WSL - Access Denied

Question

Hi, I am experiencing this issue when trying to install and run docker desktop on my laptop:

I have tried running wsl --update from powershell (run as admin) and am getting the error Access is denied.

To fix that, I read somewhere that changing permissions for the WindowsApps folder works, so I did that, it did not fix this error.

Next, I tried doing a Windows Update since this issue is also caused by having the broken Windows version installed, and tried checking for updates where I got this error:

To fix this, I tried everything mentioned in this link I did everything from start to finish, but it did not work. At the end, it even displayed a message that corrupted files were found and repaired, still Windows update does not work.

Please help .

Edit: I have encountered the Windows Update service shutting down issue before and back then the fix was to go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv this file path in registry editor and change the value data of Start from 4 to 2 (in my case, it was 4 before, changing it to 2 worked). I am trying the same now, changing 4 to 2 but the change is not being applied after I restart my laptop, it goes back to being 4 again. Pressing F5 a couple of times also resets the value to 4 even after I change it.

Answer 1

Hello Aayush Motiani,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community.

Based on the description, since DISM and SFC fixed the corrupted system files, but the update issue still persists, it is possible that the backup files in the system data store is corrupted as well.

You can try performing an in-place upgrade first, which replaces system files with the "factory" versions. Please note that it does not always work, so if it does not work, you have to perform a clean reinstallation, which erases all the data on the hard drive.

To perform an in-place upgrade, please download and run the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Follow the instructions, and when selecting the media type, please select "ISO file". Wait for it to finish, and open the resulting ISO file in the file explorer (if you have other software that can open ISO files, please right-click the ISO file->Open with->Windows file explorer). Enter the new drive it creates, and run "setup.exe". Follow the instructions, and when selecting what data to keep, please select "Keep personal files and apps".

Disclaimer: Let us try performing an "in-place install" or "in-place upgrade", which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications.

Regardless, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes.

If you want to back up your data first, please do so.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.

Best Regards,

Sheng G. - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist