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[Windows Self-hosted] Docker build won't start

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Matt Houser

25 Jan, 2026 10:28 PM

I have Docker Desktop installed on Windows 11.
I installed AppVeyor via "choco install appveyor-server".

Running a "Windows" build shows the following:

Starting Docker job...
template: version:1:44: executing "version" at <.Client.Experimental>: can't evaluate field Experimental in type system.clientVersion

1. Support Staff 1 Posted by Feodor Fitsner on 26 Jan, 2026 05:59 PM

   

   What version of AppVeyor Server is it?

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2. 2 Posted by Matt Houser on 26 Jan, 2026 06:04 PM

   

   I cannot find a place in the AppVeyor web UI that says the version.

   Choco says it's 7.0.3212: https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/appveyor-server

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3. 3 Posted by Matt Houser on 26 Jan, 2026 06:08 PM

   

   Found it. The command line says 7.0.3212:

   PS C:\Program Files\AppVeyor\server> .\appveyor version
   7.0.3212
   

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4. Support Staff 4 Posted by Feodor Fitsner on 26 Jan, 2026 07:31 PM

   

   Please install the most recent version with the fix: https://appveyordownloads.blob.core.windows.net/appveyor/7.0.3358/a...

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5. 5 Posted by Matt Houser on 26 Jan, 2026 08:11 PM

   
   1. I uninstalled 3212 using choco.
      
   2. I installed 3358 using your MSI (BTW, there's an issue with your MSI I'll note below)
      
   3. I signed-in to the web UI using my previous username/password.
      
   4. Attempting to access the existing project shows the following error message across the top:
      > Error deserializing project configuration. Please contact AppVeyor support team.

   Issue with 3358 MSI: When installing, part-way through, the UAC wants to elevate for admin priviliges. After this happens, installation fails with an error message:

   AppVeyor Server Setup Wizard ended prematurely because of an error.

   ... and more text to try again later. I rebooted and it did not fix the issue.

   The MSI install must be started with admin privileges from the beginning. This succeeds.

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6. 6 Posted by Matt Houser on 26 Jan, 2026 08:14 PM

   

   Actually, there's a whole bunch of errors going into environment settings. Looks like the entire configuration needs to be purged. How do I do that?

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7. Support Staff 7 Posted by Feodor Fitsner on 26 Jan, 2026 08:56 PM

   

   Uninstalling 3212 removed "master" encryption key used for database encryption, so old database file become unusable. Delete it at %ProgramData%\AppVeyor\Server and restart the service. Recommended approach is upgrading over the the installed version. Here you can find more info: https://www.appveyor.com/docs/server/maintenance

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8. 8 Posted by Matt Houser on 26 Jan, 2026 11:14 PM

   

   I uninstalled first because I originally installed using chocolatey and didn't know how the mixed installations would work.

   Deleting %ProgramData%\AppVeyor\Server caused an unrecoverable SqlLite error. Repairing the installation didn't work, so I had to uninstall 3358 and reinstall it.

   The issue reported above is gone. Thanks!

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