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
    2023-11-30T04:59:15+00:00

    I tried it, explorer crashed every time but then I'm trying to map to a clean folder to pass files back and forth (a "Shared" folder under this location - and something under Documents on the host site. Tried false & true for readonly as well. Using this exact folder did work.

    • Thanks for the answer you posted -

    It does work with that folder - but that is also not exactly a convenient place to put things from places I don't yet trust. I am not happy when the AV pops up site warnings on Google results when I'm just looking for IT related tech answers (usually programming/API related). I have learned, via Sandbox, that the common trick is to try and load a bad PDF of all things. In case you wondered (I don't have Adobe anyway, but just saying...).

    I find the change in behavior from months ago to be strange - but then again the latest Windows updates also fail and I waste an hour as it retries and rolls back over a number of reboots. I don't think that what Microsoft pushed out was all that stable. Like Dietmar said, it all used to work perfectly a few months ago.caa

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-11-25T05:30:30+00:00

    If I save this script below as sandbox.wsb it works as read-only and does not allow installing programs to test, avoiding the risk of catching a virus.

    <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>

    Now, if I delete the line <ReadOnly>true</ReadOnly> , and save the sandbox.wsb as the script described below, it works fully, without any restrictions.

    <Configuration>

    <MappedFolders>

    <MappedFolder>

    <HostFolder>C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe</HostFolder>

    <SandboxFolder>C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe</SandboxFolder>

    </MappedFolder>

    </MappedFolders>

    </Configuration>

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  3. TekkieBoy 12,556 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-11-22T18:01:44+00:00

    The first solution works, but I wonder how it is possible that Microsoft hasn't solved it yet.

    (thanks again for your solution)

    The fix comes with the next update which is currently available in Release Preview Insider Channel:

    https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2023/11/16/releasing-windows-11-builds-22621-2787-and-22631-2787-to-the-release-preview-channel/ 

    Greetings

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-11-22T11:42:12+00:00

    Hi, I have windows 11 pro installed all the updates on windows update.

    I have a nvidia rtx 3070ti and sandbox doesn't work.

    Explorer doesn't work.

    The first solution works, but I wonder how it is possible that Microsoft hasn't solved it yet.

    (thanks again for your solution)

    Thank you

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