windows-2025 does not have WSL installed

[Vampire]

Description

windows-2025 - while docs still stating that WSLv1 is available - does not have WSL installed at all.

If you do wsl --status, you get

The Windows Subsystem for Linux is not installed. You can install by running 'wsl.exe --install'.
For more information please visit https://aka.ms/wslinstall

If you do wsl --version, you get

Windows Subsystem for Linux must be updated to the latest version to proceed. You can update by running 'wsl.exe --update'.
For more information please visit https://aka.ms/wslinstall

Press any key to install Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Press CTRL-C or close this window to cancel.
This prompt will time out in 60 seconds.

If you do wsl --update it installs WSL 2.3.26 and then says there is no update.
With wsl --install --no-dsitribution you could do the same.

I assume the step to install WSL is missing for the new image.

Maybe also #10563 could be done alongside or will automatically be there then too?

Platforms affected

• Azure DevOps
• GitHub Actions - Standard Runners
• GitHub Actions - Larger Runners

Runner images affected

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Ubuntu 22.04
• Ubuntu 24.04
• macOS 12
• macOS 13
• macOS 13 Arm64
• macOS 14
• macOS 14 Arm64
• macOS 15
• macOS 15 Arm64
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2025

Image version and build link

20241215.1.0

Is it regression?

Regression to windows-2022

Expected behavior

WSL is installed

Actual behavior

WSL is not installed

Repro steps

wsl --status

[hemanthmanga]

Hi @Vampire, Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We are looking into this issue and will update you on this issue after investigating.