How do I troubleshoot WorkSpaces image creation issues?

Resolution

Note:

• As of January, 14, 2020, images can't be created from public Windows 7 bundles.
• Image creation isn't supported on Windows 10 systems that are upgraded from one version of Windows 10 to a newer version of Windows 10. This includes the Windows 10 feature and version upgrades.
• Verify that the image checker was turned on without any failure before proceeding with image creation. See Run the Image Checker. If Image Checker fails, see the Tips for resolving issues detected by the Image Checker section.

Review the following common causes and steps to troubleshoot WorkSpaces image creation issues.

Limit reached for WorkSpace images in a Region

There's a default limit of 40 WorkSpace images in each AWS Region. If you reached this limit, then new attempts to create an image fail. For information about how to request a limit increase, see Amazon WorkSpaces quotas.

Encrypted WorkSpace

The WorkSpace must not be encrypted. Image creation from an encrypted WorkSpace isn't supported.

Windows WorkSpaces image validation fails

Follow these troubleshooting steps, as applicable, to resolve the validation error:

1.    Deactivate or uninstall any antivirus software or security agents that might prevent successful image creation.

2.    If a WorkSpaces service (services.msc) uses a domain account, change the service account to one of the following according to the service requirements:
Local System
Local Service
Network Service

3.    Keep your user profile size under 10 GB. Verify that only the user profile data that's required as part of the image is present on the WorkSpace.

4.    Verify that C:\ has free space equal to at least the user profile size plus 2 GB. For example, if the user profile size is 10 GB, then C:\ must have at least 12 GB of free space.

5.    The PowerShell execution policy in a WorkSpace must be set to allow RemoteSigned scripts. To verify the value, run the Get-ExecutionPolicy PowerShell command. If it's not set to Unrestricted or RemoteSigned, then run the Set-ExecutionPolicy –ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned command to change the value of the execution policy. This setting lets you run scripts on WorkSpaces. Running scripts is required to create an image.

6.    Verify that WorkSpaces is updated with the latest patches to prevent interruptions in the image creation process due to Windows updates. WorkSpaces image creation can fail if Windows updates are missing or if the WorkSpace isn't updated with the latest patches.

7.    The WorkSpace that you're testing image creation with must not be assigned to a user within a Domain Guests group. To verify if there are any domain accounts, run the following command:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Service | Where-Object { $_.StartName -like "*$env:USERDOMAIN*" }

8.    Determine if there's a pending reboot for Windows Update. The image creation process fails when a reboot is pending.

9.    The following components are required in an image. Without these components, the WorkSpaces that you launch from the image won't function correctly:
Windows PowerShell version 3.0 or later
Remote Desktop Services
AWS PV drivers
Windows Remote Management (WinRM)
Teradici PCoIP agents and drivers
STXHD agents and drivers
AWS and WorkSpaces certificates
Skylight Agent

Linux WorkSpaces image validation fails

Follow these troubleshooting steps, as applicable, to resolve the validation error:

1.    The status of the WorkSpace must be Available and its modification state must be None.

2.    All applications to be included in the image must be installed outside of the user volume (the /home directory).

3.    The root volume (/) must be less than 97% full.

4.    The following components are required in an image. Without these components, the WorkSpaces that you launch from the image won't function correctly:
Cloud-init
Teradici PCoIP agents and drivers
Skylight Agent

Smart card on Linux WorkSpaces

To use smart cards on Linux WorkSpaces with WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP) activated, see Use smart cards for authentication. This page provides information about the customizations that you must make to your Linux WorkSpace before creating your image.

Copy profile fails

For Windows 10 WorkSpaces, any files from the user profile that are intended for the image must be manually copied to C:\users\default. This method can fail if:

• The profile path for any of the folders within the user profile is longer than 261 characters.
• Appropriate permissions aren't present on the profile folder. Make sure that full privileges are assigned on the profile folder for the system and all application packages.
• Some group policy objects (GPOs) restrict access to the RDP certificate thumbprint when requested by EC2Config or EC2Launch. In this case, move the WorkSpace to a new organizational unit (OU) with blocked inheritance and no policies applied. Then, create an image.

A WorkSpace is newly created

A newly created WorkSpace takes approximately 20 minutes for that WorkSpace to move from the Pending state to the Available state. While the WorkSpace is pending, you can't create images. For a recently created WorkSpace, wait until it becomes available before attempting to create a custom image. If your WorkSpace is stuck in Pending, then see Why am I unable to create a new WorkSpace?

Other troubleshooting steps

If you still can't create an Amazon WorkSpaces image, then follow these troubleshooting steps:

1.    If your WorkSpace has a firewall turned on, then verify that the firewall isn't blocking any necessary ports. Certain ports are required for downloading scripts that are used for image creation.

2.    Reboot the WorkSpace to be sure that all AWS components are running updated versions.

3.    Run the Test-WSMan command to verify that the WSMan service is started and configured for automatic startup.

4.    Verify that the applications installed are Sysprep compatible.

For more information and prerequisites for custom image creation, see Create a custom WorkSpaces image and bundle.

Related information

How do I create a WorkSpaces image?

Administer your WorkSpaces