(Win 10) start menu not working

[matt0725]

Hey guys, so i downloaded the anniversary updated last night and since then i have no ability to get into my start menu. I also have displayfusion on my system ( basically all for different wallpapers on my triple monitors) and when it tries to change the background as part of the slideshow i have set up, the image only appears for a second and then disappears into black screen. The programs i have on the task bar all open though, and right clicking does work as well. I can use chrome to access this site, and i can get into steam and the Windows store and windows explorer and anything else i could possibly open from the start bar.

 

I have done some googling and tried the command prompt, powershell, and new user account methods, all to no avail. Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

thanks.

[done12many2]

2 minutes ago, matt0725 said:

Hey guys, so i downloaded the anniversary updated last night and since then i have no ability to get into my start menu. I also have displayfusion on my system ( basically all for different wallpapers on my triple monitors) and when it tries to change the background as part of the slideshow i have set up, the image only appears for a second and then disappears into black screen. The programs i have on the task bar all open though, and right clicking does work as well. I can use chrome to access this site, and i can get into steam and the Windows store and windows explorer and anything else i could possibly open from the start bar.

 

I have done some googling and tried the command prompt, powershell, and new user account methods, all to no avail. Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

thanks.

 

Have you rebooted?

[Charcoal_]

Windows 10 in a nutshell.

[matt0725]

Just now, done12many2 said:

 

Have you rebooted?

Yupp, a handfull of times now. I havent had any issues with Win10 since it came out, i had dual booted it with windows 7 for a while, and then decided i liked it, and clean installed it and had it ever since.

[matt0725]

1 minute ago, nomes said:

I have had issues with this in the past. Maybe try this microsoft troubleshooter aimed at repairing problems with the Windows 10 start menu?

I had actually tried it and just tried again since you linked it so nicely  it told me to reinstall shellhost and cortana, so i did, and it now says not fixed.

[GoodBytes]

If you uninstall DisplayFussion (just for testing), and restart, is your problem fixed?

[done12many2]

3 minutes ago, matt0725 said:

Yupp, a handfull of times now. I havent had any issues with Win10 since it came out, i had dual booted it with windows 7 for a while, and then decided i liked it, and clean installed it and had it ever since.

 

Right click on the desktop and change the scaling of the "text, apps and other items".

 

Set it to something different, apply and log out.  Hopefully when you log back in, you can see your taskbar/start button.

[matt0725]

2 minutes ago, done12many2 said:

 

Right click on the desktop and change the scaling of the "text, apps and other items".

 

Set it to something different, apply and log out.  Hopefully when you log back in, you can see your taskbar/start button.

About to reboot after uninstall of displayfusion, but the task bar itself is there and visible, it just doesnt respond. It sometimes opens but its all unresponsive. I have to reboot by logging out with Win+L and using that menu

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, matt0725 said:

About to reboot after uninstall of displayfusion, but the task bar itself is there and visible, it just doesnt respond. It sometimes opens but its all unresponsive. I have to reboot by logging out with Win+L and using that menu

 

If it doesn't help after you restart, I recall some member discovering that the problem that they faced (which is similar to yours), was fixed by removing their anti-virus and just use Windows Defender (or switch to another A/V solution)

[matt0725]

Im currently only using windows defender. I just rebooted after uninstalling displayfusion and the problem persists. i tried to apply a wallpaper from the personalization screen and i received an error saying i dont have a program that can do this.

[done12many2]

1 minute ago, matt0725 said:

Im currently only using windows defender. I just rebooted after uninstalling displayfusion and the problem persists. i tried to apply a wallpaper from the personalization screen and i received an error saying i dont have a program that can do this.

 

Don't nagging issues like this just suck?  You spend so much time hunting it down.  At a certain point you start saying I could have been done with a fresh install already.  

[matt0725]

I hate fresh installs. Im bad at getting all my stuff back together. but it may need to be done. the worst part will be downloading all my steam games again.

[matt0725]

ironically, i was just able to open the start menu and open seagate discwizard before it locked up again. Its so strange because its a start menu lockup not a system lockup.

[done12many2]

19 minutes ago, matt0725 said:

I hate fresh installs. Im bad at getting all my stuff back together. but it may need to be done. the worst part will be downloading all my steam games again.

 

I've got them down perfectly now.  I keep Steam files loaded on a separate drive and have all my software loaded in one folder on a separate drive for a fairly quick install.

 

I'll always give troubleshooting a spin first, but I don't waste a lot of time messing around anymore.

 

With all of this said, why not look into the Windows 10 Reset using the "Keep my files" options.  All you need to install are your programs, but your personal files remain.

[matt0725]

I think im going to try that. Besides losing save files and stuff, i have nothing i really care about, so if i need to i will just wipe and restore, or even start actually clean if needed. this is a pain though. ive never been forced to clean install like this before. I won't have time to do it today, so ill pray microsoft releases a patch before i get around to doing anything.

[matt0725]

Update: went into fuck it mode and went to reset, and it fails. clean install it is?

