Find and fix problems with the Start menu. PowerShell as a way to get Start back up and running

Operating system updates from Microsoft improve your computer's performance, make it safer, and add new functionality to the OS. However, with such updates come some problems. For example, after the next update, some users see that their “Start” button does not work in Windows 10.

At the same time, it does not easily respond to a mouse click on its icon, but it also does not work after pressing the Win button on the keyboard (the key with the Windows logo). Often, along with such a problem, the system parameters, as well as its other elements, do not open. In this article we will figure out how to get out of this situation and return the system to functionality. If you do not want such difficulties to be repeated in the future, you can completely.

To combat the constantly broken Start menu, in 2016 Microsoft even created a special application that was supposed to automatically fix the problem.

This method is the easiest, so use it first. If after rebooting the system the start still does not work, move on to the next options. Explorer.exe is a Windows graphical shell. It is responsible for everything that we see: these are windows with Explorer, the taskbar, the system tray, and even widgets. Like all other programs, this application may malfunction, for example, due to a basic conflict with data cells in RAM. So, in order to bring the Start menu back to life, first of all, let’s try to restart this process.

How to fix

Follow our instructions:

1. Launch the task manager. You can open it using the Ctrl+Shift+Esc button combination or through the context menu of our taskbar. To do this, right-click on its empty space and select the item indicated in the screenshot.

1. If you are running the tool for the first time, you will need to deploy it. To do this, click on the “Details” button. We have marked it with a red frame.

1. Go to the tab called “Processes” and find the “Explorer” process there (sometimes may be called Explorer). Using the context menu launched by right-clicking on the process name, select the “Restart” item.

The entire Windows 10 GUI will momentarily disappear and reappear. If this option does not solve your problem, then feel free to move on to the next method - it will be more effective.

Solving the problem using the system registry

This method is more effective than the previous one. It involves changing the value of a system registry key. If there is no such key, we will create it. Let's look at how to do this correctly.

1. Initially, you need to run the standard Windows 10 utility called regedit. In order to do this, press the combination Win + R and enter the word regedit in the window that appears.

1. In the window that opens, on the left side there is a registry directory tree. We follow the path indicated in the screenshot. On the right side of the program, select the EnableXAMLStartMenu key, and if it does not exist, then create it. To do this, click on the empty area on the right side of regedit RMB and select “Create” – “DWORD value (32 bits)”.

1. Now we rename the new parameter to EnableXAMLStartMenu and, opening it by double-clicking, set the value to “0”.

1. For the changes to take effect, you need to restart the Windows GUI. We described how this is done in the first method.

Correction of Cyrillic username

Sometimes the Start menu stopped working after creating a new Windows user with a name written in Russian. In order to correct this situation, you need to use the Computer Management utility and correct the name. Let's look at how this is done.

1. Initially, we open computer management through Windows search. To do this, click on the magnifying glass icon on the taskbar and enter the query in the search bar. When the result appears, click on it.

1. Next, on the left side of the window, open the “Utilities” section, go to “Local Users and Groups” and click on the “Users” folder. In the right part of the window, find the name that needs to be renamed and right-click on its name. There will be an item “Rename” - that’s what we need.

Ready. The Computer Management tool can be closed; the changes will be applied as soon as you restart the system. If this method does not give the desired result, try creating another user and checking the functionality of the Start menu on it.

To do this we do the following:

1. Launch the “Run” utility. To do this, use two simultaneously pressed Win + R keys. In the window that appears, enter the word control and press Enter.

1. After opening the control panel, go to the “User Accounts” menu.

1. Click on the inscription indicated in the screenshot.

1. Next, select “Manage another account.”

1. And add a new user.

1. You can get to the same menu in another way. Open the Windows 10 notification shade and click on the “All Settings” tile.

1. Scroll down the window that opens a little and select the “Accounts” tile.

1. On the left side of the window, select the “Family and other users” subsection, and on the right, click on “Add a user for this computer.”

