Windows 10: Windows 11 + non-signed Linux distribution on separate drives

Hello people,I have a computer with two SSDs. On the first SSDs I have Windows 11 installed, with secure boot enabled. The second SSD is currently empty, but I would like to install Gentoo Linux on that drive. Gentoo is not signed and thus will not be able to boot easily without some rather complicated setting up that I would rather avoid having to do.I understand that I will have to install and boot Gentoo with secure boot disabled, but that if I disable secure boot, I may run into issues with Windows 11. So my question is thus:Is it possible to set up the system so that whenever I want to ru

:)

 

Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions.

Hi everyone,

I bought an Asus laptop (A15) in 2022 June, and I am currently trying to run the windows subsystem for Linux on this laptop. (Current OS is windows 11)

However, after I followed the instructions here How to install the Linux Windows Subsystem in Windows 11 - Microsoft Tech Community,

although I have installed the distribution Ubuntu (run "wsl --install -d Ubuntu" in cmd will show "Ubuntu is already installed."), if I run "wsl.exe" or "wsl" in cmd, it still shows "Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions.".

I can see the Ubuntu icon in the start menu; it can be clicked, just no response at all, even after restarting the computer.

I also tried installing the other distribution Debian; the problem remains.

I looked up the troubleshooting here Troubleshooting Windows Subsystem for Linux | Microsoft Learn, yet my issue remains.

They mentioned "The WSL executable is only installed to the native system directory." on the troubleshooting page; however, I did not see any solutions for that (and I am not sure if that IS the problem I am facing now).

Is there any suggestion?

 

Windows Subsystem for Linux - Installed Distributions Missing

Device type: Laptop

Model: Lenovo ThinkPad W530

OS: Windows 10 Education

Verison: 1803 Build 17134.48

After the 1803 Spring Creators Update was applied on my machine, my Ubuntu 16.04 app no longer worked. It produced the error message:

"Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions.

Distributions can be installed by visiting the Microsoft Store:

Stadt aus Eis"

I learned this was because my Ubuntu 16.04 install was no longer the default distribution. Using the wslconfig program, I was able to list all distributions and see my Ubuntu install. I set it back to the default and running 'wsl' would work as expected.

However starting today, running the 'wsl' command produces the same error as before. Now there are *no* distributions when I list my installed distributions using 'wslconfig /l'. It seems like my Ubuntu install gone completely now.

1) Are there any other ways of checking if the files within my Ubuntu install are still on my device?

2) Why would a distribution silently be removed, is it an error or the result of some policy(eg. since Ubuntu 18.04 was released)?

 

Run Linux Apps on Windows using Windows Subsystem for Linux

WSL or Windows Subsystem for Linux allows you to run GNU/Linux environment in Windows 10/11 directly without using a dual-boot configuration or a virtual machine.





GIMP running on Windows 11 installation, courtesy of WSLg


Prerequisites for WSL

WSL1/WSL2 requires Windows 10 Build 2004 or higher. For GUI Apps, aka WSLg, it requires Windows 11 Build 22000. You can install WSL on Windows 11 Home editions as well.

Installation

At the time of this writing, WSL supports multiple distributions of Linux, given below:

Name Friendly name

1. Ubuntu Ubuntu
   
2. Debian Debian GNU/Linux
   
3. kali-linux Kali Linux Rolling
   
4. openSUSE-42 openSUSE Leap 42
   
5. SLES-12 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server v12
   
6. Ubuntu-16.04 Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
   
7. Ubuntu-18.04 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
   
8. Ubuntu-20.04 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
   

The installation of WSL is pretty simple:

1. In the Run Dialog box, type powershell.exe and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter, to run it as elevated.
   
2. Execute the command: wsl --install
   
3. This command would automatically enable required optional features and Install the default distribution Ubuntu for you.
   
4. If you want to change the default distribution, use the -d switch. For Example, to install Kali Linux, use wsl --install -d kali-linux
   

WSL installing Kali Linux

❗Bonus Tip❗: Additionally, You can install WSL from the Microsoft Store if the machine is on Windows 11. Link here. Make sure the Virtual Machine Platform named feature is enabled, in Windows features for installing from the Store, which can be enabled using this command:

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

Difference between WSL1, WSL2, and WSLg

WSL2 is the next version of WSL, which can run ELF64 binaries on Windows, alongside supporting faster system performance. WSL1 and WSL2 can exist simultaneously, and you can configure a specific distribution to run on WSL1 or 2. From the documentation:

WSL 2 provides the benefits of WSL 1, including seamless integration between Windows and Linux, fast boot times, a small resource footprint, and requires no VM configuration or management. While WSL 2 does use a VM, it is managed and run behind the scenes, leaving you with the same user experience as WSL 1.

WSLg is based on WSL2, which also allows you to run Linux-based GUI Apps on Windows 11.

Setting up WSL for first use

1. After the WSL distribution download is complete, you would need to configure it. Afterward, when the download is done, open the distribution from the start menu.
   
2. Now, the next step is to set up a username and password for opening the Distro. Enter your desired username and password, and press Enter. The username should be in small letters.
   
3. You would see username@PCName in the command line, waiting for a command.
   
4. Enter sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade command to update the Distro with the latest packages.
   

Navigating with files

When the Distro is installed, Windows would add an option in the File Explorer so that you can directly access the files.





Run GUI Apps in WSL

If you are running Windows 11, you can run Linux GUI apps natively on Windows 11. See the steps below

1. Make sure the latest GPU drivers are installed from the GPU manufacturer.
   
2. If you had set up a Linux distribution before, you would need to update WSL to support GUI. For the same, execute wsl --update in an elevated Powershell. You can also check for Windows updates.
   
3. The next step is to download the specific app. Some of the widely used GUI apps on Linux can be installed using the commands below:
   
   1. GEDIT: sudo apt install gedit -y
      
   2. GIMP: sudo apt install gimp -y
      
   3. VLC: sudo apt install vlc -y
      

Additionally, other apps, which the package manager does not support, can be installed by downloading a Debian package and the Command line. For Example, for Edge, see the steps below:

Download Microsoft Edge Insider Channels

For Microsoft Teams:

1. Swap directories into the temp folder: cd /tmp
   
2. Use the curl command to download the package: sudo curl -L -o "./teams.deb" "https://teams.microsoft.com/downloa...x&arch=x64&download=true&linuxArchiveType=deb"
   
3. Use the apt command to install it: sudo apt install ./teams.deb -y
   

When the installation is complete, you will see the app listed in the Start menu. You can also cycle between apps using Alt+Tab as well.





GIMP installed using Ubuntu

Support

You can always search for or open an issue at Github as the WSL repository is maintained there.

Issues · Microsoft/WSL (github.com)

References:

FAQ's about Windows Subsystem for Linux | Microsoft Docs

microsoft/WSL: Issues found on WSL (github.com)

A preview of WSL in the Microsoft Store is now available! - Windows Command Line