Unable to launch wsl2

[ReinForce-II]

Windows Version

10.0.22631.3007

WSL Version

2.1.5.0

Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

• WSL 2
• WSL 1

Kernel Version

5.15.146.1-2

Distro Version

Ubuntu 20.04

Other Software

No response

Repro Steps

type wsl in powershell

Expected Behavior

wsl2 launched with no errors

Actual Behavior

The distribution failed to start. Error code: 5, failure step: 2
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_FAIL

Diagnostic Logs

[github-actions]

View similar issues

Please view the issues below to see if they solve your problem, and if the issue describes your problem please consider closing this one and thumbs upping the other issue to help us prioritize it!

Open similar issues:

• Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/CreateVm/HCS/E_INVALIDARG (#10285), similarity score: 0.78

Closed similar issues:

• WSL2 2.0.1.0 Cannot start. (#10545), similarity score: 0.80
• Catastrophic failure : Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_UNEXPECTED (#10140), similarity score: 0.79
• Cannot start WSL, error Wsl/0x8007041d (#10910), similarity score: 0.78
• {Application Error} The exception %s (0x Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/CreateVm/ConfigureNetworking/0x8007023e (#9888), similarity score: 0.78

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Diagnostic information

Detected appx version: 2.1.5.0
Detected user visible error: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_FAIL

[FreedSoul]

@ReinForce-II i have the same issue, how did you resolve it?

[ReinForce-II]

@ReinForce-II i have the same issue, how did you resolve it?

In my case, the rootfs is corrupted, run e2fsck on it solved the problem.

[FreedSoul]

i cant even start wsl, can you give some insights or links, how to run e2fsck?

[ReinForce-II]

i cant even start wsl, can you give some insights or links, how to run e2fsck?

attach the vhdx containing rootfs of wsl2 to another linux system

[FreedSoul]

whoever that get this error message, the problem is that, you have your ext filesystem corrupted, because a dirty shutdown (in my case close vscode then quickly shutdown the pc) or power outage, you can repair the issue here or follow this other thread

[new-TonyWang]

whoever that get this error message, the problem is that, you have your ext filesystem corrupted, because a dirty shutdown (in my case close vscode then quickly shutdown the pc) or power outage, you can repair the issue here or follow this other thread

TKS,this worked for me

[zhhugh]

I fixed it，here is the details:

Issue Description

When WSL2 shows the following error:

The distribution failed to start. Error code: 5, failure step: 2
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_FAIL

This is typically caused by filesystem corruption due to:

• Abnormal shutdown
• Power outage
• Quick shutdown while programs like VSCode are still running
• Other scenarios that lead to a "dirty shutdown"

Repair Steps

1. Preparation

1. First, backup your corrupted vhdx file:

   • The original file is usually located at: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState\ext4.vhdx
   • Copy this file to a safe location

2. Create a new Linux instance in WSL for repair:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-20.04

2. Install Repair Tools

In the newly created WSL instance, run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-utils

3. Repair the Filesystem

1. Enable the nbd module:

sudo modprobe nbd

2. Mount the vhdx file that needs repair (use your actual backup file path):

sudo qemu-nbd -c /dev/nbd0 -f vhdx /mnt/path/to/your/ext4.vhdx

3. Run filesystem check and repair:

sudo e2fsck -f /dev/nbd0

4. When prompted during repair, you can type 'a' to automatically answer 'yes' to all questions

5. After completion, unmount:

sudo qemu-nbd -d /dev/nbd0

4. Replace the File

1. Shut down all WSL instances:

wsl --shutdown

2. Replace files:
   • Rename the original corrupted file as backup
   • Copy the repaired file to the original location

5. Testing

Start WSL to test if the repair was successful:

wsl -d Ubuntu

Important Notes

1. Always backup the original file before starting the repair process
2. Filesystem corruption is usually caused by improper shutdown, develop good shutdown habits
3. If issues occur after repair, you can restore using the renamed original file
4. Ensure you have enough disk space for the backup files
5. The repair process requires administrative privileges in WSL

