I'm completely new to Docker and installed Docker Desktop for the first time, but the engine has been stuck on "starting" for several hours. Any Docker command returns: "Error response from daemon: Docker Desktop is unable to start."
My laptop has an Intel Core i3-7020U, 8 GB of RAM, and only about 10 GB of free space on the SSD. My 2 TB hard drive is corrupted and currently unusable. What should I check or change to get Docker working?
3 Answers
With an older two-core processor, Docker Desktop may be heavier than necessary. A lighter setup is to install WSL2 with a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu or Debian, then install and run Docker Engine inside that environment instead of using the full Desktop application. In WSL, you would update the package list, install Docker Engine, start the service, and test it with a simple container.
The biggest immediate concern is storage. Ten gigabytes free is very little for Docker, since images, containers, WSL’s virtual disk, logs, and build caches can consume space quickly. Free up substantially more room before troubleshooting, or Docker may fail even after virtualization and WSL are configured correctly.
First check the prerequisites rather than waiting longer. Make sure hardware virtualization is enabled in the BIOS/UEFI, and verify that WSL2 and its required Windows features are installed correctly. Docker Desktop depends on those components, so a problem there can leave the engine stuck during startup.
Exactly—pulling only a few moderately sized images can use several gigabytes. I’d clean up the SSD first and avoid storing the WSL virtual disk on a drive that is nearly full.