Error "There was an error generating the XML document" while trying to install SQL Server 2017 unattended

I'm trying to install SQL Server 2017 unattended into a Windows 10 Azure virtual machine, via chocolatey using the following command on a remote powershell session:

choco install sql-server-express -ia ""/IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /FEATURES=SQLEngine /Q /ACTION=install /INSTANCEID=[INSTANCE_NAME] /INSTANCENAME=SQLCHEMETER /FILESTREAMLEVEL=1 /SECURITYMODE=SQL /SAPWD=[SA_PASSWORD] /UPDATEENABLED=FALSE"" -o -y"

But the installation fails and the log file only tells me that this exception had been thrown:

(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp: Inner exceptions are being indented
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp: Exception type: Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.ChainerInfrastructureException
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:     Message: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         There was an error generating the XML document.
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:     HResult : 0x84b10001
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         FacilityCode : 1201 (4b1)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         ErrorCode : 1 (0001)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:     Stack: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.DataStoreService.SerializeObject(String rootPath, Object objectToSerialize, Boolean saveToCache)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.DataStoreService.SerializeObject(Object objectToSerialize)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.PublicConfigurationBridge.Calculate()
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.InputSettingService.CalculateSettings(IEnumerable`1 settingIds)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.InputSettingService.CalculateAllSettings(Boolean chainerSettingOnly)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.Action.Execute(String actionId, TextWriter errorStream)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionInvocation.<>c__DisplayClasse.<ExecuteActionWithRetryHelper>b__b()
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionInvocation.ExecuteActionHelper(ActionWorker workerDelegate)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:     Inner exception type: System.InvalidOperationException
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         Message: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                 There was an error generating the XML document.
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         HResult : 0x80131509
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         Stack: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                 at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer.Serialize(XmlWriter xmlWriter, Object o, XmlSerializerNamespaces namespaces, String encodingStyle, String id)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                 at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializer.Serialize(TextWriter textWriter, Object o, XmlSerializerNamespaces namespaces)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                 at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.DataStoreService.SerializeObject(String rootPath, Object objectToSerialize, Boolean saveToCache)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:         Inner exception type: System.Security.Cryptography.CryptographicException
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:             Message: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         Access is denied.
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:             HResult : 0x80070005
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:             Stack: 
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         at System.Security.Cryptography.ProtectedData.Protect(Byte[] userData, Byte[] optionalEntropy, DataProtectionScope scope)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         at Microsoft.SqlServer.Common.SqlSecureString.WriteXml(XmlWriter writer)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         at System.Xml.Serialization.XmlSerializationWriter.WriteSerializable(IXmlSerializable serializable, String name, String ns, Boolean isNullable, Boolean wrapped)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         at Microsoft.Xml.Serialization.GeneratedAssembly.XmlSerializationWriterAgentConfigurationPublic.Write6_AgentConfigurationPublic(String n, String ns, AgentConfigurationPublic o, Boolean isNullable, Boolean needType)
(01) 2018-08-14 06:42:11 Slp:                         at Microsoft.Xml.Serialization.GeneratedAssembly.XmlSerializationWriterAgentConfigurationPublic.Write7_AgentConfigurationPublic(Object o)

I've checked and the user that launches it has Admin permissions.

But this only happens if i did not connect to the machine with remote desktop before, if i connect and then launch the process it will go smoothly.

The problem is that this must be a automatized process so i can't open a remote desktop connection with the created machines.

Has someone an idea about what is going on?

Thanks.

Figured this out myself shortly after placing the bounty. CredSSP does the trick, but it's not as simple as a one-liner. Basically, this is the "double-hop" problem, if you're not passing authentication over, you'll hit this error.

To enable CredSSP, you'll need to run this on the server (the remote host you're trying to install SQL Server on:

Enable-WSManCredSSP -Role Server -Force

You'll also need to enable CredSSP on the Client, the machine that is delegating to the server:

Enable-WSManCredSSP -Role client -DelegateComputer $nameOrIp -Force

Additionally, you'll need to allow Credentials Delegation on the Client, which can be done in PowerShell automatically with this script:

$allowed = @("WSMAN/$nameOrIp")
$key = 'hklm:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CredentialsDelegation'
if (!(Test-Path $key)) {
    md $key
}
New-ItemProperty -Path $key -Name AllowFreshCredentials -Value 1 -PropertyType Dword -Force            
$key = Join-Path $key 'AllowFreshCredentials'
if (!(Test-Path $key)) {
    md $key
}
$i = 1
$allowed |% {
    New-ItemProperty -Path $key -Name $i -Value $_ -PropertyType String -Force
    $i++
}

If you haven't already, make sure both machines have set each other as trusted hosts:

$curList = (Get-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts).value
$exists = $curList -match $nameOrIp
if ($exists -eq $false) {
  "Adding IP to trusted hosts..."
  Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "$curList, $nameOrIp" -Force
}

Lastly, using the existing Session wasn't working for me, I had to instead send the Invoke-Command with -Authentication CredSSP:

$cred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential ($adminName, $secureWindowsPassword)
Invoke-Command -Computername $nameOrIp -Authentication CredSSP -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock {
    Param($sqlPass)
    Start-Process -FilePath C:\temp\SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe -Args "/ConfigurationFile=C:\temp\MSSQL.ini /SAPWD='$sqlPass' /Q /HIDECONSOLE /UpdateEnabled=FALSE" -Verb RunAs -Wait 4>&1
} -ArgumentList $sqlPass