WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800700c1

Matti Aho 1 Reputation point
2021-10-15T10:21:41.78+00:00

Wsl 2 refuses to work after recent Windows updates (after summer break) or new Asus Bios 4021. It is not possible to install Ubuntu on the top of wsl 2.

I use Windows 10 pro 21H1 with system 19043.1288 and feature pack 120.2212.3920.0. My computer is AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-Core Processor 3.50 GHz on the Asus ROG STRIX X570-E gaming motherboard.

I have unchecked wsl, removed updates, uninstalled Ubuntu, rechecked wsl etc. with reboots and hardboots. No progress.

Any help?

Hyper-V
Hyper-V
A Windows technology providing a hypervisor-based virtualization solution enabling customers to consolidate workloads onto a single server.
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  1. Darian Lewis 5 Reputation points
    2023-05-15T18:35:04.34+00:00

    Neither of these articles have been helpful in resolving this issue. Something has broken WSL completely. Docker Desktop doesn't start and no Linux distributions can be installed.

    Distribution installation yields this:

    Installing, this may take a few minutes...

    WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800700c1

    Error: 0x800700c1 (null)

    Press any key to continue...

    Attempting to start Docker Desktop yields:

    User's image

    I completely uninstalled WSL, Hyper-V and all virtualization components, reinstalled them, and rebooted. I have updated wsl:

    PowerShell 7.3.4

    PS C:\Users\DLewi> wsl --update

    Checking for updates.

    The most recent version of Windows Subsystem for Linux is already installed.

    PS C:\Users\DLewi>

    I have restarted LxssManager, Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management, Hyper-V Host Computer Service, and all are set to auto-start. I have run a full system scan and found no corruption of any kind.

    Since I can't run Docker, I'm finding it difficult to do my work. Is there any help available for this issue?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  2. Limitless Technology 39,341 Reputation points
    2021-10-18T07:34:07.183+00:00

    Hello @Matti Aho ,

    Thank you for your question.

    See the links below that will deal with a problem similar to yours that, in some cases, happens in different versions of windows 10:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/wslregisterdistribution-failed-with-error/dd28f58e-869a-4a33-8b7f-95695371cb0d

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-resolve-wslregisterdistribution-failed-with/0b218e4d-581e-4a60-9392-626cb19d20d2

    Pay attention especially to the guidelines that will use some type of change in the windows registry, so that nothing out of the standard occurs.

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