[BUG] Claude Desktop fails to launch on Windows 11 Home — "Claude Desktop failed to Launch" error dialog on every attempt

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Claude Desktop has never launched successfully since installation.
Every single launch attempt immediately shows this error dialog and closes:

"Claude Desktop failed to Launch. We are so sorry, Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again. If the issue persists, contact support."

The app never loads any UI. The error appears instantly.

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should launch successfully on Windows 11 Home and provide
basic chat functionality.

If Cowork/VM features are unavailable due to missing Hyper-V support on
Windows 11 Home, the app should still open normally and gracefully disable
only the Cowork feature — not prevent the entire application from starting.

Error Messages/Logs

## Setup Log Analysis (ClaudeSetup.log)

### Phase 1 — Initial install attempts BLOCKED (Feb 11, 16:52 ~ 17:27)
Multiple failed attempts due to IT policy blocking sideloading:

Prerequisite check failed: App installation is blocked by IT policy.
Contact your administrator to enable app sideloading.
ERROR dialog: App installation is blocked by IT policy.
Contact your administrator to enable app sideloading.
Sideloading enabled: false

### Phase 2 — Installation SUCCEEDS after enabling sideloading (Feb 11, 18:39)
After enabling AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense, MSIX installed successfully:

AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense found with value: 1
Sideloading enabled: true
MSIX installation succeeded
=== Claude Setup completed successfully ===

→ Despite "Setup completed successfully", Claude Desktop still fails to launch.

### Phase 3 — Recurring CoworkVMService conflict on every reinstall (Feb 12, 07:57 onward)
Every subsequent reinstall attempt shows this critical warning:

WARNING: CoworkVMService already exists (potential conflict)
Conflicting service: true
WARNING: failed to remove conflicting service:
could not open CoworkVMService: Access is denied.
WARNING: old package removal had issues: exit status 1

→ The installer detects CoworkVMService as a conflict but CANNOT remove it.
→ Even with full admin elevation (Is elevated: true), access is denied.
→ Reinstall reports INSTALL_SUCCESS but the conflicting service persists.

### Root Cause Summary
1. MSIX installs successfully every time (INSTALL_SUCCESS confirmed)
2. CoworkVMService registers after first install and becomes locked
3. Subsequent reinstalls cannot remove it (Access is denied — even as admin)
4. The locked CoworkVMService causes Claude Desktop to fail on launch
5. Result: "Claude Desktop failed to Launch" dialog on every attempt

### Key Log Entries
- Windows edition: Core (Windows 11 Home)
- Windows version: 10.0.26200
- Installed package: Claude_1.1.2685.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc
- Error: could not open CoworkVMService: Access is denied.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Download ClaudeSetup.exe from https://claude.ai/download on Windows 11 Home
2. Run ClaudeSetup.exe — blocked immediately:

ERROR: "App installation is blocked by IT policy.
Contact your administrator to enable app sideloading."

1. Enable sideloading via registry:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock
→ Set AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense = 1

1. Re-run ClaudeSetup.exe with admin privileges

→ MSIX downloads and installs successfully
→ Log shows: "MSIX installation succeeded"
→ Log shows: "=== Claude Setup completed successfully ==="

1. Claude Desktop launches → immediately shows error dialog:

"Claude Desktop failed to Launch.
Please check for updates and try again."

1. Attempt to reinstall Claude Desktop to fix the issue

→ Installer detects: "WARNING: CoworkVMService already exists (potential conflict)"
→ Installer tries to remove it but fails:
"WARNING: failed to remove conflicting service:
could not open CoworkVMService: Access is denied."
→ Reinstall completes with INSTALL_SUCCESS but launch still fails

1. Repeat step 6 multiple times (confirmed in log: 10+ reinstall attempts)

→ Same result every time — CoworkVMService cannot be removed
→ Claude Desktop never launches successfully

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude_1.1.2685.0_x64

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_