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[SOLVED] Docker cannot start on Windows - docker

Troubleshooting Docker Start Issues on Windows: A Simple Guide

Docker is a important tool for developers and system admins. It helps us create, deploy, and manage containers easily. But sometimes, we face problems when we try to start Docker on Windows. In this guide, we will look at different ways to fix the common problem of Docker not starting on Windows. When we solve these issues, we can make sure our Docker environment works well. This helps us be more productive and do our work better.

In this guide, we will talk about these solutions:

  • Solution 1 - Check Docker Service Status
  • Solution 2 - Restart Docker Desktop
  • Solution 3 - Reconfigure Docker Settings
  • Solution 4 - Reset to Factory Defaults
  • Solution 5 - Update Docker to the Latest Version
  • Solution 6 - Check Windows Hyper-V Settings

Every solution aims to help us fix the Docker startup issue fast. If we see specific errors with Docker, we can also find helpful info in our other articles. For example, we can learn how to fix Docker connection issues or manage Docker settings. Now, let’s look at each solution to get Docker working on our Windows computer!

Solution 1 - Check Docker Service Status

To fix the problem of Docker not starting on Windows, we first need to check the Docker service status. Sometimes, the Docker service is not running. This stops Docker from starting correctly.

Steps to Check Docker Service Status

  1. Open Services Management Console:

    • Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
    • Type services.msc and press Enter.

  2. Locate Docker Service:

    • In the Services window, scroll down and find the Docker Desktop Service.

  3. Check Service Status:

    • Right-click on Docker Desktop Service and choose Properties.
    • In the Properties window, look at the Service Status. It should say Running. If it is not running:
      • Click the Start button to start the service.

  4. Set Startup Type:

    • While you are in the Docker Desktop Service Properties window, set the Startup type to Automatic. This will make sure Docker starts with Windows.

  5. Restart Docker:

    • If the service was already running, try restarting it. You can do this by selecting Restart from the right-click menu.

  6. Verify Docker is Running:

    • After starting or restarting the service, we can check if Docker is working.

    • Open a command prompt and run this command:

      docker version

    • If Docker is working, it will show the version info.

If you still have problems with Docker not starting on Windows after checking the service status, we may need to look for other solutions. We might try restarting Docker Desktop or check Windows Hyper-V settings. For more help, see this guide.

Solution 2 - Restart Docker Desktop

If Docker does not start on Windows, one of the easiest and best ways to fix it is to restart Docker Desktop. This can help with temporary problems that might stop it from working.

Steps to Restart Docker Desktop

  1. Close Docker Desktop:

    • Right-click on the Docker icon in the system tray. It is at the bottom-right corner of your screen.
    • Click on Quit Docker Desktop in the menu that pops up.

  2. Reopen Docker Desktop:

    • Open the Start menu or search for Docker Desktop in your Windows search bar.
    • Click on the Docker Desktop app to open it again.

  3. Check Docker Status:

    • After Docker Desktop restarts, look at the Docker icon in the system tray.
    • If the icon is steady and does not show any error signs, Docker should be running fine.

Additional Command-Line Method

We can also restart Docker using the command line:

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

    • Press Windows + X and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).

  2. Stop Docker Service:

    • Type this command to stop Docker:

      net stop com.docker.service

  3. Start Docker Service:

    • Then, to start Docker again, type:

      net start com.docker.service

Verify Docker is Running

After we restart Docker Desktop, we can check if Docker is working well by running this command in the terminal:

docker info

This command gives us details about our Docker setup. It shows the number of containers, images, and the status of the Docker daemon. If there are any problems, they will show here.

For more help, we can look at the Docker daemon logs to find any errors that might stop Docker from starting. More info about Docker daemon logs is here.

By following these steps to restart Docker Desktop, we can often fix issues with Docker not starting on Windows. If problems still happen, we can think about other solutions in this article.

Solution 3 - Reconfigure Docker Settings

If Docker cannot start on Windows, we can try to change the Docker settings. This often helps fix problems with resource use, network setup, or other settings that stop Docker from starting right. Here are the steps to change Docker settings:

  1. Open Docker Desktop: Start the Docker Desktop app from your Start menu.

  2. Access Settings: Click on the gear icon at the top right to open the settings menu.

  3. Adjust Resources: Go to the “Resources” tab. Here, we can change the CPU, Memory, and Disk Image size that Docker uses.

    • CPU: Increase the number of CPUs for Docker if you run heavy containers.
    • Memory: Give more memory to avoid running out of memory. For example, set it to at least 4 GB if we run many containers.
    • Disk Image Size: If space is low, think about increasing the disk image size for more images and containers.

    Example configuration:

    CPUs: 4
Memory: 4096 MB
Disk Image Size: 64 GB

  4. Network Settings: Go to the “Network” tab. Make sure the DNS settings are right. We can use the default Docker DNS or a custom DNS if we have trouble connecting to the internet from our containers.

  5. Reset Network Settings: If there are still problems, we can reset the network settings. Click “Reset to factory defaults” under the “Troubleshoot” tab. This can fix any wrong settings that stop Docker from starting.

