Two connected problems?: Edge won't start & Start Menu does not work

I'm probably like most people - able to solve the seemingly endless minor windows problems that arise after a bit of google searching on forums. However at the moment I've got two problems that I just can't fix despite trying every solution I could on the web including all of the ones in the relevant threads on this site (short of a clean reinstall). I've done a repair install with no effect. I think the problems are connected though I can't demonstrate this. Perhaps I should be posting in the existing threads but I do think there is a link and thus a common problem. The proble are:

1) Microsoft Edge will not start - the screen opens for a few seconds and then closes. All other browsers and other programs work normally. I've tried all of the answers here: Reset Microsoft Edge to Default in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Browsers Email Tutorials plus all those in the many similar threads around the web

2) For newly created user accounts only, whether normal or admin, the start menu does not work, the Cortana search field is not present, and nor are any MS applications eg Office (though right click on the start button works) or Edge. All other normally installed non-MS programs appear on the desktop and work normally. Similarly I have tried everything I could find in threads like this: Start button on Windows 10 does not work - Microsoft Community A difference between my symptoms and those commonly reported are that mine only affect new accounts. Nothing I do within those accounts fixes things and nor does deleting them and trying again. But the existing accounts on the computer remain normal.

Notably the solutions proffered (regedits, deleting the local app data, re-registering the apps) seem to be similar but have no effect.

I only have Windows defender AV installed. All drivers and W10 itself are bang up to date. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to avoid a time-consuming full reinstall since the computer is still, otherwise, working well.

Thanks!

Iain

v1703 15063.250

Yes I could try that. Unfortunately I don't have a suitable donor computer though. Thanks. That's also proposed as solution for another problem I have on another w10 computer which won't allow the creation of new users at all. But I'm not sure it will work and probably won't address the Edge question.

I sometimes wonder why I bother with Windows. These aren't crippling problems but spending hours fixing them is a pain.

Thanks for your interest anyway.

Iain

Thanks dalchina.

I don't think the problems on the two separate computers are related: the one about not being able to create new user accounts at all (or more accurately not being able to use them once created) also seems to be a common problem with many threads of its own such as this one Cant login with new local users in windows 10 - Super User

As you suggest a partial solution might be to remain a few upgrades behind . . .

dalchina said:

Hi, I would think someone on this forum with the CU build could forward that file. (I'm staying with 1607 for quite a while for a couple of reasons).

Hope this helps. This is NTUSER.DAT from C:\Users\Default on Windows 10 Home (x64) 1703, OS build 15063.250

Thanks for your help: sadly that didn't work. Nor did any number of fixes found on the internet for corrupt user profiles. It looks like I've got to do a full rebuild of the system.