[done12many2]

3 minutes ago, matt0725 said:

I think im going to try that. Besides losing save files and stuff, i have nothing i really care about, so if i need to i will just wipe and restore, or even start actually clean if needed. this is a pain though. ive never been forced to clean install like this before. I won't have time to do it today, so ill pray microsoft releases a patch before i get around to doing anything.

 

I've never had a problem caused by Windows 10 or Anniversary Edition.  My problems are caused by corruption when I push overlcocking hard during benchmarking and experience repetitive crashing.  Years ago I just started using separate drives for everything I do and problem is solved.  If a bork up a benchmarking OS, no biggie.  Clean install and go.

[done12many2]

1 minute ago, matt0725 said:

Update: went into fuck it mode and went to reset, and it fails. clean install it is?

 

Yeah, it sounds like whatever is causing your problems really screwed things up nicely.

 

Before you clean install, I'd look into doing so with the latest Anniversary Edition so that your doing a clean install of that version and not an upgrade.  I heard that the ISO is already available for download.

[GoodBytes]

You can do a System Restore, to bring back your system in time before you uninstalled DisplayFusion (by default, your system creates a restore point before installing and uninstalling a software, that is why setups stuck at 0% for a moment). It also does it before installing a Windows update.

 

However, the screw up will remain... of course. A clean install is the best way to ensure 0 problem, all problem fixed. If you do it using the Media Creation Tool, you'll get directly the Anniversary Update, which is nice... saves you time.

 

[kirashi]

A clean install is the way to go here if you're still experiencing the issue after a System Restore, or if Reset Your PC isn't working.

I remember when they managed to break the power icon button completely on one of the Insider Builds... How do you even? facepalm

Quote

Known issues for PC - Build 14905

• Support for kernel debugging over 1394 has been removed, but will be available in an upcoming kit release. A work-around will be posted to the Debugging Tools for Windows Blog shortly.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader crashes when you try to launch it.
• Cortana’s text to speech capabilities is not working in this build. For example, Cortana won’t be able to read text messages out loud for you, tell jokes, sing, or give verbal prompts.
• When clicking on the power button on the Start menu, it closes the Start menu without opening the flyout with restart/shutdown options appearing. As a workaround – you can right-click on the Start button (or WIN + X) and choose to shutdown via this menu instead.
• Apps such as Yahoo Mail, Trivia Crack, Google and the Skype Translator Preview app will crash in this build due to a compatibility issue from a recent platform change.
• The Settings app may crash on certain editions of Windows 10 when navigating to different settings pages due to a missing .dll file. We are working on getting this fixed soon.

Anyway, the start menu in Windows 10 (or any operating system, really) should never be a broken item, since its' required to access other functions in the OS.

Yes, technically one could access everything through the command line, but since it's designed to be an integral part of the OS, I feel your pain @matt0725.

[GoodBytes]

3 hours ago, kirashi said:

A clean install is the way to go here if you're still experiencing the issue after a System Restore, or if Reset Your PC isn't working.

I remember when they managed to break the power icon button completely on one of the Insider Builds... How do you even? facepalm

Anyway, the start menu in Windows 10 (or any operating system, really) should never be a broken item, since its' required to access other functions in the OS.

Yes, technically one could access everything through the command line, but since it's designed to be an integral part of the OS, I feel your pain @matt0725.

 

 

Yea. He isn't an insider. And if you are an Insider, Microsoft makes it clear that you should expect lots issues, and they don't recommend to install on your main system.

When you change stuff on the back, strange things at the front (what you interact with) can display strange behavior(s). When you use Insider build of Windows (especially Fast ring), you have minimal amount of testing, and no quality (meaning: only if it is something like data loss or something really big, like software not running, that won't release it, else, it is released, especially if there is another way to do the same thing which avoids the bug.. like using the power button, or going through the Win+X menu)

 

Usually, the team that works on the back-end is different than the front end. Changes on the back, a dev can't really know the consequences that it can happen to the front. The fix might also be time to consuming. Microsoft wants to release builds every week (that's their average target for Fast Ring). People have asked for faster builds. This is the consequences of asking for faster release of builds. Stuff that worked fine, might be broken again...

 

Please, don't criticize things you don't have an idea on. I don't know what you are trying to do. You are going to a house in renovation, where the foundation and inside wall content are being changed. The house is passing through this massive change, while still having people living inside, and you complain that you have some of your faucets don't work right, or the floor is not exactly straight as the house had to be lifted to change the foundations.

 

The forum has a forum section for Windows 10 Insider, you can discuss issues that you face there.

 

The Start Menu under Windows 10 works fine for most people. Something broke his Windows, or there is a problem with his GPU drivers (as it is a GPU rendered now).

 

[kirashi]

13 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

--SNIP--

Apologies. I did provide input on his issue regarding what steps should be taken next, but should not have used it as an opportunity to make light of the weird oddities found on insider builds. Won't happen again.

 

@matt0725, where are you with your clean installation process? Is everything going well ?