wsl --unregister Triggers Unhandled Exception in v2.4+

[qkflies]

Windows Version

10.0.26100.4351

WSL Version

2.4.10.0, 2.5.7.0

Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

• WSL 2
• WSL 1

Kernel Version

5.15.167.4-1, 6.6.87.1-1

Distro Version

Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS (Noble Numbat) - Canonical WSL root filesystem image

Other Software

FSLogix 2210 hotfix 4 (2.9.8884.27471)

Repro Steps

Assume FSLogix profiles are in use.

1. Register distribution with vhd location in FSLogix local profile:

   wsl --import Ubuntu-24.04 "$(Join-Path -Path $(Join-Path -Path $($(Get-ChildItem HKCU:\Software\FSLogix\Profiles\).GetValue('LocalProfilePath')) -ChildPath Temp) -ChildPath Ubuntu-24.04)" "C:\WSL\ubuntu2404.tar.gz" --version 2
   

2. Sign out, then sign back in.

   • Note: This removes the local FSLogix profile, which then is recreated at next sign in.

3. Attempt to unregister the distribution:

   wsl --unregister Ubuntu-24.04
   

Expected Behavior

The unregister command completes successfully.

Actual Behavior

The unregister command returns the following error:

{Application Error} The exception %s (0x
Error code: Wsl/Service/ERROR_UNHANDLED_EXCEPTION

This is only encountered after the full sign out/sign in cycle, which raises suspicion about the unregister command not liking the disappearance of the VHD from the local profile path.

Diagnostic Logs

Logs will be submitted directly to Microsoft via email.

[github-actions]

Logs are required for review from WSL team

If this a feature request, please reply with '/feature'. If this is a question, reply with '/question'.
Otherwise please attach logs by following the instructions below, your issue will not be reviewed unless they are added. These logs will help us understand what is going on in your machine.

How to collect WSL logs

Download and execute collect-wsl-logs.ps1 in an administrative powershell prompt:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/WSL/master/diagnostics/collect-wsl-logs.ps1" -OutFile collect-wsl-logs.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\collect-wsl-logs.ps1

The script will output the path of the log file once done.

If this is a networking issue, please use collect-networking-logs.ps1, following the instructions here

Once completed please upload the output files to this Github issue.

Click here for more info on logging
If you choose to email these logs instead of attaching to the bug, please send them to wsl-gh-logs@microsoft.com with the number of the github issue in the subject, and in the message a link to your comment in the github issue and reply with '/emailed-logs'.

[qkflies]

To clarify the WSL versions reported, I have tested with WSL releases 2.2.4.0, 2.3.24.0, and 2.3.26.0. This bug did not occur until 2.4.x and still appears to be an issue in 2.5.x.

[OneBlue]

/logs

[github-actions]

Logs are required for review from WSL team

If this a feature request, please reply with '/feature'. If this is a question, reply with '/question'.
Otherwise please attach logs by following the instructions below, your issue will not be reviewed unless they are added. These logs will help us understand what is going on in your machine.

How to collect WSL logs

Download and execute collect-wsl-logs.ps1 in an administrative powershell prompt:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/WSL/master/diagnostics/collect-wsl-logs.ps1" -OutFile collect-wsl-logs.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\collect-wsl-logs.ps1

The script will output the path of the log file once done.

If this is a networking issue, please use collect-networking-logs.ps1, following the instructions here

Once completed please upload the output files to this Github issue.

Click here for more info on logging
If you choose to email these logs instead of attaching to the bug, please send them to wsl-gh-logs@microsoft.com with the number of the github issue in the subject, and in the message a link to your comment in the github issue and reply with '/emailed-logs'.

[qkflies]

/emailed-logs

[github-actions]

Diagnostic information

Found '/emailed-logs', adding tag 'emailed-logs'