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:
The I found the fix:
Thank you UHLIK from THIS thread on the Microsoft Forum after reading THIS thread on the forum.
Another fix for the The Start Menu Does Not Work problem is:
UPDATED: August 19, 2015: A third fix I have used successfully is:
A forth fix I found came directly from Microsoft Partner support:
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.
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.
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The last option, the refresh also worked for me. It was a pain but I'm relieved to have my start button and Cortana working again. Thanks for the information.
If you can't click on Start button to run Command Prompt, you can find cmd.exe in C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
Finally got the start menu working after several attempts at above suggestions. No 1 suggestion worked after I realized that there us a space after 'ren"
4TH SOLUTION WORKED BUT HAD TO RELOAD ALOT OF STUFF. COULD NOT FIND C:/WINDOWS.OLD? FOUND LOST STUFF UNDER FILES BUT COULD NOT TRANSFER
Fourth solution worked for me!
Hello!
I tried all your fixes, but none are working for me =/ I even tried a reset (the one where I keep my files) but got the error code "there was a problem resetting your pc, no changes have been made"..
Can you think of anything else to try, or is a clean reset my only option?
/Hanna
I think you are down to a reset :(
Many thanks for your solutions which appear to have worked for many, but none worked for me. This is on a fairly decent, up to date computer. On my older, slower laptop - not a single problem with windows 10, typical.
Ok so how do I start again, from scratch? Gonna try installing this crap again from the beginning
Hi Al; Please take a look at this new solution which has solved the Window 10 Start Button does not work: urtech.ca/2015/09/solved-fix-windows-10-start-button-does-nothing-in-10-minutes
This solution has worked for me twice today so I am hopeful it will work for others too. Please let me know how it goes.
Tried refreshing the whole thing as a last resort - it eventually got to a screen asking for a keyboard type - none of the options were selectable, it was a dead screen. SO... couldn't refresh and start from the beginning either.
"Hi Microsoft, thanks for your free upgrade, I am appreciating the fact it is free, all day long, nice one. Yes it works fine!"
2 weeks later -
"Hi Microsoft! Your recent update has botched my profile! Now, this might be a long shot, bear with me on this one but... can you fix it bychance? An upgrade, or patch? Please? Oh I see you left a tumbleweed instead, thanks!"
How can I fix something that I haven't had a hand in breaking?
Hi Ian,
I have tried the Create New Profiles fix - on the first attempt, after entering the 3rd command line, it gave the following result:
"There is no such global user or group: TempAdmin2.
More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3783"
I signed out, but no temp logins were there. So on the 2nd attempt I copied/pasted the exact text and it gave a more encouraging result after the 3rd command -
"The syntax of this command is:
NET LOCALGROUP
[groupname [/COMMENT:"text"]] [/DOMAIN]
groupname {/ADD [/COMMENT:"text"] | /DELETE} [/DOMAIN]
groupname name [...] {/ADD | /DELETE} [/DOMAIN]"
However, after signing out, again there were no other logins to try. Dang, any ideas mate? I'm eager to try this fix out, copying over the tile data layer and such, but i'm falling at the first hurdle!
Muchly appreciating any help you can give!
AL
Hi Ian,
Apologies for the late response (been working from the old/fine laptop - Windows 10 is bloody great when it works!)
Anyway, many thanks for the suggested, more technical fix - I'll run it as soon as i'm home this weekend and will let you know the outcome!
After few tries the fourth fix worked for me. Thank you man you are a life saver :D
first possibility: can't find file.
2nd: no effect
3rd: can't create a new user. I went via Control Panel, to Manage Accounts, to Add a new User which put me into a Setting page, where "add someone to this PC" has no response.
4th: already tried this didn't work, although my steps were a bit different. I went thru Command prompt (Admin) to get to powershell, then "Administrator: Windows PowerShell." I read the last comment that said watch the red error msgs and try to turn firewall on. Mine is already on. Most of my red type seems to say (it's a bit overwhelming): Windows cannot register the package because of an internal error or low memory.
I tried going thru Run, Win-R, like you suggested but I can't right click on the Powershell icon when it's in the taskbar. I also lost my Edge and Cortana, along with the shop icon in the taskbar. (build 10240?)
If right-clicking on the task bar doesn't work for you (didn't for me), run the following in your non-Powershell window to open up a new admin window:
Start-Process PowerShell –Verb RunAs
Third Approach, already tried resetting.
Do you know what these errors mean?
C:\WINDOWS\system32>dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.10240.16384
Image Version: 10.0.10240.16384
[=========== 20.0% ]
Error: 0x80010108
The object invoked has disconnected from its clients.
The object invoked has disconnected from its clients.
An error occurred closing a servicing component in the image.
Wait a few minutes and try running the command again.
The DISM log file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\Logs\DISM\dism.log
Hi; I no longer do development work but a quick Bing / Google for those messages indicates they are VB related and not to be worried about in this case. DISM is the DEPLOYMENT IMAGING AND SERVICING MANAGEMNT tool that is popular use by corporate IT departments to create and modify (i.e. insert new drivers) Windows corporate images.
I still haven't heard back from you. I have had 3 Microsoft techs try and fix it , and they can't. They suggested I un install all my adobe apps, like Dreamweaver, InDesign etc,they said Windows 10 can't handle these apps, and that's what the problem is. but I don't want to loose them.
I would be VERY surprised if those apps had any connection to the START BUTTON / MODERN APP NOT WORKING problem.