Remove Windows 10 Blank Menu Items from Deleted AppData  

Noninvasive said:

I deleted my windows store and a bunch of apps and AppData files. How do I make these go away?

#MS-RESOURCE:APPNAME App "Friendly" Name.

Start Menu items are stored at these locations...

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs


If that doesn't help, I would re-install the apps then use Revo Uninstaller to remove them.
Revo has a special uninstaller for Apps and it doesn't leave left overs.

Revo Uninstaller Free - Remove unwanted programs easily

There is a specific but remarkably complex solution here:
Start Menu Corrupted - ms-resource:appDisplayName

This problem has been noted and threads on it can be found generally and on tenforums by searching for
ms-resource: in the start menu

e.g.

Also see
How do I remove a mutant entry from the Windows 10 start menu? - Super User

which relies on identifying the app removed and reinstalling it as Ghot suggested but this gives more info as to how to identify it.

Ghot said:

Start Menu items are stored at these locations...

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

If that doesn't help, I would re-install the apps...

Those locations only have the start menu apps ... that actually exist. These don't exist, they're ghosts; though you may have found the living 5 which actually belong there. You helped me find paint again! I like that, that's what wanted there. We're gonna exercise these daemans and put them back where they belong.

You happy magic fellas are onto something, specially Pan da man. His first link

dalchina said:

Start Menu Corrupted - ms-resource:appDisplayName

is right up my ally. Step 1) There they are! all 5 of them cuddling together trying to keep warm in the nether world.

Windows Photos - DEELETE
WINDOWS CALCULATOR! OH God! I wish I could have that back. I think it's dead.
MS PAint, YEah.... got that, this empty shell can go.
Windows Alarms! WootWoot Phone better.
Windows Photos - again!? "ms-resourceSecondaryTitleDescriptionA" You tricky strange duplicator.. "Friendly Name". I don't trust your friendly name... FAKE!

AyOkay... Never mind the rest of those steps Panda man. Let's delete these suckers--on.

UGHH OHH!!!!!! There's no cut or delete option.
Edge to Microsoft. ! Why of all the folders on my computer did you take the time to shield yourself here? Sounds like a malevolent intent.

Delete ? Damn it! Now I have to follow complicated instructions.
I'm a slaved. I hate you.

Step 2) OH! Ghot!! It's so complicated!! I might just, stop. ...here at the base of the mountain. ... and have a sandwich break.

- - - Updated - - -

I can't be 100% certain exactly what I did because I restarted the computer after PowerShell denied my commands.

So I had the 5 icons found in Applications via Run... shell:AppsFolder. The directory path seems to have no height or depth to it I can only find via that command.

Next, I copied those 5 to the desktop as shortcuts.

Then used "Windows PowerShell > Run as Administrator" to do.. If I remember correctly:

Code:

Get-AppxPackage -all *Photos*

That first time, it worked as described on @dalchina's How do I remove a mutant entry from the Windows 10 start menu? - Super User ; meaning, I saw the details about the app including "PackageUserInformation" and "State:" which was "Paused" (not as expected). I proceeded to try and uninstall it anyway, using:

Code:

Get-AppxPackage -all *Photos* | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers

Now when I do:

Code:

Get-AppxPackage -all *Photos*

it returns:

Get-AppxPackage : Access is denied.
Access is denied.
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-AppxPackage -all *Photos*
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [Get-AppxPackage], UnauthorizedAccessException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.UnauthorizedAccessException,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.GetAp
pxPackageCommand

I also looked at:

Code:

Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName

and nothing in that list says "Photos". I'm guessing the uninstall is complete? or I've lost privileges. I hope it's not because I'm white.

The instructions said to run a .bat file to erase the Photos related link(s?) from the startmenu. So I made one with:

Code:

@echo off
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
taskkill /f /im ShellExperiencehost.exe
taskkill /f /im StartMenuExperiencehost.exe
timeout /t 3 /NOBREAK > nul
del %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\TempState\* /q
del %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\TempState\* /q
timeout /t 1 /NOBREAK > nul
start explorer
@echo on

The instructions used two "ExperienceHost" names, because the tutorial creator saw his had a different name. I see in Process Hacker mine has StartMenuExperiencehost.exe as well. Lets try! "The system can not find the path specified" it said that twice and shut down the bat. It doesn't like my hosts.

Oh... it's got his funkyname! _cw5n1h2chewy or whatevr. Maybe if I put my funkyname? It's at the end of all my package fullnames. New .bat.

I've got both ShellExperianceHost and StartMenuExperianceHost, but their names are both too long to read in Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName's list. ...and mine have capital H for host.

I wonder if I can "Get-AppxPackage -all *Namehere*" for those to see what the details are?
-- if not, maybe I'll just change the funky name in .bat and see how that goes --

Powershell>>
Get-AppxPackage -all *ShellExperianceHost*
Access is denied.

Let's try the small H.
Get-AppxPackage -all *ShellExperiancehost*
Access is denied.

Oh well. More guessing. Funky name to bat here we come. His bat has capital H my bat has capital H.

"annnd... RUN!"

host not found. it said to me with a small h. It could not find the path.

I deleted all my "Microsoft" AppData... Windows Apps, Yuck! :barf: ...and now I don't have a path.

These startmenu links are going to haunt me forever aren't they?

Why isn't *Photos* listed? Was the uninstall successful?

And why can't I Get-AppxPackage -all anymore? I still have a desktop shortcut for
Get-AppxPackage -all *WindowsAlarms*,
and maybe *MSPaint*
and *WindowsCalculator*
...if I don't need those shell:AppsFolder links to restore them.

What do I do? Why does the blood red A.I. say "access denied".
If *Photos* is really gone... how do make it's 2 menu items: "ms-resourceSecondaryTileDescriptionA - Shortcut"
and "ms-resourceAppFriendlyName - Shortcut" ...disappear?

Humbly waiting, for a way out of this maze; hopefully one which doesn't involve reinstall all those apps (except for maybe the 2 I like. Oh! and Microsoft.Office.OneNote, I LOVE THAT, and status say's it's "Ok"; but it has nothing in the "InstallLocation:" that doesn't seem okay to me. Does it seem okay to you?) ~~~I've got a portable on USB, but I'm afraid to use it.~~~

Xbox! we meet again... I uninstalled you. Why are you in the list? ... twice. You don't have any icons. You don't belong here. If I had permissions, instead of totali_vegi_tarianism, I'd delete you.