Windows Icon List Sometimes Doesn't Work or Many Programs Labeled 'New

GarCooper · 05 Feb 2018

My Dell Laptop recently had two hard drive "errors". These have been taken care of/repaired per system msgs. I also ran chkdisk /f. Didn't get any msgs.

I posted about this last week and got some guidance but have some continuing problems. Sometimes when I look at the list you get when you click the Windows icon, the list looks normal but if I click say Windows Accessories, I don't get a list of them, and the Icon list disappears. Other times all the Windows Programs and quite few others in the Icon list are labeled 'New'. When I click on a 'New" item it gives the expected response.

Also, over half the items in my Start list screen have disappeared.

What is causing this strange, very inconvenient behavior? What can be done?

dalchina · 06 Feb 2018

Hi, are you running Win 7 or 10? If 10, please complete and update your specs (see mine for comparison - a tutorial on that is available if you need it).

If Win 7, please try the Win 7 forum. Thanks. Windows 7 Help Forums

Suggest you go back a step and run the following so we can see better what might be happening.

Please run the following integrity checks:
Download and run Hard Disk Sentinel (trial) and post a screenshot of its GUI. It gives a very clear indication of the state of your disk.
If OK: From an admin command prompt run
chkdsk c: /scan
and post a screenshot of the result.
If OK: From that prompt run
SFC /SCANNOW
and post a screenshot of the result.

To post a screenshot please use the icon above your post to the left of the video icon

GarCooper · 06 Feb 2018

OK, I've put in the specs for this laptop (the problem system).

I'll run the suggested checks and get back to you.

Thanks.

Gar Cooper

dalchina · 06 Feb 2018

If all those pass, and your only problem relates to the Start Menu, then try one of these as you think most appropriate:
Reset Start Layout in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials
Start Menu Troubleshooter in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials
Re-register Start Menu in Windows 10 Apps Features Tutorials

(It's interesting that no-one reports problems with the free start menu replacement Classic Shell - whose development has sadly been discontinued!)

GarCooper · 06 Feb 2018

The scans (attached) all seem OK. The Sentinel screen came up almost instantly. I don't feel like it had time to actually do any checking of the disk. I played with it but kept getting the same results.

The Windows Icon list seems OK this morning. The 'new' labels are gone. However,
that problem has come and gone a couple of times.

Thanks for the tutorials on Start Menu problems. I'll work on that.

Can we keep this thread open for a few days till I see how things go?

Thanks.

dalchina · 06 Feb 2018

Those are all great results. Given your comment originally about your disk it seemed wise to do that.

HDD Sentinel looks at the SMART parameters and gives a report. That's quick. It can do more e.g. from the Disk tab, but not needed here I think.

If the problem recurs, try the tutorials, then if that doesn't help, try creating a new user for test purposes and see if you see the problem logged in as that user. If not, time to start thinking about 3rd party programs, e.g. a clean boot.