WSLInstall

Install any GNU/Linux distribution userspace in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with compressed RootFS tarballs 📦 (tar.gz) or with Docker containers 🐳 or with ISO files 💿

Build

Clone this GitHub repository with this link https://github.com/Biswa96/WSLInstall.git . Use MSBuild (or mingw-w64) to make executable file from solution file (.sln). The solution file only provides x64-Release version. Or download the executable from release page.

How to use

1. First make a folder where you want to install that distribution, that may be any partition or any drive.
2. Place both WslInstall.exe and {distribution}.tar.gz files in that same folder.
3. Open command prompt in that folder and type the command like this: WslInstall.exe <distro_name> <distribution.tar.gz>. Always put a space between the two command arguments i.e. between <distro_name> and <distribution.tar.gz>.
4. After some seconds, that distribution will be installed. Confirm it with wslconfig.exe /list /all command. Also you may see a rootfs folder in that directory where you want to install.

How does it work

In the source code, the main function imports the WslRegisterDistribution from wslapi.dll file. Then it passes the provided two commandline arguments in distroName and in tarGzFilename string parameters of that function respectively and the imported function installs that distribution. See details of WSL Functions and WSL_DISTRIBUTION_FLAGS. Go through the Wiki page for further details. More features will come in future 😉

Other repositories

1. LxRunoffline
2. WSL-DistroLauncher
3. runnix
4. miniwsl
5. wslbridge