Windows Cowork VM Service Error: Path Issue and Fix
Windows Cowork VM Service Failure
Windows users of Claude's Cowork feature are experiencing a recurring error where the service fails every 10-20 minutes with the message "VM service not running. The service failed to start." The root cause is related to the vm_bundles folder, but the commonly cited path (%APPDATA%\Claude\vm_bundles) doesn't exist for MSIX installations.
The Actual Problem
The issue stems from Cowork looking for the vm_bundles folder in the wrong location on Windows systems with MSIX installations. The standard path that most documentation references doesn't apply to these installations, leading to the service repeatedly failing to start.
Documented Solution
A user has documented the complete fix, which includes:
- Identifying the correct path for the vm_bundles folder on MSIX installations
- A repair script to address the issue
- A filed bug report with Anthropic (GitHub issue #170)
- An assessment of Cowork's current stability status on Windows
Available Resources
The full technical write-up with detailed steps is available at the author's website, and the GitHub issue (#170) has been created in the anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins repository to track this problem officially.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
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