[Request]: elaborate support of winget-install for Windows Server Core

[Karl-WE]

Describe the feature or improvement you're requesting

There's a discussion going on that is absolutely valid that it's a bandaid winget wouldn't work properly in Windows Server Core Editions, aswell as Azure Stack HCI.

Help to evaluate what's required to solve this blocker. Implementation of the solution in winget-install.

Additional context

Related issue
microsoft/winget-cli#4319

[asheroto]

Hey @Karl-WE,

I just quickly read the linked winget issue. Have you tested the proposed solutions and can confirm they work?

[Karl-WE]

No not yet, but I can try to do so this week.

[gfody]

fwiw this was my experience trying to install winget on 2025 w/o desktop experience (10.0.26100 Build 26100, PS 7.4.6)

Install-Module Microsoft.WinGet.Client -Force -Scope AllUsers (OK)

Repair-WinGetPackageManager -AllUsers -Force -IncludePreRelease -Latest

gives this error:

Error: Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073D19, An error occurred because a user was logged off.

error 0x8007007E: Failed to load the extension DLL due to the following error: The specified module could not be found.

NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] aede3132-51a8-0000-36c3-deaea851db01 in the Event Log or use the command line Get-AppPackageLog -ActivityID aede3132-51a8-0000-36c3-deaea851db01

the command Get-AppPackageLog -ActivityID aede3132-51a8-0000-36c3-deaea851db01 does not return anything but this is in the event log under "Applications and Service Logs/Microsoft/Windows/AppXDeploymentServer/Operational":

error 0x8007007E: Failed to load the extension DLL due to the following error: The specified module could not be found.

Deployment Add operation with target volume C: on Package Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop_14.0.33728.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe from:  (Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop_14.0.33728.0_x64.appx)  failed with error 0x80073D19. See http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=235160 for help diagnosing app deployment issues.

AppX Deployment operation failed for package Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop_14.0.33728.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe with error 0x80073D19. The specific error text for this failure is: error 0x8007007E: Failed to load the extension DLL due to the following error: The specified module could not be found.

I looked for winget.exe to try the .dll patch but there is no winget.exe anywhere to be found. C:\Program Files\PowerShell\Modules\Microsoft.WinGet.Client\1.9.25190 exists but contains only dll's no winget.exe

[asheroto]

Good info. Has anyone confirmed if this is a valid workaround for installing on winget on Server Core? If so, I can update the script to run the command and apply these changes specifically for Server Core.

microsoft/winget-cli#4319 (comment)

[asheroto]

Any update on this?

[Karl-WE]

@asheroto didn't had time but will put it on my todo list now I am more time spending in lab.

[asheroto]

If anyone has time to check out how to get winget working on Windows Server Core, let us know! :-) Likely involved adding dependencies manually.

[rod7760]

I looked into this for a bit, but I am a bit stuck. I wanted to double-check my understanding of the problem.

Problem

Windows Server Core (I used 2022 ) does not support installing Appx packages. There is some dependency missing.

Path 1

Figure out what deps are missing for Appx to work on Windows Server Core.

Path 2

Install Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8 and Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop without Appx. Possibly by manually building them.

[jantari]

@rod7760 No need for Appx, you just extract Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8 and Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop and the Microsoft AppInstaller (winget) MSIX package all into the same folder. They're all just ZIP archives. That's the method I use for running winget on servers and what my compatibility statements such as microsoft/winget-cli#4319 (comment) and microsoft/winget-cli#2361 (comment) are based on.

The big advantage of doing this versus making the "native Appx install" work is, one it's much easier, but also this way you can easily uninstall winget by simply deleting its program directory. With the Appx package install it's actually not possible to remove it once you've installed it because it becomes a protected system app.

[rod7760]

@jantari Thanks! That is a lot of great information.

just extract Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8 and Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop

I am assuming you are saying extract the nuget packages?

edit: Ahh I see the appx files can also be unzipped! Duh. Thanks

Thanks again. I am new to using sever core and was very annoyed at Appx not working.

[asheroto]

The -AlternateInstallMethod does just that, though. It installs both of those you mentioned, and yet it the install still fails on server core.

I haven't looked into why, though. ChatGPT might be of assistance.

You could manually run the commands for a manual install, line by line, and see where it's failing, then feed that error into ChatGPT?