Critcal Error: Your Start Menu Isn't Working

Page 1 of 6 123 ... LastLast

  1. Posts : 44
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #1

    Critcal Error: Your Start Menu Isn't Working


    If someone has already posted a thread about this issue, forgive me if this is redundant. Anyway, the start menu doesn't work (Critical Error: Your Start Menu Isn't Working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in.") Also not working are any of the start menu-related apps (weather, news, calculator, etc), Cortana and Edge Browser. Pretty much all the things that make Windows 10 so appealing don't work. An hour on a chat with a Microsoft Support Tech yielded no solution. We tried: runing "sfc /scannow", something with command prompt and Powershell, and another scan with "DSIM". Also tried logging in in Safe Mode and then restarting. BTW, the "sfc /scannow" did find errors and repaired them, but that didn't solve the problem. Go figure.

    I'm thinking there's no real solution to this problem until Microsoft releases some kind of patch, but if someone has any other idea, I'd sure appreciate it. I really don't want to go back to Windows 8.1.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #2

    Hello leafdesigner, and welcome to Ten Forums. :)

    If you like, a repair install should be able to sort this for you without losing anything.

    Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 44
    Windows 10 Home x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you for the response, I appreciate it. I was hoping there was a less drastic solution than a reset or reinstall. Those often seem to raise new issues of their own.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
       #4

    leafdesigner said:
    Thank you for the response, I appreciate it. I was hoping there was a less drastic solution than a reset or reinstall. Those often seem to raise new issues of their own.
    Did this work for you? I'm hesitant to try any fix without some feedback. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 81
    Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit 21H1
       #5

    It could be user profile corruption. You could create a new user and see if the start menu is working there. If so, you'd need to recreate your original user account.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
       #6

    claytoncarney said:
    It could be user profile corruption. You could create a new user and see if the start menu is working there. If so, you'd need to recreate your original user account.
    Thanks for your response. I'm afraid I have to do a reinstall.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 44
    Windows 10 Home x64
    Thread Starter
       #7

    jogger52 said:
    Did this work for you? I'm hesitant to try any fix without some feedback. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
    I successfully performed a repair install and the start menu, Cortana, Edge have all been restored. However, most of the icons that apprear on the start menu are a generic white page. Not sure what to do about that. The start menu was also mostly blank after the repair because everything was turned to "off" in the Start Menu Settings.

    Anyway, I'm also worried that this problem is going to recur- it has for many users. It seems that MS has definitely not perfected Windows 10, judging by other similar threads I've seen on this forum and things I've turned up doing online searches. If the problem returns, I'll probably just go back to 8.1 (I have the installation disk for that, thankfully- I don't trust the "go back to 8.1" feature in Windows 10). Such a shame, as Windows 10 is in many ways a terrific OS. But what can you do?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 44
    Windows 10 Home x64
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Brink said:
    Hello leafdesigner, and welcome to Ten Forums. :)

    If you like, a repair install should be able to sort this for you without losing anything.

    Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade
    Hi Brink- thanks, this worked, but see my reply to Jogger52 below.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 68,668
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #9

    It seems that you have some issue possibly caused by upgrading to 10.

    Usually a clean install will give good results. If you want to do a clean install, be sure to select "Skip" when asked to enter a product key since your free Windows 10 activation is registered on the Microsoft activation servers for the PC.

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...n-install.html
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 8
    Windows 10
       #10

    Brink said:
    It seems that you have some issue possibly caused by upgrading to 10.

    Usually a clean install will give good results. If you want to do a clean install, be sure to select "Skip" when asked to enter a product key since your free Windows 10 activation is registered on the Microsoft activation servers for the PC.

    https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...n-install.html
    Do I need to do a backup to an external hard drive before I do the clean install? I'm afraid this whole process is beyond my capabilities.
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:28.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums