-bash: ./ex1: cannot execute binary file: Exec format error (on Ubuntu installed through Windows 10 app store, 64 bit)

Question

I am trying to start out with some assembly but I run into this error from the outset. Here are the details: I've written the file myself (following a video) so its not some import:

    global _start
    _start:
            mov eax, 1
            mov ebx, 42
            int 0x80

Pretty basic. I assemble and link it (

nasm -f elf32 ex1.asm -o ex1.o 

followed by

ld -m elf_i386 ex1.o -o ex1

checking the exit status at each stage with echo $?). It assembles and links fine. File gives:

ex1: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), statically linked, not stripped

My processor is a 64-bit AMD Ryzen 3 2200G, and my Win10 host and Ubuntu are also 64 bit (from what I've read running a 32 bit binary in a 64 bit environment is fine, right?). I have read many posts and they either discuss trying to run 64 on a 32, or corrupt imports or arch incompatibility (e.g. assembled for ARM) or more complex issues. This here is quite straight forward and for all intents and purposes it should simply run. However when I try it I get

-bash: ./ex1: cannot execute binary file: Exec format error

This is on Ubuntu installed through Windows 10 app store, 64 bit.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

As pointed out in the comments already, the answer to the above nasm assembly problem in Ubuntu running on a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is to upgrade to WSL2. For anyone experiencing that issue, note:

• if your Windows 10 is an older version than 2004, you will need to update that first.
• Your Windows and WSL updates need to be done as Admin.

There are many links I used while playing around - couldn't remember all of them. However I recently came across:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loC7VfgRT-I

which people may find a helpful starting point