Error Starting Kubernetes

[DogasNetwork]

Hi Everyone,

After starting up Rancher Desktop, from scratch I've experienced the following error listed below:

Error: wsl.exe exited with code 4294967295

I've been trying to uninstall and reinstall the Windows Subsystem for Linux like 10 freaking times but am unable to get this stupid client working for some time now...

Trying to look out for troubleshooting methods like, #4625 which is similar to this issue. None of the resolutions within this thread worked for me btw.

I've done the following steps in order:

1. Uninstall WSL: (using Windows Powershell in Admin Mode > right-click windows icon and select "Windows Powershell (Admin)"

PS C:\Windows\System32> wsl --uninstall

2. Uninstall Rancher Desktop (using Windows Powershell in Admin Mode > right-click windows icon and select "Windows Powershell (Admin)":

If you have Rancher Desktop installed, uninstall it.

PS C:\Windows\system32> winget list
Name Id Version Available Source
Rancher Desktop SUSE.RancherDesktop 1.15.1 winget

PS C:\Windows\system32> winget uninstall SUSE.RancherDesktop
Found Rancher Desktop [SUSE.RancherDesktop]
Starting package uninstall...
Successfully uninstalled
PS C:\Windows\system32>

3. Delete Temporary Data & Empty Recycle Bin:

Delete the following folders:

C:\Users\dozer.docker
C:\Users\dozer\AppData\Local\rancher-desktop

If Exists Remove the Following Folders:

C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Docker
C:\ProgramData\Docker
C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop

4. Install WSL 2:

Follow the official steps on how to install WSL 2 at
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --install

Note:
The above command only works if WSL is not installed at all.
If you run wsl --install and see the WSL help text, please try running wsl --list --online to see a list of available distros
and run wsl --install -d to install a distro.
To uninstall WSL, see Uninstall legacy version of WSL or unregister or uninstall a Linux distribution.

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --list --online
The following is a list of valid distributions that can be installed.
Install using 'wsl --install -d '.

NAME FRIENDLY NAME
Ubuntu Ubuntu
Debian Debian GNU/Linux
kali-linux Kali Linux Rolling
Ubuntu-18.04 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Ubuntu-20.04 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Ubuntu-22.04 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Ubuntu-24.04 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
OracleLinux_7_9 Oracle Linux 7.9
OracleLinux_8_7 Oracle Linux 8.7
OracleLinux_9_1 Oracle Linux 9.1
openSUSE-Leap-15.6 openSUSE Leap 15.6
SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP5 SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP5
SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP6 SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6
openSUSE-Tumbleweed openSUSE Tumbleweed
PS C:\Windows\system32>

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --install -d Ubuntu
Ubuntu is already installed.
Launching Ubuntu...
PS C:\Windows\system32>

5. Update WSL:

Open PowerShell and run the command: wsl --update

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --update
Installing: Windows Subsystem for Linux
[ 100.0% ]

PS C:\Windows\system32> wsl --update
Installing: Windows Subsystem for Linux
Windows Subsystem for Linux has been installed.
PS C:\Windows\system32>

6. Restart Computer:

After installing Docker, restart your computer.

7. Reinstall Rancher Desktop (from Company Portal):

Go to "Settings" > click on the "Sync" button.

Reinstall Rancher Desktop, and make sure to tick the option for WSL during the installation.

8. Restart Computer:

After installing Docker, restart your computer.

9. Run Rancher Desktop as Administrator:

Find Rancher Desktop in your programs and run it as an administrator.

Does anybody know what else I can do to troubleshoot this issue?

I've looked into multiple references regarding this issue, such as these articles listed below:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70953842/error-wsl-exe-exited-with-code-4294967295-on-installing-rancher-desktop
https://appuals.com/wsl-fails-to-start-error-4294967295/

But I'm still unable to solve this issue.

I would definitely use someone's help right now, appreciate the support in advance!

I'm hoping to hear your reactions soon!

Doga

PS: Due to security breach & in-vulnerabilities of the Company, we have to use the Company Portal to install approved software. Therefore, I've installed Rancher Desktop using the Company Portal.

[mook-as]

The most obvious thing to try is to run the command that fails (with appropriate quoting) in a command prompt and see if reports any more useful error messages.

Otherwise, checking the debug mode checkbox and trying things again, then opening the logs (in this case, wsl.log and wsl-exec.log are the ones most likely to be helpful) might help pinpoint the issue.