Final answer:
The "The requested operation requires elevation" error when enabling the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) indicates that administrative privileges are required. To resolve this, run the command prompt or PowerShell as an administrator and execute the appropriate command to enable WSL. If problems continue, ensure the user account has administrative rights or adjust the User Account Control settings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The error "The requested operation requires elevation" occurs when a user tries to perform an action that requires administrative privileges without the adequate permissions in Windows. When enabling the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), ensure that you are running the command prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.
To do this, right-click on the Start button, select either 'Command Prompt (Admin)' or 'Windows PowerShell (Admin)'. Once opened with administrative rights, you can proceed with the command to enable WSL: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux. After executing this command, you should be able to enable WSL without encountering the elevation error.
If the issue persists, checking your user account for administrative rights or modifying the User Account Control settings may be necessary to allow the elevation required for this operation.