1. Here you can create another Windows 10 user. If you do not want to link his account to a Microsoft account, click on the item indicated in the screenshot, and in the menu that opens, select “Add a user without a Microsoft account.”

Restart your computer or simply end your current session and select the user you created. If the launcher starts to open, then the problem is in the account.

We use automatic maintenance mode

Windows 10 has its own debugging tool, which is supposed to fix various problems for the user. Sometimes this function solves the problem of the Start button not working. Let's look at how to use it.

1. In the search bar of Windows 10 (which is launched by the magnifying glass icon), we write the words: “This computer.” Right-click on the item indicated in the screenshot and select “Properties”.

1. In the window that opens, click on the words “Security and Service Center” (located in the lower left corner).

1. Expand the “Maintenance” section.

1. Using the button indicated in the screenshot, we launch automatic system maintenance.

1. Maintenance has begun and will take time. The less you use your computer during this period, the faster the process will complete. Upon completion of the PC scan, all problems found on it will be corrected if possible. If desired, the service can be disabled.

Attention! For a more complete, quick and correct check, we recommend closing all running programs and saving the data. The program runs only as an administrator.

Using PowerShell to fix the Start menu

Here is another option that will help improve the operation of the Start menu. We take the following steps:

1. First you need to launch PowerShell itself. To do this, we will use the built-in search tool. Click on the magnifying glass icon on the left side of the taskbar and enter the PowerShell command in the search field. When the result we need appears (indicated by number 3 in the screenshot), right-click on it and select the “Run as administrator” section.

Sometimes a program cannot be found through search. To get around this problem, go to Windows Explorer along the path indicated in the screenshot and run powershell.exe. This must be done as an administrator. To do this, right-click on the name and select the desired item.

You can also call Windows PowerShell through the command line, but you must run it as an administrator. After cmd.exe opens, type the powershell command into the black window and press Enter.

When the program is running, insert the entry into it:

Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% (add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + “\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml”))

Executing the command will take a couple of seconds. Now restart your computer and check if the startup starts working. If not, then move on to the next method.

Attention! Using this method may break the Windows Store. Therefore, it should be used only as a last resort.

Start Menu Fix Utility

As we have already said, Microsoft developers are aware of the problem with Start. That is why they created a miniature program with which we will work. Follow our instructions:

1. Initially, let's download the program using the button below. Downloading is done from the official Microsoft website.

1. Run the application as an administrator (no installation required) and click on the “Advanced” line.

1. Make sure that the box next to “Automatically apply fixes” is checked, and press the “Next” button.

1. The program is running - the system is checked for problems with the Start menu.

1. As you can see, no problems were found. If you have them, corrections will be made automatically. If you click on the “View additional information” item, you can understand what criteria the Microsoft tool uses to look for problems.

Parameters that the program checks:

• incorrectly installed important applications;
• problems in the system registry;
• tile database integrity;
• application manifests.

The report that the utility produces can be printed, and each item in the window displays a tooltip explaining its purpose. These same items are also elements of the table of contents: if you click on one of them, you will be taken to the desired part of the help section.

What to do if the problem is not solved?

We have presented many methods in case the Start button in Windows 10 stops working, which are usually enough for any situation. But even if none of them helped you, don’t be upset. Any OS from Microsoft, and the Ten in particular, has a system of checkpoints, thanks to which you can roll back Windows to the state in which the system was at the time such a point was created.

It is important to create checkpoints before any serious action with the OS, and especially before updating, which often leads to problems. In any case, if you still have questions, ask us in the comments, and we will try to answer in as much detail as possible and help solve the problem.

Video on the topic

The Start menu helps users simplify their computer experience. However, sometimes situations occur in Windows 10 in which it becomes inactive. To date, a fix for this error has been found and presented by Microsoft itself.

Fixing the Start Menu in Windows 10

Sometimes, after updates have been applied to Windows 7 or 8, allowing you to switch to Windows 10, you may experience one problem: the Start menu stops working, and when you click on the icon, nothing happens. A similar situation applies to the search engine. Sometimes this problem can also occur during a clean installation of the operating system.

