WSL Debian installation and Legacy console mode

[rei-vilo]

Configuration

• Your Windows build number: 10.0.18363.720

What you're doing and what's happening:

I'm following the procedure Windows Subsystem for Linux Installation Guide for Windows 10

• Launch PowerShell with Legacy console on
• Run Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
• Open Windows Store
• Download Debian
• Launch Debian

What's wrong / what should be happening instead:

• Installation starts
• I'm prompted for a user name
• I'm typing the username in
• Same as Installation fails when creating a user #319, the console requires to turn Legacy console off

I've tried each of the possibilities listed below:

• Option 1

  • Turn Legacy console off
  • Type in the user name
  • Same error message is promtped

• Option 2

  • Turn Legacy console off
  • Reboot as mentionned in the Properties panel
  • Launch Debian
  • The screen is empty.

• Option 3

  • Turn Legacy console off
  • Close the console
  • Launch Debian
  • The screen is empty.

How to solve this issue? Please clarify the installation procedure. Thank you.

[DHowett-MSFT]

This is a bug in the Console. After you turn off legacy console mode, please go to the “terminal” tab and turn off the “use separate foreground”, “use separate background” and the cursor color options. This is fixed in the next version of Windows.

[rei-vilo]

Thank you fro your prompt answer.

Unfortunately, turning off the legacy console mode and then the “use separate foreground”, “use separate background” and the cursor colour options has no effect. Still the same error message. Moreover, opening the Terminal pane show them checked again.

How to force the installation of WSL Debian?

Is there a selective update of the console available?

[DHowett-MSFT]

They will be reset to on and the colors set to black whenever you have the legacy console turned on. You should not be using the legacy console option. It is intended for legacy application compatibility.

[rei-vilo]

The legacy console mode is turned off.

[rei-vilo]

I closed the Debian console and opened it again.

Surprise, Debian shows off with default user root!

root@myPC:~# uname -a
4.4.0-18362-Microsoft #476-Microsoft Fri Nov 01 16:53:00 PST 2019 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[WSLUser]

Surprise, Debian shows off with default user root!

That is no longer a Console issue but a WSL issue which I solved in WhitewaterFoundry/Pengwin#595 with the help of crramirez.

[rei-vilo]

Is WSL ready for prime-time?

[DHowett-MSFT]

The distribution's setup application aborting in a weird state when you close it has no bearing on whether WSL is ready for prime-time.

[DHowett-MSFT]

(These applications are owned by the distribution.)