[BUG] Cowork boot failure regression — #32409 closed as fixed but issue persists (March 2026)

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?

Issue #32409 was closed as completed but the bug still occurs as of March 2026. Activating Cowork in Claude Desktop causes Windows 11 to fail booting completely. The system enters automatic repair on every subsequent boot. Safe Mode is required to uninstall Claude and restore normal boot behavior. Reproduced twice with the same result.

What Should Happen?

Windows 11 should boot normally after activating Cowork. If CoworkVMService cannot start properly, it should fail gracefully without breaking the Windows boot process.

Error Messages/Logs

No error logs available — Windows fails to boot before any logs can be captured. Automatic repair/diagnosis screen appears on every boot attempt after Cowork activation.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Download Claude Desktop installer from claude.ai/download
2. Install Claude Desktop on Windows 11
3. Launch Claude Desktop
4. Activate Cowork inside the app
5. Restart Windows when prompted
6. Windows fails to boot — automatic repair starts on every boot attempt
7. Recovery: Safe Mode → Uninstall Claude Desktop → Windows boots normally again

Related issues: #32409 (closed as completed), #35728, #35843
Platform: Claude Desktop — NOT Anthropic API
Claude Version: Claude 1.1.7053 (cc1949) 2026-03-16T22:55:50.000Z
OS: Windows 11

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown — Cowork never worked without causing boot failure on this system

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.1.7053 (cc1949) 2026-03-16T22:55:50.000Z

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

Related issues: #32409 (closed as completed), #35728, #35843. Bug is 100% reproducible. Without activating Cowork, Claude Desktop works perfectly fine. CoworkVMService interferes with the Windows 11 boot process upon activation.