In the spring of 2016, in response to numerous complaints, Microsoft introduced users a new utility that searches for bugs related to the Start menu and fixes the error.

Using a utility to make the Start menu operational

You can download this program directly from the official Microsoft website using the following link: http://aka.ms/diag_StartMenu. The principle of operation of this utility is completely reminiscent of working with any of the elements of “Problem Diagnosis”. After you have launched this utility, you only need to click on the “Next” button and wait for the results of the utility to be displayed.

If a problem with the Start menu is detected, the service will automatically take action and fix the problem. If you do not want the correction to take place automatically, you must uncheck the box “Automatically correct errors” when starting this software. If the utility does not detect a problem, it will report this and offer to close this program or view additional options.

If you click on the “View additional information” item, a list will be displayed indicating what exactly this program checked.

Currently, this utility checks the following elements:

Are Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost and Microsoft.Windows.Cortana installed correctly?

Registry entries related to the operation of the Start menu;

Checking all available tiles in the Windows 10 operating system;

The functionality of the manifest and the presence of any errors in it.

After upgrading to Windows 10, many (judging by the comments) encountered the problem that the new Start menu does not open, and some other elements of the system (for example, the “All Settings” window) do not work either. What to do in this case?

In this article, I have collected methods that can help if your Start button does not work after upgrading to Windows 10 or installing the system. I hope they will help solve the problem.

Attention: this method simultaneously helps in most cases with problems with the Start menu, but it can also disrupt the operation of applications from the Windows 10 store, keep this in mind. I recommend that you first use the following option to fix the Start menu, and if it does not help, return to this one.

In the second method we will use PowerShell. Since Start and probably search are not working for us, in order to launch Windows PowerShell, go to the folder Windows\ System32\ WindowsPowerShell\ v1.0

In this folder, find the powershell.exe file, right-click on it and select run as Administrator.

Note: Another way to run Windows PowerShell as Administrator is to right-click on the “Start” button, select “Command Prompt (Administrator)”, and in the command line type “powershell” (this will not open a separate window, you can enter commands directly on the command line).

After that, run the following command in PowerShell:

Once it's finished, check if you can open the Start menu now.

Two more ways to fix the problem when Start doesn't work

The following solutions were also suggested in the comments (they may help if, after fixing the problem using one of the first two methods, the Start button does not work again after a reboot). The first one is to use the Windows 10 Registry Editor, to launch it, press the Win+R keys on your keyboard and enter regedit then follow these steps:

1. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ Advanced
2. Right-click on the right side - New - DWORD and set the parameter name EnableXAMLStartMenu(unless this parameter is already present).
3. Double-click on this parameter, set the value to 0 (zero for it).

And one more method from Alexey’s comments, which, according to reviews, also works for many:

There was a similar problem (the Start menu is a third-party program that requires some performance for its work). I solved the problem simply: computer properties, security and maintenance at the bottom left, “maintenance” in the center of the screen, and select start. After half an hour, all the problems that Windows 10 had were gone. Note: to quickly go to computer properties, you can right-click on Start and select “System”.

Creating a new user

If none of the above worked, you can also try creating a new Windows 10 user through the Control Panel (Win+R, then type Control to get into it) or the command line ( net user Username /add).

Typically, for a newly created user, the start menu, settings and desktop work as expected. If you used this method, then in the future you can transfer the files of the previous user to a new account and delete the “old” account.

What to do if these methods do not help

If none of the described methods solved the problem, then I can only suggest using it (returning to its original state), or, if you recently updated, .

After the release of the latest system updates, many Windows 10 users began to complain that the Start menu does not work. Also, the taskbar, settings window and wireless network settings stop working in the OS. Let's look at what the cause of the bug is and how to get the Windows menu back working.