Prevention Tips

To avoid similar issues:

1. Ensure all WSL instances are properly closed before shutting down
2. Use wsl --shutdown command to properly close WSL
3. Don't force shutdown your computer while WSL is running
4. Consider using a UPS if power outages are common in your area

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during repair:

1. Make sure you have sufficient disk space
2. Verify that you have administrative privileges
3. Check that the paths to your vhdx files are correct
4. Ensure no WSL instances are running during the repair

Credits

This guide is based on real-world experience fixing WSL2 filesystem corruption. Feel free to share and improve this guide.

References

• WSL2 Documentation
• e2fsck Manual
• QEMU-NBD Documentation

[LandRover]

@zhhugh thanks for the detailed solution, it worked for me, and I could recover my WSL via e2fsck from another instance.

[tbcbcabral]

I fixed it，here is the details:

Issue Description

When WSL2 shows the following error:

The distribution failed to start. Error code: 5, failure step: 2
Error code: Wsl/Service/CreateInstance/E_FAIL

This is typically caused by filesystem corruption due to:

* Abnormal shutdown

* Power outage

* Quick shutdown while programs like VSCode are still running

* Other scenarios that lead to a "dirty shutdown"

Repair Steps

1. Preparation

1. First, backup your corrupted vhdx file:
   
   * The original file is usually located at: `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState\ext4.vhdx`
   * Copy this file to a safe location

2. Create a new Linux instance in WSL for repair:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-20.04

2. Install Repair Tools

In the newly created WSL instance, run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-utils

3. Repair the Filesystem

1. Enable the nbd module:

sudo modprobe nbd

2. Mount the vhdx file that needs repair (use your actual backup file path):

sudo qemu-nbd -c /dev/nbd0 -f vhdx /mnt/path/to/your/ext4.vhdx

3. Run filesystem check and repair:

sudo e2fsck -f /dev/nbd0

4. When prompted during repair, you can type 'a' to automatically answer 'yes' to all questions

5. After completion, unmount:

sudo qemu-nbd -d /dev/nbd0

4. Replace the File

1. Shut down all WSL instances:

wsl --shutdown

2. Replace files:
   
   * Rename the original corrupted file as backup
   * Copy the repaired file to the original location

5. Testing

Start WSL to test if the repair was successful:

wsl -d Ubuntu

Important Notes

1. Always backup the original file before starting the repair process

2. Filesystem corruption is usually caused by improper shutdown, develop good shutdown habits

3. If issues occur after repair, you can restore using the renamed original file

4. Ensure you have enough disk space for the backup files

5. The repair process requires administrative privileges in WSL

Prevention Tips

To avoid similar issues:

1. Ensure all WSL instances are properly closed before shutting down

2. Use `wsl --shutdown` command to properly close WSL

3. Don't force shutdown your computer while WSL is running

4. Consider using a UPS if power outages are common in your area

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during repair:

1. Make sure you have sufficient disk space

2. Verify that you have administrative privileges

3. Check that the paths to your vhdx files are correct

4. Ensure no WSL instances are running during the repair

Credits

This guide is based on real-world experience fixing WSL2 filesystem corruption. Feel free to share and improve this guide.

References

* [WSL2 Documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/)

* [e2fsck Manual](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/e2fsck.8.html)

* [QEMU-NBD Documentation](https://www.qemu.org/docs/master/tools/qemu-nbd.html)

Thank you @zhhugh this fixed it for me too! Following your instructions closely did it.

[harvastum]

Hey, I ran into this problem, but in my case the issue and the solution were much more trivial; I just ran out of disk space on the drive hosting the .vhdx file. It's worth to take a glance at your volumes and to free up some space before attempting more complicated troubleshooting steps. In my case, WSL started up again as if nothing went wrong in the first place after I removed some old files.