  6. Apply Changes: Click “Apply & Restart” to save changes and restart Docker.

  7. Check Docker Daemon: After restarting Docker, check if the Docker daemon is running well. Open a terminal and run:

    docker info

    This command shows important info about our Docker setup and can help find issues.

  8. Consult logs: If Docker still does not start, we should check the Docker daemon logs for errors. The logs are in:

    C:\ProgramData\Docker\log.txt

    Looking at these logs can help us see what stops Docker from starting.

If we still have problems after changing Docker settings, we can look at more resources on Docker networking or Docker installation guides for more help.

Solution 4 - Reset to Factory Defaults

If Docker is not starting on Windows, we can fix this by resetting Docker to its factory defaults. This will bring Docker’s settings back to how they were originally. It might fix any wrong settings we have.

Here’s how we can reset Docker to factory defaults:

  1. Open Docker Desktop: Start the Docker Desktop app on your Windows computer.

  2. Access Settings: Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the top right corner of the Docker Desktop window to open the Settings.

  3. Reset Settings: In the Settings menu, go to the “Troubleshoot” tab.

  4. Factory Reset: You will see a button that says “Reset to factory defaults.” Click on it.

    Reset to Factory Defaults

  5. Confirmation: A message will pop up asking if you really want to reset Docker. Click “Reset” to confirm.

  6. Restart Docker: After the reset is done, Docker Desktop will restart by itself. We can check if Docker is now working well.

After we do this reset, we may need to set up any custom settings we had before. This fix is good if we keep having problems or errors when trying to start Docker on Windows.

For more help, we can look at Docker service status or restarting Docker Desktop.

Solution 5 - Update Docker to the Latest Version

We need to keep Docker updated to the latest version for best performance and security. This is really important, especially if we have issues like Docker not starting on Windows. Here is how we can make sure we have the latest version:

  1. Check the Current Version
    First, we can check the version of Docker we have. To do this, we run this command in PowerShell or Command Prompt:

    docker --version

    This shows us the version of Docker that is installed now.

  2. Download the Latest Docker Desktop Installer
    To update Docker Desktop on Windows, we can download the latest version from the official Docker website. We go to the Docker Desktop download page and download the installer.

  3. Run the Installer
    After we download it, we run the installer. It will find our current installation and ask us to update. We just follow the instructions on the screen to finish the installation.

  4. Verify the Update
    When the installation is done, we check if Docker updated successfully. We run the version command again:

    docker --version

    We need to make sure the version number shows the latest release.

  5. Check for Windows Updates
    Sometimes Docker does not work well if our Windows is old. We should check if Windows is updated. We can do this by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

  6. Restart Docker Desktop
    After we update, we need to restart Docker Desktop. This helps all changes take effect. We can do this from the Docker Desktop app.

By updating Docker regularly, we can avoid many common problems, especially those that stop it from starting on Windows. If we need more help, we can look at articles like Docker can’t connect to Docker.

If we still have problems after the update, we can check our settings or reset Docker to factory defaults.

Solution 6 - Check Windows Hyper-V Settings

If we cannot start Docker on Windows, a common reason could be problems with Hyper-V settings. Docker for Windows needs Hyper-V to run containers. Let’s see how we can check and set up our Hyper-V settings.

  1. Verify Hyper-V is Enabled:

    • Open the Control Panel.
    • Go to Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
    • Make sure these options are checked:
      • Hyper-V
      • Hyper-V Management Tools
      • Hyper-V Platform
    • If any of these are not checked, we should check them and click OK to turn on Hyper-V.

  2. Check Virtualization Support:

    • Open Task Manager by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting Task Manager.
    • Go to the Performance tab and click on CPU.
    • Look for the Virtualization field. It should say Enabled. If it says Disabled, we need to turn on virtualization in our BIOS/UEFI settings.

  3. Restart Docker:

    • After we enable Hyper-V and check that virtualization is on, we should restart Docker Desktop. We can do this by:
      • Right-clicking the Docker icon in the system tray and selecting Quit Docker Desktop.
      • Then, we reopen Docker Desktop from the Start menu.

  4. Check for Conflicting Software:

    • We need to make sure no other virtualization software is running, like VirtualBox or VMware. They can cause problems with Hyper-V. If we find them, we should uninstall or disable them.

  5. Reconfigure Docker to Use WSL 2 (if applicable):

    • If we use Windows 10 version 1903 or newer, we can use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V. To turn on WSL:

      • Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

        wsl --set-default-version 2

      • Make sure Docker is set to use WSL 2 in Docker Desktop settings.

  6. Check Hyper-V Settings via PowerShell:

    • We can also use PowerShell to check if Hyper-V is installed and running. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

      Get-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V

    • We should see that the Hyper-V role is installed.

If we check these settings and Docker still does not start, we may need to look for more troubleshooting steps on how to connect to Docker daemon. We can also think about resetting our Docker installation. For more help, we can visit this guide for fixing Docker connection issues.

Conclusion

In this article, we look at some ways to fix the problem of “Docker cannot start on Windows.” We start by checking the Docker service status. Then we make sure Hyper-V settings are set up right. Each solution helps us get Docker working again.

By using these fixes, we can easily solve Docker startup issues. This helps us work better. If you want to learn more, you can check how to add volume to existing Docker containers or see how to connect to Docker daemon.

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