This is the correct place to be if you are experiencing “WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc” on your PC. In this post, we offers several useful fixes for you to try.
There are various problem codes that you could run into when trying to install Ubuntu. The error code 0x800701bc is the one we are discussing here. Here is the entire error message:
Installing, this may take a few minutes…
WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc
Error: 0x800701bc WSL 2 ??????????????????? http://aka.ms/wsl2kernel
Press any key to continue…
This “WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc” is a Linux Kernel issue. To fix it, try the solutions listed below.
Method 1. Manually Update the Linux Kernel
WSL 2 can be found in the most recent versions of Windows 10 and 11. Updates to the WSL kernel are required for Windows machines since WSL 2 offers more functionality than WSL 1.
All you have to do is download the kernel setup file from Microsoft’s WSL 2 page, and then use administrator privilege to run the bundled installer. Set the version to the next after the installation is finished. To switch from WSL to WSL2, all you have to do is execute the PowerShell command “wsl –set-default-version“.
If you are still having problems, you may try removing an earlier update and then reinstalling the updated kernel version. On their PC, some users have claimed that this has successfully fixed “WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc“. Here is the manual:
1. Press the Windows + R keys, type “appwiz.cpl” in the box and click OK.
2. In the Programs and Features window, select the View installed updates link on the left top of the window.
3. In the installed Windows Update list, find the update—Windows Subsystem for Linux Update, and uninstall it.
4. Then, install the latest kernel.
5. After that, see if the mistake has been resolved.
Method 2. Reset the LxssManager Service
Restarting the LxssManager service is worth a try.Some folks find that this method also works. This is the manual:
1. Press the Windows + R keys, type “MSC” and click OK.
2. In the list of services, locate “LxssManager”.
3. Right-click on it and click Stop.
4. After some delay, repeat the right-click and select “Run.”
5. Restart WSL now to see if the 0x800701bc error code has been resolved.
Method 3. Enable Virtual Machine Platform
It’s possible that the Virtual Machine Platform capability isn’t activated if you can’t run WSL even with an upgraded kernel. For Windows subsystems like Linux and Android to function, this functionality is necessary. You can activate it by doing the following:
1. Open Powershell as Administrator.
2. Type the command “Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform” and then press the Enter key.
3. After that, restart your computer to see if the 0x800701bc error has been resolved.
You can find three helpful fixes for the WSL problem “Wslregisterdistribution failed with error 0x800701bc” in this post. You are welcome to try these solutions.
