Cortana and Start Menu aren't working

I upgraded to Win 10 a week ago and after a long updating session was well pleased with the OS - everything seemed to work normally and much faster than before.
However, a day after the last updates were installed (KB3081449 and KB3081448) my normal screen appeared with a boxed message ;
'Cortana and Start Menu aren't working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in. Sign out now'.
Signing back in does not fix the problem. I cannot access the Start Menu or Search box. I still have my normal (Win 7 style) screen that luckily still has my shortcuts and I still have WiFi access. I have to shut down using the power button.

I don't know how to access the installed updates (There appears to be no access via Control Panel) and restore options only allow a 'revert to Win 7' - is there a Restore option available that takes you back a few days?

Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> View installed updates. There you can selectively uninstall updates. Unfortunately, out of the box Win10 has system restore turned off, so that is not an option.

I uninstalled the two most recent updates, KB3081449 and KB3081448.
The latest made no difference but the earlier one took some time, needed two restarts and some time to uninstall.
My laptop now appears to be functioning normally - with the Start Panel being available and responding to inputs.
I have never seen Cortana - is it included in an upgrade from Win 7 Home Edition?

I cannot be sure that my problem is totally solved since Win 10 may reinstall the updates without my permission.
I will report further later.

Cortana is the new Win10 search assistant. IMO, it sucks and wish I could completely remove it. However, it is so deeply embedded in the OS that the only removal technique I've found also removes the start menu (forcing you used Classic Shell or some other replacement).

oldie said:

I upgraded to Win 10 a week ago and after a long updating session was well pleased with the OS - everything seemed to work normally and much faster than before.
However, a day after the last updates were installed (KB3081449 and KB3081448) my normal screen appeared with a boxed message ;
'Cortana and Start Menu aren't working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in. Sign out now'.
Signing back in does not fix the problem. I cannot access the Start Menu or Search box. I still have my normal (Win 7 style) screen that luckily still has my shortcuts and I still have WiFi access. I have to shut down using the power button.

I don't know how to access the installed updates (There appears to be no access via Control Panel) and restore options only allow a 'revert to Win 7' - is there a Restore option available that takes you back a few days?

G'day, Oldie!

I'm an 'oldie', too, but I reckon I got this problem licked and it's really quite easy.

Forget about the signing in process; it doesn't make any difference - at least, not for me. If it brings up that message again, bypass it by holding down Ctrl and Alt keys and hitting Delete. Right click on the icon that's farthest right in the bottom RH corner of the screen. This gives you options like 'shut down', 'restart', etc. I have found that the Restart works most of the time but, sometimes, you need to use the Shut down and let it idle for 20-30 seconds before starting up again.

Now, if none of this works, I'd suggest going to the bleepingcomputer site and downloading Rogue Killer and running it. At the end of its scan, you have to check out what nasties it has found by clicking on the buttons underneath the 'working' area. There, you need to trust its judgement and tick all the boxes before hitting the delete button (the one in the software). They don't mention a restart afterwards but I usually do it anyway. Just one little 'quaint' thing in this software is that it stops after its initialisation and asks you to hit the Scan button. No problem but I can't understand why they wouldn't just program that in!

Regarding Microsoft 10 updates, I have found that EVERY SINGLE ONE of them causes all sorts of problems with the computer's operation BUT, after a couple of restarts or a couple of days, everything seems honky-dory again.

Bit of a long reply for a simple solution but I really hope it works okay for you, too.

Regarding Cortana, apparently it is only available in certain countries.

If any Microsoft people read this, it would have been REALLY, REALLY helpful, if you had told us 'mere mortals' that the 'free upgrade' to 10 was, in fact, a Beta version!!!

Regards, Wardie

I spoke too soon.

Following an overnight shutdown the same message appeared again

'Cortana and Start Menu aren't working. We'll try to fix it the next time you sign in. Sign out now'.

I checked my Windows updates and the ones I had uninstalled had not been reinstalled - so they cannot have been responsible.

After a system Restart, everything has gone back to normal - I suspect that after the uninstallation process it was the restart that eliminated the problem. At the moment I am using my laptop after hibernation for a while, so I can work without fear of losing the Start Panel. However, Windows Live Mail cannot currently be opened!



I hope Microsoft can identify and eliminate the loss of Start Panel - the symptom appears to be triggered randomly.

Thanks Wardie - I haven't tried your solution yet but I am keeping my head above water!

Check this : One of the start menu and cortana breaking causes : Registry Reviver - Windows 10 Forums
You might be concerned by the matter.

claytoncarney said:

Cortana is the new Win10 search assistant. IMO, it sucks and wish I could completely remove it. However, it is so deeply embedded in the OS that the only removal technique I've found also removes the start menu (forcing you used Classic Shell or some other replacement).

try removing bing as a search engine in your settings. worked for me