End-to-end test of the Windows install pipeline: uninstall everything, reinstall from scratch, verify it all works.
Run this test after making changes to any install, uninstall, or detect script in scripts-win/. It verifies the full pipeline works on a real Windows PC -- something that cannot be tested in the devcontainer.
Typical scenarios:
- After modifying
install.ps1oruninstall.ps1in any package - Before deploying updated scripts to Intune
- When onboarding a new Windows PC to verify the environment is ready
Scope: WSL2 stays installed. Rancher Desktop and devcontainer-toolbox get uninstalled then reinstalled.
Admin access is required. Most scripts need Administrator PowerShell. Request admin rights via Admin on Demand before going to the PC.
WSL2 must already be working. This test does not install WSL2 -- it assumes WSL2 is already deployed and functional.
Internet access is required. Rancher Desktop install downloads ~500 MB from GitHub. The devcontainer-toolbox install pulls a Docker image from ghcr.io.
Copy the entire scripts-win/ folder to the USB stick:
D:\scripts-win\
diagnostics\
check-environment.ps1
wsl2\
detect.ps1
install.ps1
rancher-desktop\
detect.ps1
install.ps1
uninstall.ps1
devcontainer-toolbox\
detect.ps1
install.ps1
uninstall.ps1
devcontainer-init.ps1
devcontainer-init.cmd
Adjust the drive letter if your USB mounts differently (E:, F:, etc.).
Optional: include the tests/ folders for automated validation.
Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click > "Run as administrator"). Navigate to the USB drive.
Run all four detection scripts:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\diagnostics\check-environment.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\wsl2\detect.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\detect.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\detect.ps1"How to read the output:
| Script | Installed | Not installed |
|---|---|---|
| wsl2/detect.ps1 | "WSL2 features detected (Enabled, Enabled)" | INFO line only, nothing after |
| rancher-desktop/detect.ps1 | "Rancher Desktop installed at ..." | INFO line only, nothing after |
| devcontainer-toolbox/detect.ps1 | "devcontainer-toolbox installed at ..." | INFO line only, nothing after |
The INFO: Starting... line always appears -- it is informational logging. The detection result is the line after it. No line after INFO = not installed. This follows the Intune convention: stdout output = detected, no output = not detected.
Note which components are currently installed before proceeding.
Uninstall in reverse dependency order: devcontainer-toolbox first (depends on Rancher Desktop), then Rancher Desktop.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\uninstall.ps1"This removes C:\Program Files\devcontainer-toolbox\ and cleans the system PATH.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\uninstall.ps1"This stops running processes, runs MSI uninstall, removes the registry deployment profile.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\detect.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\detect.ps1"Both should show the INFO line only, with nothing after -- meaning "not detected."
WSL2 should still be detected:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\wsl2\detect.ps1"Install in dependency order: Rancher Desktop first (provides Docker), then devcontainer-toolbox.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\install.ps1"This does the following (can take several minutes):
- Checks prerequisites (WSL2, internet, disk space)
- Downloads the MSI (~500 MB) from GitHub -- progress reported every 10 seconds
- Installs per-user via MSI
- Deploys registry defaults (container engine: moby, Kubernetes: off)
- Launches Rancher Desktop
- Polls backend until ready (timeout: 120 seconds)
- Runs
docker run --rm hello-world - Shuts down cleanly
Note: Rancher Desktop install runs in user context. Administrator is needed for the deployment profile (registry write) but the MSI itself installs per-user.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\install.ps1"This does the following:
- Launches Rancher Desktop
- Waits for Docker backend to be ready
- Pulls the toolbox Docker image from ghcr.io
- Installs
devcontainer-inittoC:\Program Files\devcontainer-toolbox\ - Adds install directory to system PATH
- Shuts down Rancher Desktop
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\wsl2\detect.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\detect.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\detect.ps1"All three should report installed (output after the INFO line).
Open a new PowerShell window (the current session does not see PATH changes). Navigate to a project folder or create a temp folder:
mkdir C:\temp\test-project
cd C:\temp\test-project
devcontainer-initThis should download devcontainer.json from GitHub and create the .devcontainer/ folder. Verify:
dir .devcontainer\devcontainer.jsonOpen the project folder in VS Code. The Dev Containers extension should prompt to reopen in container. Verify the devcontainer starts and tools are available.
detect.ps1 shows INFO line only -- This means the component is not installed. This is correct behavior, not an error. See the output table in Phase 1.
"Running as Administrator" check fails -- You opened PowerShell normally. Close it and reopen with right-click > "Run as administrator". Having admin rights via Admin on Demand is NOT the same as running PowerShell elevated -- both are required.
Rancher Desktop download fails -- Check internet access. The script downloads from github.com. Progress is reported every 10 seconds. If behind a proxy, the download may fail.
"Download appears truncated" -- The connection dropped during the ~500 MB download. Run the install script again.
Backend not ready (timeout) -- Rancher Desktop needs WSL2 to start properly. If WSL2 features are not fully enabled, the backend will fail within 120 seconds.
Docker pull fails -- Check internet access. The devcontainer-toolbox install pulls from ghcr.io (GitHub Container Registry). If behind a proxy, the pull may fail.
devcontainer-init not found in new window -- PATH changes only take effect in new terminal sessions. Make sure you opened a new PowerShell window after the install completed.
Script errors with ERR codes -- All scripts use numbered error codes (ERR001, ERR002, etc.) in their output. The error message describes what failed. Check the specific script's README for details.
If you included the tests/ folders on the USB, you can use the automated test runners instead of running scripts manually. These provide pass/fail results and log to files you can bring back for review.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\tests\run-tests-install.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\rancher-desktop\tests\run-tests-uninstall.ps1"powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\tests\run-tests-install.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\tests\run-tests-init.ps1"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "D:\scripts-win\devcontainer-toolbox\tests\run-tests-uninstall.ps1"Logs are saved to tests/logs/ in each package folder. Bring the USB back so the logs can be reviewed.
See individual TESTING.md files for details: