[BUG] Claude Desktop failed to launch on Windows 11 Home 25H2

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 fails to launch with error "Claude Desktop failed to launch.
Please check for updates and try again."
PackageUserInformation remains empty {} after installation.
App never starts - no log files created in AppData.

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should launch successfully after installation.

Error Messages/Logs

Event Log:
- Claude VM Service starting. Detailed logs: C:\ProgramData\Claude\Logs\cowork-service.log

cowork-service.log:
- Warning: failed to open service for recovery config: Access is denied.
- [HCS] vmcompute.dll loaded successfully (after enabling VirtualMachinePlatform)

PackageUserInformation: {} (empty - app not registered to user)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Windows 11 Home 25H2 (Build 26200.8037)
2. Download MSIX from https://claude.ai/api/desktop/win32/x64/msix/latest/redirect
3. Install via Add-AppxPackage in PowerShell
4. Also tried EXE installer from https://downloads.claude.ai/releases/win32/ClaudeSetup.exe
5. Launch Claude from Start menu
6. Error dialog appears immediately: "Claude Desktop failed to launch"

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.86

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_