After struggling with this issue for days
Installing, this may take a few minutes...
WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x80370102
Error: 0x80370102 The virtual machine could not be started because a required feature is not installed.
Press any key to continue...including a re-installation of windows 10 (twice) and trying everything on the windows forums, like :
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype autodidSetting and re-setting Virtual machine platform, Hyper – V and Windows Subsytem for Linux
Rebooting after each setting, and a myriad of other things, the problem turned out to be a setting in the BIOS.
No it had nothing to do with Intel Virtualisation being disabled in the BIOS as many forums suggest, this has been enabled since day one.
The problem was that I had Limit CPUID Max enabled in the BIOS. This NEEDS TO BE DISABLED for the WSL 2 to work correctly, apparently. I have no clue why or how but this is what solved it for me !
On the other hand if you encounter error 0x80070002, The most likely culprits are either Docker for Desktop or some vpn software messing up network settings. Uninstalling Docker solved the issue for me.
Installing, this may take a few minutes...
WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x80070002
Error: 0x80070002 The system cannot find the file specified.
Press any key to continue...Please let me know in the comments below if this solves the issue for you too
Feodor says
Very big thanks, i enable virtualisation in BIOS (have no idea why Gigabyte turne it off)
Alexander Kokkinos says
I changed wls version from 2 to 1, so:
1. Type on Powershell wsl –set-default-version 1
2. Re-open the Ubuntu app you have downloaded from the store.
Hope it works for you as it did for me
anonymous431 says
Thank you very much! I was trying to find a solution to this for a long long time and you help a crap ton!
boyan says
Took me a lot of time to realize that WSL needs a processor supporting SLAT. My old desktop is not supporting it so I’ll have to use WSL 1 while my laptop gets repaired.
Unfortunately this didn’t work. I’ve enabled Virtualization and followed the instructions on MS’ page (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10#manual-installation-steps) without the update to WSL 2. Still the good old “WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x80370102
Error: 0x80370102 The virtual machine could not be started because a required feature is not installed.”
Any tips?
Ridma Tharaka Basnayaka says
yes, it’s work. thank you
Rahul Amarwal says
thanks man your way worked for me
T4K says
you ABSOLUTE [email protected]!*$ng HERO!!!
I, like you, went through every possible permutation of unticking and ticking the windows feature and rebooting after each one and reinstalling this that and the other. A few months ago I did not have an issue with the same PC/hardware but I recently reimaged my machine and got the latest build version and this issue was doing my bloody head in. That CPUID was the issue for me, not sure why I did not see your post when I was googling about for the exact error code I was just getting git-hub crap.
Ramon Barnes says
We’re is this CPUID ID I have an older laptop and my bios doesn’t show that. I’m taking it this is only on the newer model computers.
Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4300 @ 2.10GHz 2.10 GHz
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
HP laptop
Marcus says
For my HP Pavilion (made in 2019), I found a setting in BIOS that mentioned “Virtualization” or similar, with a note that this needs to be enabled for Virtual Machine usage. Enabling that setting has fixed my problem.
Thanks for your write-up, that showed me quickly what kind of thing I was looking for.