Windows Sandbox activated causing boot issues (version 1903)
Windows Sandbox activated causing boot issues (version 1903)
Hello, I just set up Windows 1903 and was anticipating some challenges. I was excited about using Windows Sandbox instead of VirtualBox. My system has an i7 6700K processor, a Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI motherboard with VT-d enabled in the BIOS, and I'm running the newest F22f firmware. After installing 1903, I opened 'Turn Windows Features On and Off' and selected Windows Sandbox to enable it. It reports installation and prompts for a restart. Once I rebooted, I encountered a boot loop—three cycles before Automatic Repair started. I tried Start Up Repair, which indicated it couldn't fix the issue, so I proceeded to Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows loaded normally but then displayed a Software Update screen with a spinning wheel and continued installation/uninstallation steps. It seems like Windows Sandbox might have been uninstalled during this process. After resolving the problem, everything returned to normal, though it was clearly missing Windows Sandbox. I suspect this could be a bug, and it might get fixed in a future update. This information could help others or point to a possible solution.
Update Note: Attempted to enable Hyper-V via Windows Features, which triggered the same boot issue. No need for Startup Repair—restarted in Safe Mode, removed the feature, and resumed normally afterward.
I attempted to turn on Sandbox on a different computer and didn’t run into any problems, which suggests the problem might be related to the motherboard.