xWSL.cmd (Version 20240425)

Script to internet-deploy Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, Xfce 4.18 and enable xRDP packages on WSL1 or WSL2
Other distributions are available - See KDE Neon (kWSL) and Kali Linux (Kali-xRDP) for details.

• Enabled H.264 RDP codec.
• Audio playback enabled (YouTube playback in browser works well with no audio/video desync)
• Runs on Windows Server 2019 or Windows 10 Version 1809 (or newer, including Hyper-V Core)

The xWSL instance is accessible anywhere on your network via the MS Remote Desktop Client (mstsc.exe) or over the Internet using Chrome Remote Desktop see wiki

You will see best performance connecting from the local machine or over gigabit ethernet.

INSTRUCTIONS: From an elevated prompt, change to your desired install directory and type/paste the following command:

PowerShell -executionpolicy bypass -command "Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/DesktopECHO/xWSL/raw/master/xWSL.cmd -UseBasicParsing -OutFile xWSL.cmd ; .\xWSL.cmd"

You will be asked a few questions. The installer script finds the current DPI scaling in Windows, you can set your own value if preferred:

 [xWSL Installer 20210601]

 Enter a unique name for your xWSL distro or hit Enter to use default.
 Keep this name simple, no space or underscore characters [xWSL]: XFCE416
 Port number for xRDP traffic or hit Enter to use default [3399]: 13399
 Port number for SSHd traffic or hit Enter to use default [3322]: 13322
 Set a custom DPI scale, or hit Enter for Windows default [1.5]: 1.25
 [Not recommended!] Type X to eXclude from Windows Defender:

 Installing xWSL Distro [XFCE416] to "C:\WSL Distros\XFCE416"
 This will take a few minutes, please wait...

The installer will download and install the LxRunOffline distro manager and Windows Store Ubuntu image. Reference times will vary depending on system performance and the presence of antivirus software. A fast system with good Internet can finish in under 10 minutes.

 [11:14:57] Installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (~1m00s)
 [11:15:43] Git clone and update repositories (~1m15s)
 [11:16:37] Remove un-needed packages (~1m00s)
 [11:17:13] Configure apt-fast Downloader (~0m15s)
 [11:17:24] Remote Desktop Components (~4m45s)
 [11:21:43] XFCE 4.16 (~2m00s)
 [11:23:06] Install Mozilla Seamonkey and media playback (~1m30s)
 [11:23:53] Post-install clean-up (~0m45s)

At the end of the script you will be prompted to create a non-root user which will automatically be added to sudo'ers.

 Enter name of primary user for XFCE416: zero
 Enter password for zero: ********

 Open Windows Firewall Ports for xRDP, SSH, mDNS...
 Building RDP Connection file, Console link, Init system...
 Building Scheduled Task...
 SUCCESS: The scheduled task "XFCE416" has successfully been created.
 
       Start: Mon 06/01/2021 @ 11:14
         End: Mon 06/01/2021 @ 11:24
    Packages: 1100

   - xRDP Server listening on port 13399 and SSHd on port 13322.

   - Links for GUI and Console sessions have been placed on your desktop.

   - (Re)launch init from the Task Scheduler or by running the following command:
     schtasks /run /tn XFCE416
 
  XFCE416 Installation Complete!  GUI will start in a few seconds...

A fullscreen XFCE session will launch using your stored credentials.

Configure xWSL to start at boot (like a service, no console window)

• Right-click the task in Task Scheduler, click properties
• Click the checkbox for Run whether user is logged on or not and click OK
• Enter your Windows credentials when prompted

Reboot your PC when complete and xWSL will startup automatically.

Start/Stop Operation

• Reboot the instance (example with default distro name of 'xWSL'): schtasks /run /tn xWSL
• Terminate the instance: wslconfig /t xWSL

xWSL leverages Multicast DNS to lookup WSL2 instances

If your computer has virtualization support you can convert it to WSL2. xWSL is faster on WSL1, but WSL2 has additional capabilities.

Example of conversion to WSL2 on machine name "COMPY":

• Stop WSL on COMPY: wsl --shutdown
• Convert the instance to WSL2: wsl --set-version xWSL 2
• Restart xWSL Instance: schtasks /run /tn xWSL
• Edit the .RDP file to point at the WSL2 instance by adding -xWSL.local to the hostname, so for COMPY it would be: COMPY-xWSL.local:3399

Make it your own:

From a security standpoint, it would be best to fork this project so you (and only you) control the packages and files in the repository.

• Sign into GitHub and fork this project
• Edit xWSL.cmd. On line 2 you will see SET GITORG=DesktopECHO - Change DesktopECHO to the name of your own repository.
• Customize the script any way you like.
• Launch the script using your repository name: PowerShell -executionpolicy bypass -command "wget https://github.com/YOUR-REPO-NAME/xWSL/raw/master/xWSL.cmd -UseBasicParsing -OutFile xWSL.cmd ; .\xWSL.cmd"

Quirks / Limitations / Additional Info:

• RDP Sessions can be disconnected and will resume at your next login.
• When you log out of a desktop session, the entire xWSL instance is restarted, the equivalent of an instant clean-boot at every login.
• xWSL should work fine with an X Server instead of xRDP. The file /etc/profile.d/xWSL.sh contains WSL-centric environment variables that may need adjustment, such as LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT.
• WSL1 Doesn't work with PolicyKit. Enabled gksu for apps needing elevated rights (Synaptic, root console)
• Apt-fast added to improve download speed and reliability.
• Mozilla Seamonkey and Falkon (Chromium-based) browsers included. Current versions of Chrome / Firefox do not work in WSL1.
• Installed image consumes approximately 2.6 GB of disk space
• XFCE uses the Plata theme, Papirus icon theme and Windows fonts (Segoe UI / Cascadia Code)
• Uninstaller is located in the root of xWSL folder, 'Uninstall xWSL.cmd' - Make sure you 'Run As Administrator' to ensure removal of the scheduled task and firewall rules

Screenshots:

xWSL Install Complete

xWSL Install Folder

WSL1 and WSL2 Instances of xWSL running alongside Pi-hole for Windows