
```
Unmount the disk: Once the repair is complete, unmount the disk using:
```
   wsl.exe --unmount
```

Please note that if you encounter issues while running these commands, you may need to ensure that Docker Desktop is closed, as it can interfere with the mounting process.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, especially given the critical nature of the data involved.

References: