WSL crashes and deletes all data, unfixed GitHub issue open for 3 years

Hey there, fellow developer! Let me walk you through the rollercoaster that led me to ditch WSL for Linux.

Picture this: tight deadline, client's website on the line, and just like any other day, I fired up WSL. And bam! It crashed. This wasn't the first time, but this time it cost me my work. Imagine the frustration when I got an error that felt like déjà vu, similar to WSL 2 Ubuntu 18.04 deleting itself (#4444). I couldn't deal with the software playing tricks on me anymore, so I made a bold call—I switched to Linux.

Now, here's where the detective work begins. I spent what felt like eons scouring the internet for a fix, only to hit dead ends. It was like trying to solve a mystery without any leads. In my quest for a solution, I stumbled upon a GitHub issue that hit me with a double whammy—surprise and frustration. Check it out: https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/issues/4974. This issue had been lingering for years, untouched and unresolved. Can you believe it?

Diving into the GitHub issue, I found comments echoing my pain:

"It gave an error that looks like WSL 2 Ubuntu 18.04 deleting itself (#4444) but a bit different. Then I try to re-run it. And it asked me for a username and password for the new Ubuntu installed. My older ubuntu is gone."

"I also just experienced this. This is wild - I've never seen a system where the OS would reinstall itself and wipe files before. Exactly the same symptoms as OP. Truly incredible. Do I reinstall everything and trust Windows / WSL not to do something so incredibly awful again? Do I give up on WSL and go back to dual booting? Do I buy a personal MacBook Pro? Just wow."

These comments struck a chord because I realized I wasn't alone. Many developers were facing the same WSL nightmare. I mean, using Linux as a subsystem on Windows was a flex, right? But that bragging right vanished because it just wasn't reliable.

It's mind-boggling that an issue like this could linger for so long without a fix. This realization sparked conversations with my developer peers, and guess what? I wasn't the only one seeking refuge in Linux to escape persistent WSL headaches.

So, my journey from battling a crashing WSL to embracing Linux wasn't just a technical shift. It was a quest for a stable and reliable development environment. If you've been through the WSL struggle, you get it. If you're still contemplating the switch, maybe my story will resonate with you.