UPDATE: June 21, 2016 – Microsoft has released a free repair tool for the Windows 10 START menu. You can read very brief explanation and download it here.
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It was a dark and stormy nighty in April when I installed Windows 10 build 10041 (on the fast ring) and the START button stopped working… ok enough fun. If you have installed a recent Windows 10 build you may find that the START button and all of the modern apps either do nothing or error out with messages about .NET or PARENTAL CONTROLS.
In my case I just installed a free START menu utility (I like START 8 or CLASSIC SHELL) that you might have install on Windows 8, and waited for Microsoft to release the next build of Windows 10 that I hoped would be installed automatically as I am on the FAST RING. It did not because Microsoft changes Windows Update to be a ‘Modern App’ which means it will not run. Soooo, I thought was pretty smart to just download the build 10074 ‘.EBD’ upgrade file from a site and run through the conversion to .ISO and then do an in-place upgrade (which just means run SETUP from the DVD and tell it to upgrade). That did work… for 3 days. This morning my START menu was dead again, AAARRRG!
Microsoft needs to get its Application developer jobs to fix this but until they do, here are solutions that have worked for us:
1: Delete Corrupted AppLocker Files
The I found the fix:
- Right-click at Start and run Command Prompt as Admin
- Type command:
ren %windir%\System32\AppLocker\Plugin*.* *.bak - Restart Windows
- Be happy
Thank you UHLIK from THIS thread on the Microsoft Forum after reading THIS thread on the forum.
2: Start APPLICATION IDENTITY Service
Another fix for the The Start Menu Does Not Work problem is:
- Right-click at Start and click RUN
- type SERVICES.MSC and press the enter key
- right click on APPLICATION IDENTITY and select START
- Be happy… a reboot is not required
3: Use DISM Command
UPDATED: August 19, 2015: A third fix I have used successfully is:
- Create a new user and log into it
- Right click on the START button and select COMMAND PROMPT (RUN AS ADMINSTRATOR)
- Type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
- Restart the PC
- Log back into the problematic profile hopefully you’ll find the store and apps work again
4: PowerShell Command to Reregister Packages
A forth fix I found came directly from Microsoft Partner support:
- Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard.
- Key in PowerShell and hit Enter.
- Right click on the PowerShell icon on the taskbar and select Run as Administrator.
- Now paste the following command in the Administrator: Windows PowerShell window and press Enter key:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”} - Wait for PowerShell to execute and complete the command. Ignore the few errors (in red color) that may pop up.
- When it finishes, try hitting Start and hopefully it’ll start working.
5: Replace the “TileDataLayer” Database – Added Sept 24, 2015:
If none of these fix the Start Button, you can try our advanced solution to the Windows 10 Start Button not working, which has solved the issue for me twice already this month and you can read about it here.
If you have had enough, you can just give up and REFRESH you machine.
- Right click on the START button
- Hold the shift key while selecting RESTART
- Select TROUBLESHOOT from the recovery menu
- Select REFRESH YOUR PC
This will reinstall Windows 10 but it will keep all of your files (Documents, Pictures…) but it will kill all of the programs that have been installed. Everything that is dead will be in C:\WINDOWS.OLD so you can fish out anything that is missing, but you will have to reinstall your programs, like Microsoft Office.
235 Comments
anonymous · August 19, 2015 at 8:05 am
I tried all fixes and nothing worked I tried the fourth fix again and noticed the error said the firewall was not enabled so after I went into control panel and went to firewall and turned it on. Almost right after I clicked the button action center popped up on the side of the screen which was also not working.. Tried the start menu and that finally worked. However cortana still was not working it gave me a search the web bar instead of the cortana bar. So I tried fix 4 again and rebooted and signed in. Tapped the search bar and cortana initializd again.
So make sure to actually pay attention to the red errors that the firewall is not off.
Ian Matthews · August 19, 2015 at 8:56 pm
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I am glad I could help!
homegrownhero · August 20, 2015 at 3:38 am
Get-AppXPackage : Access is denied.
Access is denied.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopm …
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [Get-AppxPackage], UnauthorizedAccessException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.UnauthorizedAccessException,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.GetApp
xPackageCommand
^^^
I get this instead on running 4th fix. nothing worked.
Is this because I didn’t run powershell in admin mode? I can’t even get to admin mode. I can’t right click the powershell on the taskbar.
