[BUG] Claude Desktop fails to launch on Windows 11 Home 25H2 (Build 26200) — CoworkVMService crashes before initialization

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?

Preflight Checklist

I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
This is a single bug report

What's Wrong?
Claude Desktop fails to launch immediately with the error: "Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again."
The app crashes so early that no entries are logged in Windows Event Viewer (Application logs) — confirming the failure occurs before any initialization completes.
System Info

OS: Windows 11 Home Single Language, Version 25H2 (OS Build 26200.8037)
Device: HP
Claude Desktop: latest version (fresh install)

Troubleshooting Already Attempted

Cleared %LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude and Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc package folder
Full uninstall + clean reinstall
Installed Windows App Runtime 1.6 manually
Enabled Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform
Enabled Developer Mode
Ran installer as Administrator
Checked Event Viewer — zero Claude/Cowork entries on launch

Root Cause Analysis
CoworkVMService requires Hyper-V and Windows Containers features which are unavailable on Windows 11 Home edition. This makes Claude Desktop completely non-functional for all Windows 11 Home users on 25H2 with no user-side workaround.
Suggested Fix
Implement a fallback chat-only mode that bypasses CoworkVMService when virtualization features are unavailable, similar to how the app should degrade gracefully on unsupported hardware.
Related Issues
#25914, #25829, #28231, #28304

What Should Happen?

Claude should launch and work on desktop

Error Messages/Logs

Error dialog: "Claude Desktop failed to launch. Please check for updates and try again."
No crash logs generated in Windows Event Viewer — app fails before initialization.
.NET Runtime warning found: HRESULT 0x80004005, Message ID 0x2509 (unrelated noise)

Steps to Reproduce

1. open claude desktop

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1.2278.0.0

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

_No response_