René's URL Explorer Experiment

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","headline":"Boxstarter-based automated install fails with VS2022 workload","articleBody":"### Version\n\n`main` branch (and lower branches down to v20.x)\n\n### Platform\n\n```text\nMicrosoft Windows NT 10.0.26200.0 x64 (Windows 11 25H2)\n```\n\n### Subsystem\n\nbuild\n\n### What steps will reproduce the bug?\n\nOn Windows 11 25H2\n\n#### Test setup\n\nFollow the instructions in https://docs.chocolatey.org/en-us/choco/uninstallation/ to uninstall any Chocolatey installation. Similarly, uninstall any Boxstarter installation in `C:\\ProgramData\\Boxstarter` and associated environment variables.\n\nFrom Windows Settings \u003e Apps \u003e Installed Apps delete any of:\n\n- Git\n- Microsoft Visual Studio Installer\n- Python \u0026 Python Installer\n\nDelete:\n\n- `C:\\Python314`\n- `C:\\Program Files\\NASM`\n\nRestart system\n\n#### Test\n\nOpen a Windows PowerShell (5.1) terminal window and execute the following commands taken from https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/main/BUILDING.md#option-3-automated-install-with-boxstarter\n\n```powershell\nSet-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force\niex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://boxstarter.org/bootstrapper.ps1'))\nget-boxstarter -Force\nInstall-BoxstarterPackage https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nodejs/node/HEAD/tools/bootstrap/windows_boxstarter -DisableReboots\nrefreshenv\n\n```\n\n\n### How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?\n\nHard error, always reproducible.\n\n### What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?\n\nIt is expected that running the script as documented in [BUILDING \u003e Option 3: Automated install with Boxstarter](https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/main/BUILDING.md#option-3-automated-install-with-boxstarter) will install:\n\n* [Git for Windows](https://chocolatey.org/packages/git) with the `git` and\n  Unix tools added to the `PATH`\n* [Python 3.x](https://chocolatey.org/packages/python)\n* [Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools](https://chocolatey.org/packages/visualstudio2022buildtools)\n  with [Visual C++ workload](https://chocolatey.org/packages/visualstudio2022-workload-vctools)\n* [NetWide Assembler](https://chocolatey.org/packages/nasm)\n\n### What do you see instead?\n\nIn logs:\n\n\u003e Unhandled Exception: System.ArgumentException: --add\n\nOpening Visual Studio Installer shows:\n\n* Visual Studio Build Tools 2022 17.14.25 installed\n* NO \"Desktop development with C++\" nor components that should have been installed:\n  * `Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.ARM64`\n  * `Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL.ARM64`\n  * `Microsoft.NetCore.Component.SDK`\n  * `Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Llvm.Clang`\n  * `Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Llvm.ClangToolset`\n\nLogs show:\n\n```text\nVERBOSE: Using a local installer executable: C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\Installer\\vs_installer.exe\nInstalling visualstudio2022-workload-vctools...\n\n\nUnhandled Exception: System.ArgumentException: --add\nParameter name: --add\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.CommandLine.CommandLineParser.HandleMultiInstanceOption(String option, IEnumerable`1 args)\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.CommandLine.CommandLineParser.MergeMultiInstanceOption(IEnumerable`1 args)\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.CommandLine.CommandLineParser.PreProcessArgs(IEnumerable`1 args, Boolean\u0026 finalizeInstall, Boolean\u0026 uninstallSelf)\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.CommandLine.CommandLineParser.Parse(IEnumerable`1 args)\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.Program.CreateParserResult(IServiceContainer services, String[] args)\n   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Installer.Program.Main(String[] args)\n[1a20:0001][2026-02-05T15:56:16] Releasing singleton lock.\n```\n\nThe following are installed as shown by `choco list`:\n\n```text\nChocolatey v2.6.0\nBoxstarter 3.0.3\nBoxstarter.Bootstrapper 3.0.3\nBoxstarter.Chocolatey 3.0.3\nBoxstarter.Common 3.0.3\nBoxstarter.HyperV 3.0.3\nBoxstarter.WinConfig 3.0.3\nchocolatey 2.6.0\nchocolatey-compatibility.extension 1.0.0\nchocolatey-core.extension 1.4.0\nchocolatey-dotnetfx.extension 1.0.1\nchocolatey-visualstudio.extension 1.13.0\nchocolatey-windowsupdate.extension 1.0.5\ndotnetfx 4.8.0.20220524\ngit 2.53.0\ngit.install 2.53.0\nKB2919355 1.0.20160915\nKB2919442 1.0.20160915\nKB2999226 1.0.20181019\nKB3033929 1.0.5\nKB3035131 1.0.3\nnasm 3.1.0\npython3 3.14.3\npython314 3.14.3\ntmp582D.tmp 1.0.0\nvcredist140 14.50.35719\nvcredist2015 14.0.24215.20170201\nvisualstudio2022buildtools 117.14.24\nvisualstudio-installer 2.0.7\n28 packages installed.\n```\n\n[Boxstarter install failure.log](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/25099608/Boxstarter.install.failure.log)\n\n### Additional information\n\nThe last release of [chocolatey/boxstarter](https://github.com/chocolatey/boxstarter/releases) was 3.0.3 in Oct 6, 2023. It is bundled with `choco@1.1.0`, not the current [chocolatey@2.6.0](https://github.com/chocolatey/boxstarter/releases).\n\nIf the following failing command is run directly in `choco` rather than through Boxstarter, it works, so it looks like there is a compatibility issue with Boxstarter:\n\n```powershell\nchoco install visualstudio2022-workload-vctools -y --params=\"--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.ARM64 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL.ARM64 --add Microsoft.NetCore.Component.SDK --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Llvm.Clang --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Llvm.ClangToolset\"\n```\n\nAlso Boxstarter is only compatible with the legacy Windows PowerShell 5, not with PowerShell 7 (see issue https://github.com/chocolatey/boxstarter/issues/353 from Oct 2018).","author":{"url":"https://github.com/MikeMcC399","@type":"Person","name":"MikeMcC399"},"datePublished":"2026-02-05T15:10:44.000Z","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":"https://schema.org/CommentAction","userInteractionCount":5},"url":"https://github.com/61690/node/issues/61690"}