UWP apps fail to create LocalState across clean installs (WD_BLACK SN770 sanitize blocked)

Adrie 0 Reputation points
2026-04-20T19:02:17.2533333+00:00

I’m running into a persistent issue where UWP apps fail to initialize correctly across multiple clean installs of Windows 11, and I’m trying to determine whether this is a Windows provisioning issue or an SSD‑level problem.

Symptoms (on every clean install):

• UWP apps do not create LocalState folders

• AppContainer permissions appear incomplete or corrupted

• Microsoft Store apps fail to provision correctly

• Cloud saves do not sync

• Minecraft Bedrock creates a Roaming folder instead of using UWP LocalState

• Photos, Calculator, and other inbox apps behave inconsistently

This happens even after:

• Multiple clean installs (23H2, 24H2, Beta, Dev, Canary)

• Full partition wipes

• Using different USB installers

• Creating new local accounts

• Installing on different NVMe drives

Hardware involved:

Two WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSDs.

What I discovered:

The issue appears to be caused by SSD controller‑level metadata corruption that survives Windows reinstallations. The WD_BLACK SN770 firmware on my drives blocks NVMe Sanitize/Secure Erase, so the controller cannot be reset using normal tools.

What fails:

• WD Kitfox → “Not supported devices”

• BIOS → no NVMe sanitize option

• Linux nvme sanitize → command not supported

• Linux nvme format -s 1 → sanitize not allowed

Because sanitize is blocked, the SSD’s internal metadata tables cannot be reset, and the corruption persists across OS installs.

Workaround:

Using Parted Magic NVMe Sanitize to reset the SN770 controller.

My questions for Microsoft:

  1. Can UWP provisioning fail due to SSD metadata corruption that survives partition wipes?
  2. Should Windows detect and report this condition instead of silently failing to initialize AppContainer/LocalState?
  3. Is there any Microsoft‑recommended method to reset NVMe drives when firmware blocks sanitize?

Any guidance or confirmation would be appreciated.

I’ve tried updating bios and stress testing my PC components all with good success. I’ve run tons of commands and fixed issues that copilot kept finding and I’ve been at it for weeks

Pease help.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers
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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-20T19:02:43.94+00:00
    1. The provided documentation does not state that UWP/AppX provisioning failures are caused by SSD controller‑level metadata corruption that survives partition wipes.

    The UWP/AppX and Microsoft Store issues described in the context are attributed to:

    • Incorrect NTFS permissions or missing rights (for example, missing Bypass traverse checking or broken inheritance on profile and AppX folders).
    • Misconfigured or corrupted Group Policy / local policy.
    • General Windows corruption or misconfiguration that can require reset or clean image recovery.
    • FSLogix profile/container configuration and non‑roamable folders for MSIX/UWP data.

    The guidance focuses on fixing permissions, policies, and app provisioning, not on SSD firmware or controller metadata as a root cause.

    1. The documentation does not describe any Windows mechanism that detects SSD‑level metadata corruption and surfaces it specifically as a cause of UWP/AppContainer/LocalState initialization failures.

    Instead, when modern/Store apps fail to start or behave inconsistently, the recommended diagnostics are:

    • Use Process Monitor to trace failing apps and identify permission or file system issues.
    • Compare folder permissions with a known‑good machine.
    • Reset local Group Policy and reapply defaults.
    • Use the TSSv2 toolset and specific scenarios (for example, PRF_UWP, PRF_AppX) to collect logs for Microsoft support.
    • For Store apps, follow the standard Store troubleshooting steps (update Windows, update Store, repair/reset apps, reinstall apps).

    There is no mention of Windows detecting and reporting “SSD metadata corruption” as a distinct condition.

    1. The documentation does not provide a Microsoft‑recommended method to reset NVMe drives when the firmware blocks sanitize/secure erase.

    The referenced materials cover:

    • General Windows update repair steps (renaming SoftwareDistribution/Catroot2, checking services, running chkdsk).
    • Troubleshooting blue screens and system instability.
    • Resetting or reinstalling Windows (including “Reset this PC” with “Keep my files”).
    • Troubleshooting modern/Store apps and AppX/MSIX behavior at the OS and profile level.

    They do not describe any supported Microsoft tool or procedure to override firmware‑blocked NVMe sanitize commands or to reset NVMe controller metadata when sanitize is disabled by the drive.

    For the UWP/Store symptoms themselves (independent of the SSD root cause theory), the documented guidance is:

    • For modern/Store apps failing or behaving inconsistently:
      • Check and correct permissions and inheritance on relevant folders, and ensure Bypass traverse checking is correctly configured.
      • If GPOs may be involved, reset local Group Policy by deleting %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers and %WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy, then running gpupdate /force and restarting.
      • Use Process Monitor to trace app start failures and identify access/permission problems.
      • If the issue is limited to a few machines and cannot be isolated, recover/refresh to a clean image.
    • For Microsoft Store apps on Windows 11:
      • Ensure Windows is fully updated.
      • Update Microsoft Store via Library > Get updates.
      • Repair or reset problematic apps.
      • Reinstall apps from Library in Microsoft Store.
    • For profile‑related MSIX/UWP data issues in FSLogix environments:
      • Be aware that certain %LocalAppData%\Packages\* subfolders are non‑roamable and are deleted at sign‑out.

    Beyond these OS‑level steps, the context does not extend into SSD firmware‑level remediation.

    References:

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