[WIP] Fix the failing GitHub Actions job build (windows-latest)

[Copilot]

• Inspect failing GitHub Actions run and windows job logs to identify root cause
• Reproduce or validate the failure locally where possible and locate affected code/build config
• Implement the smallest possible fix and add/update focused tests if applicable
• Run targeted validation for the changed area and confirm no regressions
• Run final PR validation (code review + CodeQL), then summarize the fix

[gdr-at-ms]

Fixed by a different PR.