Apps Immediately Crash

roystreet · 20 Mar 2016

Hi Everyone,
I've run into this problem where I'm offline and I open a modern app, I might see the app for a moments, but then immediately closes or crashes. It doesn't seem to happen to the mall/calendar app that comes with Windows 10.

I've noticed though that sometimes after I connect to the internet later on the a the app will then work. The app doesn't use the internet.

Sometimes I may need to reboot and connect to the Internet, then open the app and it works. I've tested with just reboots and that doesn't always work.

The only thing I can guess is it's trying to pong the mothership [emoji1]. It happens to free and paid apps. But it doesn't appear to happen to any apps that

This has happened even after a fresh install of the OS. I've previously uninstall/reinstall the app and it will still do it. It doesn't always do it, so I can't find consistency.

dalchina · 20 Mar 2016

Hi, can you confirm that your Win 10 has previously worked correctly, and advise how long you've had this problem?

You could try this:
1. manually check for universal app updates
Store - Check for App Updates in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
2.
Store Cache - Clear and Reset in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Otherwise:
If it's recently occurred you could try using a system restore point, if you have system restore enabled.

Otherwise, you could check if the problem still exists after a clean boot (i.e. is there a conflict with sthg you've installed)
Clean Boot - Perform in Windows 10 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts - Windows 10 Forums

If you still have the same problem, try again in Safe Mode.
Undo any changes made to date.

If you have the same problem in Safe Mode, then try
At an admin command prompt (windows key + X, click command prompt (admin) type
sfc /scannow
and wait for the procedure to finish - takes a while.

Check if the problem persists.
Post back as appropriate.
Good luck..

roystreet · 20 Mar 2016

Hello, dalchina, Windows 10 worked a time before this happened. Like I said, not enough consistency to put my fingers on the culprit.

I check for updates. Even the store app will crash sometimes and you'll have to reopen it.

I have cleared the store crash and just when it appears it might've helped, it does it again [emoji57]. So whatever the problem is, it's not really going away.

Is it possible that the apps are designed to ping Microsoft, possibly for credential verification? If it has a problem doing that, but then the apps stop working. I think it's more of an issue pertaining to that.

It won't do it every time I open it and it will do it after a pretty fresh install of Windows. Before I even install much on the machine.

Last night solitaire that comes with Windows 10 stopped working, but I bet if I go online for a minute or so before I open solitaire that it will start working again

roystreet · 20 Mar 2016

Yep, solitaire now works...For some reason after I go online for maybe 30 seconds or so [emoji57]
Now, I'm NOT logging into some gaming account, so it doesn't have to do with that

dalchina · 20 Mar 2016

Ah- didn't read your last para of 1st post properly.. "This has happened even after a fresh install of the OS." - sorry. Hmm.

So what happens if you completely disconnect the internet?

Is there anything of interest in the Event Log (Event Viewer) or the Reliability History?

roystreet · 22 Mar 2016

dalchina -- I do see all sorts of issues in the Event Viewer. I see a multitude of critical errors that go from "SharpShell" to "Apps". The Apps one is one I focused on more. Part of the general tab shows the name of the modern app & that it failed to activate. I'm wondering if some of this has to do with permissions?
I did look at this article that may give some incite on this:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2798317

...But why would it start to work after I go online?? I still think Windows 10 apps want to ""phone home"

dalchina · 23 Mar 2016

Hi, basic question- if you did a new install, how could permissions have been changed?

What does happen if you disconnect the internet? Or use Safe Mode (without networking)

=================
However, if you think permissions were changed somehow, then try this:

Tweaking.com's repair tool.
This includes a number of permissions repairs.

I would strongly recommend before trying relatively random repairs (i.e. no guarantee, just a try it and see approach) that you use disk imaging to back up your current system.

The repair tool is cautious as it does take you through a series of stages before you attempt any repair.
I would also strongly recommend you select only 1 or two repairs at a time and try that rather than letting everything run.

Some users have also reported the old Powershell command used to repair apps until MS broke this last November (though not in this specific scenario), however in general as far as I know these could still break apps leaving @ signs before them in the Start Menu as a typical symptom.

Again, with a disk image backup you could try that.

roystreet · 23 Mar 2016

My thought of permissions comes by way of investigating many other possibilities for the problems I'm having & none so far have changed anything. Also, by what the event viewer states about apps having issues pertaining to permissions, it leads me to consider permissions. I'm not 100% how permissions would've changed, but I'm open to they could have.

I have another thread or so where I do talk about this as well as Windows 10 regularly asking for credentials & regularly having to "fix my account" in the Windows 10 mail app. This adds to my questioning of permissions. I now use a local admin account & it no longer asks for credentials to be verified, but the other problems (eg app crashing & fixing email accounts) still persist.

Everything works offline fine...For a little while...Then it needs to go online for a small amount of time, (maybe a few minutes) open up the modern apps & you will usually see them magically work again. Then you can go offline & then for maybe days they work just fine & do not immediately crash. These issues really only pertain to Windows 10 apps, not regularly desktop apps.

Note: When I'm going online, I'm not downloading any updates, just going online. I don't even have to browse the web...The only thing I can really boil it down to is MS wants these apps to ping their servers...Maybe data it's collected. I imagine if it's a free app that includes advertising that they'd want to go back online to download a new ad. Those are just some of my guesses.

dalchina · 23 Mar 2016

Hi, just a thought, if you go to Settings, Privacy, General, do you happen to see a red 'Some settings are managed by your organisation'?

And if you open the Action Centre, is your Location tile 'on' (lighter colour)?

I've noticed sometimes I'm asked to enter my password to confirm my details. No idea why. I don't use the universal mail app.

roystreet · 23 Mar 2016

I have changed my settings so that now it does state 'Some settings are managed by your organisation' because I want to choose when updates are coming down. This was a very recent change, like a month or so ago. I've had the problem before & after this recent change. The location setting is off, but I know it has been on in the past. But I never experimented with it on to see if it has the same app problems while it was on...Is that what you were thinking of?