Causes of the problem

The most common errors why the start menu does not open:

• Power Shell crashes. This may well happen after installing a new version of updates. The service responsible for the start menu was disabled during the installation process. The user can reactivate its operation;
• There is a problem with the conductor. In this case, the “My Computer”, “My Documents” and Windows Task Center windows may also stop working in the system;
• Bug in the settings of the current Windows user. The only solution to the problem is to create a new user and deactivate the old account;
• Error in firmware.

Solutions

Below we will look at all the possible ways to restore the start menu. Perform all methods one by one. Also, after each method, you should check the operation of the menu, since there can only be one solution. We describe all options from the simplest to the most complex.

Setting up Power Shell

Power Shell is a special shell inside your OS, with which the user has access to all standardized settings, lists of active services and other useful information about the performance of the computer. Working with Power Shell, you can both disable and restart system services.

If the Start menu in Windows 10 stops working, the first thing to do is start working with Power Shell. On your keyboard, press the Win + X key combination. A window for accessing basic system services will open. Click on the “Windows Power Shell (admin)” field:

If the menu shown in the figure above also does not start, open the task manager (click on EscShiftCtrl at the same time). Then in the new window, click on the “File” menu and the “Create task” item.

In the window that opens, enter PowerShell and check the box for administrator rights. Click OK.

Since there was an error in the standard configuration of system parameters, we need to reactivate the Start menu task. To do this, in the window that opens, enter the Get-appxpackage command, which will restore all lost or damaged data packages.

Enter the command shown in the figure and press Enter to execute it:

Wait until the command completes, and after a successful recovery message, close the Power Shell window and restart your computer. Check the Start menu.

Restarting Explorer

Another reason why the Windows 10 start menu button does not work on your computer is a simple glitch in the standard File Explorer. To eliminate it, just disable and reactivate the Explorer.EXE task.

Follow the instructions:

• Launch the task manager using the keyboard shortcut EscShiftCtrl;
• In the “Processes” tab, find the “Explorer” element. Right-click on it and in the context menu click on “Details”;

• In the window that opens with detailed information about running processes, an object called EXPLORER.EXE will already be highlighted. Right-click on the item and cancel the task. Confirm deletion;
• Now click on the Explorer icon on the taskbar again or open the My Computer shortcut.

Create a new account

If the previous solutions did not help, most likely the problem is a failure in the settings of the active account. You can solve the problem by creating a new user.

In the new desktop, the Start menu will open and work without problems. Follow the instructions:

• Open the Run window using a combination of the Win and R buttons;
• In the text field, enter the control command and click on “OK”;

• As a result of executing the command, the Computer Control Panel window will open. Click on the “User Accounts” tab;
• Next, click on “Delete records”, as shown in the figure:

• In the new window, click on the add new user field;

• In the settings window that opens, find the “Other people” field and click on “Add user”.

Next, follow all the instructions that appear on the screen one by one. After completing the creation of a new account, restart your computer and log in under the new account. The previously broken Windows 10 Start menu will open as usual.

Windows Recovery

This method is more serious than all those described previously. It allows you to fully analyze and restore Windows operation. In the tenth version of the OS, all diagnostics and corrections are carried out automatically. You just need to launch a special utility and wait for it to finish.

Follow the instructions:

• Go to the system settings window. If the Notification Center does not open, you can get to “Settings” through the previous solution - you open the Control Panel, and then call up the window for creating a new user, which in turn automatically opens Windows settings;
• Now open the “Updates and Security” section;

• On the left side of the new window, open the “Recovery” tab;
• Click on the “Start” button.

Ready. The system reset and recovery utility will now open. To save all user files and settings, click on the “Save my files” field. The computer will reboot several times. Once the procedure is completed, you will be able to log into your account.

If the standard restore was completed successfully but you are still getting the Start Menu error and it is not working on Windows 10, you can try another repair method:

• Turn off your computer;
• During the restart process, press the ESC key;
• In the system menu that opens, click on the “Diagnostics” tile;

• Now click on “System Restore” and wait for the action to complete.

