Windows startup detection always times out #855
Description
What happened?
If I start a winapps program while the Windows VM if off, the VM is turned on as expected and windows boots quickly, but winapps never detects it and times out after 2 mins so the app is never started.
However, if I launch the app again after windows has finished starting it opens as expected, even if the boot timer is still runing in the background and eventually sends a "failed to boot" notification. The app continues to rune fine during and after the timer.
Every subsequent app start works as expected, and the issue is not present after pausing/unpausing the VM.
Your FreeRDP version and where you got it from
FreeRDP 2:3.20.0-1 (Arch extra)
Your Linux distribution and version
Arch
Your winapps.conf
##################################
# WINAPPS CONFIGURATION FILE #
##################################
# INSTRUCTIONS
# - Leading and trailing whitespace are ignored.
# - Empty lines are ignored.
# - Lines starting with '#' are ignored.
# - All characters following a '#' are ignored.
# [WINDOWS USERNAME]
RDP_USER="REDACTED"
# [WINDOWS PASSWORD]
# NOTES:
# - If using FreeRDP v3.9.0 or greater, you *have* to set a password
RDP_PASS="REDACTED"
# [WINDOWS DOMAIN]
# DEFAULT VALUE: '' (BLANK)
RDP_DOMAIN=""
# [WINDOWS IPV4 ADDRESS]
# NOTES:
# - If using 'libvirt', 'RDP_IP' will be determined by WinApps at runtime if left unspecified.
# DEFAULT VALUE:
# - 'docker': '127.0.0.1'
# - 'podman': '127.0.0.1'
# - 'libvirt': '' (BLANK)
RDP_IP=""
# [VM NAME]
# NOTES:
# - Only applicable when using 'libvirt'
# - The libvirt VM name must match so that WinApps can determine VM IP, start the VM, etc.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'RDPWindows'
VM_NAME="RDPWindows"
# [WINAPPS BACKEND]
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'docker'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'docker'
# - 'podman'
# - 'libvirt'
# - 'manual'
WAFLAVOR="libvirt"
# [DISPLAY SCALING FACTOR]
# NOTES:
# - If an unsupported value is specified, a warning will be displayed.
# - If an unsupported value is specified, WinApps will use the closest supported value.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '100'
# VALID VALUES:
# - '100'
# - '140'
# - '180'
RDP_SCALE="100"
# [MOUNTING REMOVABLE PATHS FOR FILES]
# NOTES:
# - By default, `udisks` (which you most likely have installed) uses /run/media for mounting removable devices.
# This improves compatibility with most desktop environments (DEs).
# ATTENTION: The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) recommends /media instead. Verify your system's configuration.
# - To manually mount devices, you may optionally use /mnt.
# REFERENCE: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Udisks#Mount_to_/media
REMOVABLE_MEDIA="/run/media"
# [ADDITIONAL FREERDP FLAGS & ARGUMENTS]
# NOTES:
# - You can try adding /network:lan to these flags in order to increase performance, however, some users have faced issues with this.
# If this does not work or if it does not work without the flag, you can try adding /nsc and /gfx.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '/cert:tofu /sound /microphone +home-drive'
# VALID VALUES: See https://github.com/awakecoding/FreeRDP-Manuals/blob/master/User/FreeRDP-User-Manual.markdown
RDP_FLAGS="/cert:tofu /sound /microphone +home-drive"
# [DEBUG WINAPPS]
# NOTES:
# - Creates and appends to ~/.local/share/winapps/winapps.log when running WinApps.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'true'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'true'
# - 'false'
DEBUG="true"
# [AUTOMATICALLY PAUSE WINDOWS]
# NOTES:
# - This is currently INCOMPATIBLE with 'manual'.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'off'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'on'
# - 'off'
AUTOPAUSE="on"
# [AUTOMATICALLY PAUSE WINDOWS TIMEOUT]
# NOTES:
# - This setting determines the duration of inactivity to tolerate before Windows is automatically paused.
# - This setting is ignored if 'AUTOPAUSE' is set to 'off'.
# - The value must be specified in seconds (to the nearest 10 seconds e.g., '30', '40', '50', etc.).
# - For RemoteApp RDP sessions, there is a mandatory 20-second delay, so the minimum value that can be specified here is '20'.
# - Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/terminal-services-remoteapp-8482-session-termination-logic/ba-p/246566
# DEFAULT VALUE: '300'
# VALID VALUES: >=20
AUTOPAUSE_TIME="300"
# [FREERDP COMMAND]
# NOTES:
# - WinApps will attempt to automatically detect the correct command to use for your system.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '' (BLANK)
# VALID VALUES: The command required to run FreeRDPv3 on your system (e.g., 'xfreerdp', 'xfreerdp3', etc.).
FREERDP_COMMAND="xfreerdp3"
# [TIMEOUTS]
# NOTES:
# - These settings control various timeout durations within the WinApps setup.
# - Increasing the timeouts is only necessary if the corresponding errors occur.
# - Ensure you have followed all the Troubleshooting Tips in the error message first.
# PORT CHECK
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait when checking if the RDP port on Windows is open.
# - Corresponding error: "NETWORK CONFIGURATION ERROR" (exit status 13).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '5'
PORT_TIMEOUT="5"
# RDP CONNECTION TEST
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait when testing the initial RDP connection to Windows.
# - Corresponding error: "REMOTE DESKTOP PROTOCOL FAILURE" (exit status 14).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '30'
RDP_TIMEOUT="30"
# APPLICATION SCAN
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for the script that scans for installed applications on Windows to complete.
# - Corresponding error: "APPLICATION QUERY FAILURE" (exit status 15).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '60'
APP_SCAN_TIMEOUT="60"
# WINDOWS BOOT
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for the Windows VM to boot if it is not running, before attempting to launch an application.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '120'
BOOT_TIMEOUT="120"
# FREERDP RAIL HIDEF
# - This option controls the value of the `hidef` option passed to the /app parameter of the FreeRDP command.
# - Setting this option to 'off' may resolve window misalignment issues related to maximized windows.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'on'
HIDEF="on"Logs
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] START
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] SCRIPT_DIR: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] SCRIPT_ARGS: BecquerelMonitor
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] HOME_DIR: /home/REDACTED
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] LAST_RUN: 1767488396
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] THIS_RUN: 1767884819
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] Using FreeRDP command 'xfreerdp3'.
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:06:59 CET-26556] WINDOWS SHUT OFF. BOOTING WINDOWS.
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:00 CET-26556] WAITING FOR VM TO BE FULLY READY...
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] START
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] SCRIPT_DIR: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] SCRIPT_ARGS: BecquerelMonitor
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] HOME_DIR: /home/REDACTED
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] LAST_RUN: 1767884819
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] THIS_RUN: 1767884863
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] Using FreeRDP command 'xfreerdp3'.
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] UPTIME_DIFF: 408349 seconds
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] DETECTED SLEEP/WAKE CYCLE (uptime gap: 408349s). CREATING SLEEP MARKER TO SYNC WINDOWS TIME.
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:07:43 CET-26671] CREATED SLEEP MARKER
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:09:00 CET-26556] TIMEOUT WAITING FOR VM TO BE READY
[jeu. 08 janv. 2026 16:09:00 CET-26556] ERROR: WINDOWS FAILED TO START. EXITING.Terms
- I am running the latest version.
- To the best of my knowledge, this is a bug and not a setup nor a FreeRDP problem.
- I have checked for duplicate issues.
- I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct.