Windows 11 Sandbox does not open File Explorer after a Windows update

Anonymous
2023-10-16T22:33:15+00:00

Hi all,

I have Windows 11 Pro with Sandbox enabled, it worked flawlessly. I didn't use it for a few months, and now the File Explorer inside the Sandbox is crashing.

If I open it from the start menu, or if I press the right button on the desktop or on a file or directory, it turns the screen black for a second or two, and then doesn't do anything (it probably crashes).

This behavior happens only inside the Sandbox (my system is working properly), and I didn't install or remove anything from the system, just did the proposed Windows updates (I now have version 10.2.22621 build 22621).

I can use the command line, and it appears that the file system is intact, I can create, read and write directories and files.

Sandbox is a limited environment, and everything I tried to understand what was going wrong failed. I tried several times to remove the sandbox and perform a clean installation, even manually deleting the image files, but that behavior didn't change.

Do you have any suggestion?

Thank you

Duccio

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2023-11-06T19:15:28+00:00

It is ultimately just a workaround, but it works for me:
Create a text file that you rename to sandbox.wsb afterwards.
The content of the file must contain the following:

<Configuration>
<MappedFolders>
<MappedFolder>
<HostFolder>C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe</HostFolder>
<SandboxFolder>C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe</SandboxFolder>
<ReadOnly>true</ReadOnly>
</MappedFolder>
</MappedFolders>
</Configuration>

If I start the sandbox with this file, the Explorer also works.

Good luck

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-11-07T06:47:18+00:00

    Windows version in the sandbox: 10.0.22621.2506

    Windows version in the host system 10.0.22631.2506

    Hardware is an Asus Rog nvidia gpu intel cpu laptop

    That's interesting, I also have a Asus Rog with Intel and Nvidia. So it's probably a driver compatibility thing

    Anyway, Dietmar Tschorn .wsb file worked on my system

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-11-06T18:54:53+00:00

    I found the following instructions in another forum to solve the problem:

    *copy the folder C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe to your Windows Sandbox's Desktop. In the Sandbox, run PowerShell as Administrator. In the PowerShell window, exec the following commands: powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass sc.exe config "TrustedInstaller" start=demand Install-Module -Name NtObjectManager Start-Service -Name TrustedInstaller $parent = Get-NtProcess -ServiceName TrustedInstaller $proc = New-Win32Process powershell.exe -CreationFlags NewConsole -ParentProcess $parent These commands will install the NtObjectManager module to start a new PowerShell window as a TrustedInstaller. So, in the new PowerShell window, exec the following commands: mv C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe_bak mv C:\Users\WDAGUtilityAccount\Desktop\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe C:\Windows\SystemApps*

    I haven't dared to try it yet because I don't know exactly what is happening with my host system

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-10-17T13:37:52+00:00

    I strongly believe it was an update that caused the issue, either of the Sandbox or of the File Explorer. I've another account and if I try to open it there, at startup it gives me a "Windows Sandbox is logging off and will be closed" error message and then closes the window, but the process keeps running. If I try to run it again without killing the process in task manager, it returns a "Only one running instance of Windows Sandbox is allowed" error message.

    I also tried to remove the sandbox feature and readding it, even manually removing the image files, but with no success.

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  4. Gokul A 770 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-10-17T02:43:23+00:00

    Hi and thanks for reaching out. I'm Gokul, an Independent Advisor and user like you. I'll be happy to help you out.

    I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulties with Windows 11 Sandbox and File Explorer. Let's try a few troubleshooting steps to see if we can resolve the issue.

    Do you have third-party antivirus installed on your device? If yes, please try to disable that and try again.

    If that doesn't work, repair Windows files

    Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)." Then, run the following command:

    sfc /scannow

    This command will scan and repair any corrupt system files that may be causing the issue with File Explorer.

    Run DISM command: In the same elevated Command Prompt, run the following command:

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

    This command will check for issues with the system image and restore them as needed.

    I hope this information helps you. Kindly let me know if you need further assistance. Thank you!

    Regards

    Gokul

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