Improve documentation for restricted enterprise install

[kjpgit]

I work at a corp that does not allow local admin access for the main user id (which uses a domain logon). Corp also blocks windows store.

The only admin access allowed is to a secondary, local user id.

The solution I did, adapting from this page was this:

1. Log in as secondary user (administrator), and run elevated command prompt "as administrator". Run these commands in it:

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

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

wsl --set-default-version 2

2. Log back in as main user (not administrator) and run these commands:

wsl --update # Note: unsure if this should/could be run as admin instead

wsl --install --download Ubuntu

Note that you get "Catastrophic error" if you run the simple wsl --install as the wrong user id, even though it's an administrator. That's what I tried first, and saw this ticket where someone had the same problem. Thus, the need for splitting up the admin vs non-admin steps.

[vladimirgluten]

I don't think this will work for me because I'm not able to log into a PC with my admin account. I can log into a server, but not a desktop or laptop. My admin account only works for when I get the elevated permissions prompt.

[isaac84]

I have the same issue as @vladimirgluten. I managed to install wsl2 with docker. But i can't run wsl --update i just get the Catastrophic Failure.

My user has 'Elevation access' so I can run the console as administrator but it doesn't help.

[istvankleijn]

Thank you, I am in the same situation and was able to install Ubuntu 22.04 using your workaround with a slight modification, which was to run wsl --set-default-version 2 in step 2 (so as non-admin main user).

Initially, I ran wsl --set-default-version 2 and wsl --update as local admin. I then logged out and back in as non-admin and installed Ubuntu, but it still did so as version 1 (according to wsl --list -v). I then unregistered it, changed the default version in a non-admin powershell as my main user, and reinstalled it, which seems to have worked as expected.