Windows 10 Build 20211 provides access to Linux file systems under WSL 2, such as ext4

Through a blog post, BMicrosoft's randon LeBlanc unveiled that after performing some updates to improve WSL performance  A change could be made that allows you to search lists of file types, protocols, and files.

With that access to Linux file systems in the Windows subsystem for Linux adds the ability for users to connect and mount a physical disk within a WSL 2 distribution. This allows access to file systems that are not natively supported by Windows like ext4.

All of this will be possible from Windows Preview 20211 Insiders, WSL 2 will offer the new function: wsl –mount, which is the one in charge of performing this action.

In the blog post, it is mentioned that to mount a disk, it is necessary to open a PowerShell window with administrator privileges and run in it:

wsl --mount <DiskPath>

And to list the available disks in Windows, you must run:

wmic diskdrive list brief

To unmount and disconnect the WSL 2 disk, run:

wsl --unmount <Diskpath>

The disk paths are available in the "DeviceID" columns, usually in the format \\. \\\. \ PHYSICALDRIVE *.

Now, shows an example of how to mount a partition specific hard drive in WSL and browse its files.

Once mounted, these disks can also be accessed through Windows Explorer by going to \ wsl

By default, wsl –mount tries to mount the disk as ext4.

Moment It is mentioned that there are certain limitations at this time, and it is that sOnly full discs can be attached to WSL 2, which means that it is not possible to attach only one partition.

Specifically, this means that you cannot use wsl –mount to read a partition on the boot device, as this device cannot be disconnected from Windows.

USB flash drives are not supported right now and they won't connect to WSL 2. However, USB drives are supported.

Only filesystems supported natively in the kernel can be mounted by wsl –mount. This means that it is not possible to use the installed filesystem drivers (like ntfs-3g, for example) called andowsl –mount.

On the other hand, in the updates for developerss it is mentioned that whenever a new version is shipped from the operating system to the development channel, the corresponding Windows SDK will also be shipped. You can always install the latest Insider SDK from aka.ms/InsiderSDK.

Last of the fixes mentioned in the post:

  • Fixed an issue where some 32-bit applications running on a 64-bit operating system were not being promoted correctly to the discrete GPU for hybrid configurations.
  • We fixed an issue that could cause the Start menu tiles to continue to show an "Application update in progress" progress bar after updating an application.
  • We fixed an issue that could cause some of the app icons to appear unexpectedly on Startup.
  • We fixed an issue on ARM64 devices that caused the Start menu to crash on launch the next time it was opened after launching certain applications from the Start menu and then closing them.
  • We fixed an issue that could cause the lock screen to freeze.
  • We fixed an issue that could cause ShellExperienceHost.exe to crash.
  • We fixed an issue where the default background image for Windows 10 was not showing in notifications (for example, when taking a screenshot with WIN + Shift + S).
  • We fixed an issue with the latest versions that could cause Windows Update to crash when downloading the update.
  • You will no longer be prompted to reinstall a .NET update after each release.

Si you want to know more about the note, you can check the publication made on the Microsoft blog by going to the following link.


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