Corrupt PackageManager? Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet) - windows

Question

This is a common error that is not solved by the common solutions I have found on the internet.
Unable to run Get-PsRepository, Install-Module, and related (OneGet?) commands without them throwing the "Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet)" error. This appears to be an issue with the NuGet packagemanager module but I do not know how to recover. The package provider installed appears valid
Symptom patterns:
C:> [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol
Tls12
Get-PSRepository
PackageManagement\Get-PackageSource : Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet).
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:4496 char:31
+ ... ckageSources = PackageManagement\Get-PackageSource #PSBoundParameters
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (Microsoft.Power...etPackageSource:GetPackageSource) [Get-PackageSource
], Exception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnknownProviders,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.GetPackageSource
Register-PSRepository -Default -Verbose
VERBOSE: PowerShell meta provider initialization failed.
VERBOSE: No match was found for the specified search criteria and provider name 'PowerShellGet'. Try
'Get-PackageProvider -ListAvailable' to see if the provider exists on the system.
PackageManagement\Register-PackageSource : Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet).
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:4211 char:17
+ ... $null = PackageManagement\Register-PackageSource #PSBoundParamete ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (Microsoft.Power...erPackageSource:RegisterPackageSource) [Register-Pac
kageSource], Exception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnknownProviders,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.RegisterPackageSource
Install-Module PowerShellGet -Force
PackageManagement\Install-Package : Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet).
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PowerShellGet\1.0.0.1\PSModule.psm1:1809 char:21
+ ... $null = PackageManagement\Install-Package #PSBoundParameters
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (Microsoft.Power....InstallPackage:InstallPackage) [Install-Package], Exception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnknownProviders,Microsoft.PowerShell.PackageManagement.Cmdlets.InstallPackage
Facts:
Windows 10 (1903)
Powershell 5.1.18362.1171
Running PowerShell as Administrator
Not behind a proxy
Have access to https://www.powershellgallery.com/api/v2
Have access to nuget.org
`[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = Tls12
FIPS is disabled (HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\FIPSAlgorithmPolicy\Enabled DWORD=0)
Get-PackageProvider shows only NuGet 2.8.5.208
PowerShellGet version is 1.0.0.1 ; when trying force a sxs install with Install-Module PowerShellGet -Force I get the same: PackageManagement\Install-Package : Unable to find module providers (PowerShellGet).

Answer 1

We encountered the same problem. Found this thread without a solution. But I dug a bit further and on the computer that had this problem we found version 1.4.7 of PackageManagement installed.
After removing this folder everything started working normally. I have not found how this thing got installed. Seems like a legit powershell module from Microsoft but it's interacting with the 'normal' PowershellGet module and seems to break it.
For us it was located in the %USERPROFILE%/documents/WindowsPowershell/Modules.
Also worth nothing that this %USERPROFILE% was a corporate OneDrive.
Edit: Microsoft have fixed this issue: https://github.com/PowerShell/vscode-powershell/issues/3432

Answer 2

Not enough Rep to comment.
I ended up in the same situation. A Windows 10 1909 machine, with
%USERPROFILE%/document being a corporate OneDrive. Moving
PackageManagement out of /WindowsPowerShell/ changed
Get-PSRepository's output from nothing to PSGallery. Thanks! – tmcg
Mar 1 at 21:35 This was exactly the same issue. I suspect this is
because PowerShell 7 dumped it into this location (possibly Visual
Studio Code when it prompt to update?) – aolszowka Mar 1 at 22:09
I encountered the same issue with packagemanagement in %USERPROFILE%/documents on my personal profile. The file dates matched when I installed VScode and the Powershell Extensions on this new machine.
Removing the folder from modules corrected the issue for the time being.

Answer 3

In addition to removing %USERPROFILE%/Documents/WindowsPowershell/Modules folder, I also found that putting the package manger locally helped powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -Command 'Save-Module PackageManagement -MinimumVersion 1.4.7 -LiteralPath ""C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\""' thanks to itsho here https://github.com/PowerShell/vscode-powershell/issues/2824#issuecomment-750902181
The cause is due to the %USERPROFILE%/Documents folder being on a OneDrive and module-install keeps installing the PackageManagement module to user documents by default ignoring PSModulePath, even had the OneDrive location removed/changed.
This my module path from running PS inside vscode identifying info removed:
$env:PSModulePath -split ';'
C:\Users\{myUsername}\OneDrive - {myCompanyName}\{company}\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules
C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules
There are more things that can be done to fix this from happening again discussed here https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/15552#issuecomment-1002708799
Like setting the documents folder to local and off OneDrive like shown here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/configuration-of-the-my-documents-folder-dfd9a90d-8f80-18d6-e7cc-f1566fc3b10b
I followed these steps for now.
In explorer to the left under quick access right click Documents, and then click Properties.
Change to the location tab in the configuration box and type the new path to the Documents folder, I used the local one
Click No so the existing files do not move and still can be accessed by going into OneDrive. I also added another quick access folder for my OneDrive location, but that is up to you.
Note: This effects other programs as well like the default save location for PowerPoint. You'll need to be mindful that you don't save something local thinking it will be backed up to OneDrive.
My module paths after the change:
$env:PSModulePath -split ';'
C:\Users\{myUsername}\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Modules
C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules
Another workaround could be to have OneDrive keep the files local.
Navigate to %USERPROFILE%/Documents
Right click WindowsPowershell and select "Always keep on this device".
I haven't been able to test this one, but it might be the least impactful way to address this.