[BUG] Cowork "Virtualization is not available" on Windows 11 Pro 25H2 — VM never initializes, %APPDATA%\Claude folder never created

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?

What's Wrong?

Cowork tab shows "Virtualization is not available. Claude's workspace requires Virtual Machine Platform, but the virtualization service isn't responding. Restart your computer to resolve this." Restarting does not resolve the issue. The %APPDATA%\Claude folder is never created, meaning the VM never attempts to initialize.

What Should Happen?

System Info

| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 Pro, Version 25H2, OS Build 26200.8037 |
| Claude Desktop | v1.2278.0.0 |
| CoworkVMService | ✅ Running |
| bcdedit hypervisorlaunchtype | ✅ Set to Auto |
| %APPDATA%\Claude folder | ❌ Does not exist — VM never initializes |
| Logs at %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\cowork_vm_node.log | ❌ Does not exist |

Expected Behavior

Cowork should detect that virtualization is available and successfully initialize the VM workspace.

Actual Behavior

Cowork permanently shows the virtualization error. The VM never initializes and no logs or AppData folder are ever created.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop v1.2278.0.0 on Windows 11 Pro 25H2
2. Confirm CoworkVMService is Running
3. Run bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto and restart
4. Open Claude Desktop and navigate to the Cowork tab
5. Observe "Virtualization is not available" error — VM never starts, %APPDATA%\Claude folder is never created

Attempted Fixes (none resolved the issue)

• Restarted computer
• Ran Claude Desktop as Administrator
• Ran bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto
• Confirmed CoworkVMService is Running
• Full uninstall, AppData cleanup, fresh reinstall from claude.ai/download

This appears to be the same issue reported in #27316, #27420, #29887, #32004, #37265, #42227, #45446, #45715. Regular chat in Claude Desktop works fine — only Cowork is affected.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

claude 2.1.107 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

This appears to be the same issue reported in #27316, #27420, #29887, #32004, #37265, #42227, #45446, #45715. Regular chat in Claude Desktop works fine — only Cowork is affected.