Rolling back updates

If the Windows 10 start menu still does not open, you need to perform the last method - rolling back the firmware. This will allow you to return to the previous system settings and fix errors that appeared after installing the latest OS version:

• Go to the “All parameters” window;
• Open the “Update and Security” tile;
• Now click on the “Recovery” tab, and then on the “Return to” button.

The operating system version will be automatically rolled back, preserving all user files and applications. To reuse Windows 10, it is recommended to perform a clean installation.

Now you know how to get rid of the problem of the inactive Start menu in Windows 10. Write in the comments if you were able to solve the problem using the methods described in the article.

With Windows 10, Microsoft has gone back to basics and, by popular demand, has brought back the Start button. Moreover, it has undergone significant changes, becoming more functional, beautiful and user-friendly.

Windows 10 is constantly updated and there are often cases when, when installing a new update, the Start button stops working and does not respond to clicks with either the mouse or the keyboard. If your Start button does not work in Windows 10, then most likely the culprit is either a crooked update or changes in the registry.

There are several simple ways to solve this problem. Let's look at all the solutions, starting with the easiest and ending with the most difficult.

Restart explorer.exe

The Explorer program (also known as the explorer.exe process) is one of the main ones in the Windows operating systems and many other programs depend on it. Restarting Explorer can be done in two ways.

Press the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination on your keyboard and select “Task Manager”. You can also call it by right-clicking on the taskbar.

In the Task Manager window that appears, in the “Processes” tab, find “Explorer” (Windows Explorer in the English version of Windows 10). Right-click on it and click “Restart”. You can also restart it by clicking the button in the lower right corner.

After that, try launching the Start menu. If the method does not help, then read on.

Restoring the Start menu by editing the Windows registry

The essence of this method is to edit the registry parameter responsible for the operation of the Start menu.

Press the Win+R key combination. In the window that appears, write the command to call the regedit registry and click OK.

In the registry window that opens, go to the following branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Now we need to create a new parameter. To do this, right-click anywhere in the right window and select “New” - “DWORD Value (32 bits)”.

Name the new parameter EnableXAMLStartMenu. Double-click on this parameter and assign a value to it 0 .

After this, you need to restart your computer. Make sure that after rebooting the Start button starts working.

Using PowerShell to solve a problem with the Start menu

Click on the magnifying glass icon next to the Start menu and write PowerShell there. The search will find the Windows PowerShell application. Right-click on it and run as administrator.

In the PoweShell window that opens, paste the following code:

Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% (add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + “\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml”))

Press Enter and restart your computer. Check the operation of the Start button.

Official Microsoft utility that fixes a problem with the Start menu

The guys from Microsoft are aware of the problems that arise with the Start menu in Windows 10 and even released a special utility that almost always works.

A Start menu troubleshooting window will appear.

If there are no problems with the Start menu, the following message will appear. If there were problems, the utility will automatically fix them and nothing should interfere with the launch of the Start button.

Creating a new user with a working Start menu

If none of the methods helped you, then you can solve the problem radically and create a new computer user.

When you log in as a new user, a new registry branch will be created that is responsible for the settings of this new user and, accordingly, the Start menu should work under it.

All you have to do is transfer files from the old account to the new one.

To create a new account, search for “Control Panel” and click on it.

Go to the "User Accounts" menu.

Select "Manage another account."

Click "Add new user".

On the next page, specify that you do not have new user login information so that you do not have to provide an email address or phone number to log in to your computer.

Windows insists that we link our account to their services. Click that you want to add a user without a Microsoft account.

And finally we have reached the final point. Specify the username and password of the new computer user.

After this, restart your computer and log in as a new user. Check the operation of the Start button. If everything works, then simply transfer the files from the old user’s folder to the new computer user’s folder.

Video solving problems with the Start button

Especially for those who find it easier to perceive material not in text form, I suggest you watch the video on how to return the “Start” button to functionality.