claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Windows 10 Pro: CoworkVMService Running but Cowork still shows Virtual Machine Platform error [1 comments, 2 participants]

On Windows 10 Pro, the CoworkVMService is confirmed to be running (visible in Windows Services), but Cowork (Claude Code's remote development feature) still displays a "Virtual Machine Platform" error, preventing it from functioning correctly. 4. Observe the error message about "Virtual Machine Platform" Since CoworkVMService is already running, Cowork should initialize successfully without displaying a Virtual Machine Platform error. Cowork shows a "Virtual Machine Platform" error even though CoworkVMService is active and running in Windows Services. Since CoworkVMService is already running on Windows 10 Pro, Cowork should initialize successfully and work without displaying a "Virtual Machine Platform" error. The service check should correctly detect that the required VM service is active.

Error Messages/Logs

1. Observe that Cowork displays a "Virtual Machine Platform" error despite CoworkVMService being active

TL;DR

The issue might be resolved by ensuring the "Virtual Machine Platform" Windows feature is explicitly enabled, as the error suggests a dependency validation issue despite the CoworkVMService running.

Guidance

• Verify that the "Virtual Machine Platform" feature is enabled in Windows Features, as the service running might not be sufficient for Cowork to initialize correctly.
• Check the startup sequence of Cowork for any incorrect dependency validations that might cause the false positive error about the Virtual Machine Platform.
• Consider comparing the configuration and startup process of Cowork on Windows 10 Pro with a previous version where it worked to identify any changes that might have introduced this issue.
• If the "Virtual Machine Platform" feature is already enabled, investigate further into the Cowork startup logs or error messages for more specific clues about what might be causing the service to not be recognized as running.

Example

No specific code snippet can be provided without more details on the startup sequence or dependency checks of Cowork. However, ensuring the "Virtual Machine Platform" is enabled can be done through the Windows Features dialog or via PowerShell command Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -Online.

Notes

The issue seems to be specific to the interaction between the CoworkVMService and the "Virtual Machine Platform" feature on Windows 10 Pro. The fact that it worked in a previous version suggests a regression, possibly due to changes in how dependencies are checked or validated.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Ensure the "Virtual Machine Platform" Windows feature is explicitly enabled, as this might resolve the dependency validation issue preventing Cowork from initializing correctly. This is recommended because the error message directly references the Virtual Machine Platform, suggesting its status is critical to resolving the issue.