Unable to install WSL on fresh windows 10

[rminehan]

Hello, I am new to WSL and am trying to follow the installation instructions here.

When I try to install WSL from an administrator PowerShell I get:

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --install
wsl : The term 'wsl' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the
spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ wsl --install
+ ~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (wsl:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

The prerequisites say:

You must be running Windows 10 version 2004 and higher (Build 19041 and higher) or Windows 11

I have run winver and got this output: 19043.928 so it appears I satisfy the prerequisites.

---

I have tried following the trouble shooting info here which references my "not recognized" error and says:

Ensure that the Windows Subsystem for Linux Optional Component is installed.

and points to older instructions for installing wsl via dism.exe

I followed those instructions being able to use dism.exe:

 > dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19043.928
...
The operation completed successfully.

> dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19043.928
...
The operation completed successfully.

then downloaded the wsl_update_x64.msi but when trying to run it got an error popup saying: "The Update only applies to machines with the Windows Subsystem for Linux".

I searched my system for wsl executables and found some related files like under C:\Windows\WinSxS such as:

C:/Windows/WinSxS/amd64_microsoft-windows-lxss-wsl_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.488_none_60be8a5c2dce0ea7/wsl.exe
C:/Windows/WinSxS/amd64_microsoft-windows-lxss-wslconfig_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.19041.488_none_7eeccf5f03956a85/wslconfig.exe

So perhaps it's installed but the system path is broken?

When I try directly running the wsl.exe mentioned above it just gives a "Class not registered" error.

---

For background, this is a fresh installation of Windows 10 on a work computer just issued to me by my employer.

It's a Lenovo Thinkpad T490.

The company has an IT team with their own installation/security processes so perhaps that has broken wsl in some way.

[0xbadfca11]

Do Windows Update.
19043.928 is too old.
Support for wsl --install started in 19043.1151.
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/install-wsl-with-a-single-command-now-available-in-windows-10-version-2004-and-higher/

[rminehan]

Thanks @0xbadfca11, running updates worked.