Ian Matthews · August 30, 2015 at 3:23 pm
You definitely need to run that command with Admin rights:
If you need to bring up a POWERSHELL window but cannot right click on the START BUTTON, you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL, select TASK MANAGER, click MORE DETAILS, click FILE menu, click CREATE NEW TASK, type in POWERSHELL.EXE and select the CREATE THIS TASK WITH ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES .
Nguyen · August 21, 2015 at 9:53 am
Thank! The key is enable windows firewall to restore start menu & task-bar again successfully.
Original FundRaising Widget · August 19, 2015 at 7:15 am
Just to update everything finished and I rebooted, now the problem is different, the Microsoft Edge icon has completely disappeared from the task bar, whereas before it was there just invisible, the start menu still does not work but this time does not throw the critical error message, instead clicking the start button sets the mouse pointer to the blue spinning wheel for a few seconds and then nothing happens at all after that :/
Ian Matthews · August 19, 2015 at 9:11 pm
Have you tried the four potential fixes in this post?
Original FundRaising Widget · August 19, 2015 at 6:52 am
Tried all of the fixes and no joy yet one of them is still running so fingers crossed, to try the powershell fix I did however have to load powershell as admin via a command in a regular powershell session ( load powershell from command prompt then in powershell type Start-Process PowerShell –Verb RunAs and press Enter) because right clicking icons in the taskbar does nothing when this problem is happening for me, even Microsoft Edge browser icon disappears.
Hope they get this fully fixed soon, it only happens on my HP laptop but my custom built desktop at home works fine never had this problem and someone I know has Win 10 on their laptop with no problems yet either.
slaveofgod · August 19, 2015 at 1:41 am
what happen to me was , when i deleted the windows.old file from the previous OS using genie cleaner, this start menu on windows 10 stop appearing , i tried all the solutions available on youtube but nothing solve it, please help
Ian Matthews · August 19, 2015 at 9:10 pm
Have you tried the four potential solutions in THIS article?
slaveofgod · August 22, 2015 at 1:10 pm
the 3rd solution works , when adding new user, but still its partially fix, the menu doesn’t appear properly the windows apps doesnt appear in the right side, also windows search doesnt work, but this wasn’t the fix im looking for i need to fix my current profile, but the fix you mention above can’t fix it please give me another solution please sir.
Ian Matthews · August 30, 2015 at 3:12 pm
You can try installing the latest build which just came out a few days ago: http://microsoft-news.com/download-windows-10-build-10532-iso/
5oClock · August 17, 2015 at 9:06 pm
When I type “ren %windir%\System32\AppLocker\Plugin*.* *.bak” into the admin command console windows just returns an error reading “The system cannot find the file specified.”
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 8:42 pm
I have noted that in my release version this path does not exist either. I am unsure if the path has been changed in the release, if this folder just does not exist in the release OR the folder is created periodically by Windows 10 and so it may not always exist.
rama · August 15, 2015 at 6:32 am
Ya know, your post give my hope, but unfortunately when I Enter command: ren %windir%\System32\AppLocker\Plugin*.* *.bak, it says “The system cannot find the file specified.
And yes, I ran as admin
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:01 pm
I appreciate the frustration as I have ‘been there’. I just added two more potential fixes to the bottom of this post so please try them and let me know if they work for you.
Stephen · August 14, 2015 at 2:47 am
Both didn’t fix it. The first one said ”not found” and the second one initiated but the start menu still did not work.
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:01 pm
I appreciate the frustration as I have ‘been there’. I just added two more potential fixes to the bottom of this post so please try them and let me know if they work for you.
Harry · August 14, 2015 at 12:20 am
right click the start menu and open task manager
scroll down until you find process “windows explorer”
restart windows explorer
Carolyn · August 20, 2015 at 9:06 pm
This is the only thing in all my searching that’s worked for me!! 100% recommend trying this first because it’s totally harmless otherwise and impossible to mess up.
Jason · September 20, 2015 at 3:13 pm
This worked for me too! Thanks a bunch.
Nirgali42 · August 12, 2015 at 4:54 pm
If you’re having trouble changing the service to auto start, you can do it from the command line. Right click start menu, select Command Prompt (Admin) and run:
sc config AppIdSvc start=auto
windows 10 start menu is not working · August 11, 2015 at 10:28 am
Hello, the two ways of fixing the problem didnt work on my lab i have hp envy m4 1050la, i tried many things but the same, i lost my cortana and microsoft edge, this fix ren %windir%\System32\AppLocker\Plugin*.* *.bak is replying that the system cannot find the specific file.
please i need your help because i dont want to re install windows
thanks
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:01 pm
I appreciate the frustration as I have ‘been there’. I just added two more potential fixes to the bottom of this post so please try them and let me know if they work for you.
Michael · August 8, 2015 at 3:43 am
Thanks so much! I applied the second fix and works like a charm! Pfff was getting desperate…
anon · August 4, 2015 at 3:49 pm
on win10 pro 10240 and neither of these solutions work. applocker folder is empty and app identity is running, nothing changed.
can’t open start, search, jump lists, notifications or calendar. peek and IME work.
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:15 pm
I just added two more potential fixes to the bottom of this post so please try them and let me know if they work for you.
Stephenie · August 3, 2015 at 10:34 am
I cannot even right click the start button. Any tips on what I can do? I also can not open Action Center, Edge says class not registered, and Norton will not run scans. Thanks!
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:22 pm
That is a very odd problem I have not seen before. Can you press the WINDOWS KEY + R to bring up the RUN line? Can you bring up a Task Manager (CNTL+ALT+DEL)? Take a look at https://youtu.be/MgDr0a4hVlA
shahromshahrudin@gmail.com · August 24, 2015 at 3:08 am
Dear Ian, the last fix (REFRESH) worked for me… 🙂
Thank You so much……
Jim · August 24, 2015 at 6:59 am
several things. This https://youtu.be/MgDr0a4hVlA has an error, but via its title I did manage to find Powershell, but I don’t yet know what I can run this way. I have a critical error, Cortana and Start menu aren’t working, so all solutions that start with “right click on start” cannot help me. How to roll back to Windows 7 instructions always start with the control panel or start button. Can I find these using Windows Explorer?
PS the three boxes above my comment don’t have labels or field names, sorry I had to guess.
Ian Matthews · August 30, 2015 at 3:08 pm
If you need t bring up a CMD window but cannot right click on the START BUTTON, you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL, select TASK MANAGER, click MORE DETAILS, click FILE menu, click CREATE NEW TASK, type in CONTROL.EXE and selec the CREATE THIS TASK WITH ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES .
Raven · July 31, 2015 at 10:47 am
Niether worked….. Not happy
Ian Matthews · August 18, 2015 at 9:34 pm
Hi Raven;
I just added two more potential fixes. Please let me know if they work and/or if you have any other problems.
TerryBogard · August 21, 2015 at 12:38 am
Non of the fixes worked. This is so frustrating. I cant even roll back to 8.1 as the start menu is not working
Ian Matthews · August 30, 2015 at 3:18 pm
You could try installing the latest Windows 10 build http://microsoft-news.com/download-windows-10-build-10532-iso/ or you could try to roll back to Win8 using the command prompt to launch the Control Panel and then launch PROGRAMS AND FEATURES:
If you need to bring up a CMD window but cannot right click on the START BUTTON, you can press CTRL+ALT+DEL, select TASK MANAGER, click MORE DETAILS, click FILE menu, click CREATE NEW TASK, type in CMD.EXE and select the CREATE THIS TASK WITH ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES .
jery · August 21, 2015 at 7:45 pm
hi bro. i just want to add to your step in powershell that i think others cannot run in admin. To run the powershell in admin. go to task manager after running the powershell then from the task manager right click powershell then hit go to file then hit powershell application and rightclick and there you go you can run now in admin. thank you so much it works to me.
Julien · October 28, 2015 at 8:02 am
This worked for me thanks a lot!!
Andrew · November 29, 2015 at 3:39 am
Hello,
Jery is right. He gave the most essential piece of information. You must be comletely sure You are running PowerShell as Admin. We were told in original solution to ignore errors which may pop up, but if you do it in a wrong way it can turn out You ignored message “access denied” and
You will be suprised why it did not work. Concluding, You should expect error messages which says that some files were not deployed properly…
davidsf44444 · December 24, 2015 at 10:59 am
The “refresh your pc” worked for me:
Refresh your PC
As a last resort, you can ‘refresh’ your Windows 10 installation, which is much the same as reinstalling the operating system. Your documents won’t be affected, but you’ll need to reinstall any applications that aren’t part of Windows.
1. Restart Windows in Troubleshooting mode
Close any open applications and press the [Windows] + [L] keys to log out of your Windows account — or just restart Windows. On the login screen, click the Powericon at the bottom right, hold down the [Shift] key and select the Restart option.
2. Reset your PC
When the blue Choose an option screen appears, click Troubleshoot, followed byReset this PC. finally, click the Keep my files option and follow the on-screen instructions.
Windows 10: Day 3 | Just Words In Your Head · August 2, 2015 at 8:10 am
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