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Start menu software links not working

MGsubbie
By MGsubbie
in Troubleshooting
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This started today. You can see an example in the screenshot. Some software works, other software doesn't. If I click on the ones that look like a text document, nothing happens. I can only open the software by opening a file associated with the software, or by finding the .exe file through Windows explorer.

I just spent hours with Microsoft support chat, trying all tons of things. I've deleted and rebuilt my index list, adjusted page file sizes, and so on. The issue still persists. I use Classic shell and Displayfusion, but I've been using those for 2 years without issue.

 

My only left solutions are using my install flash drive to try to repair, or reverting Win 10 to a fresh install. My last resort would be a full format, but I would prefer to avoid having to do that.

Any other proposed solutions?

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6 minutes ago, MGsubbie said:

This started today. You can see an example in the screenshot. Some software works, other software doesn't. If I click on the ones that look like a text document, nothing happens. I can only open the software by opening a file associated with the software, or by finding the .exe file through Windows explorer.

I just spent hours with Microsoft support chat, trying all tons of things. I've deleted and rebuilt my index list, adjusted page file sizes, and so on. The issue still persists. I use Classic shell and Displayfusion, but I've been using those for 2 years without issue.

 

My only left solutions are using my install flash drive to try to repair, or reverting Win 10 to a fresh install. My last resort would be a full format, but I would prefer to avoid having to do that.

Any other proposed solutions?

Have you tried using the classic start menu first? Microsoft support isn't going to help you when it comes to third party software. 

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1 minute ago, MGsubbie said:

Do you mean the default Win 10 start menu?

Yep.

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Sony MDR-V250 | GNT-500 | Logitech G610 Orion Brown | Logitech G402 | Samsung C27JG5 | ASUS ProArt PA238QR
iPhone 12 Mini (iOS 18.3) | iPhone 15 (iOS 18.3.1) | KZ AZ09 Pro x KZ ZSN Pro X | Sennheiser HD450bt
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2 minutes ago, MGsubbie said:

I've been spending the last 20 minutes trying to uninstall classic shell, but this one POS folder and file won't let me change permissions to delete it.

Does the installation fail? Or are you just trying to delete the residual files? 

Intel® Core™ i7-12700 | GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 | Gigabyte Radeon™ RX 6650 XT Gaming OC | 32GB Corsair Vengeance® RGB Pro SL DDR4 | Samsung 990 Pro 1TB | WD Green 1.5TB | Windows 11 Pro | NZXT H510 Flow White
Sony MDR-V250 | GNT-500 | Logitech G610 Orion Brown | Logitech G402 | Samsung C27JG5 | ASUS ProArt PA238QR
iPhone 12 Mini (iOS 18.3) | iPhone 15 (iOS 18.3.1) | KZ AZ09 Pro x KZ ZSN Pro X | Sennheiser HD450bt
Intel® Core™ i7-1265U | Kioxia KBG50ZNV512G | 16GB DDR4 | Windows 11 Enterprise | HP EliteBook 650 G9
Intel® Core™ i5-8520U | WD Blue M.2 250GB | 1TB Seagate FireCuda | 16GB DDR4 | Windows 11 Home | ASUS Vivobook 15 
Intel® Core™ i7-3520M | GT 630M | 16 GB Corsair Vengeance® DDR3 | Samsung 850 EVO 250GB | macOS Catalina | Lenovo IdeaPad P580

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I tried to uninstall using Control Panel > Programs, it gave me an error.. The folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Classic Shell will not let me delete it. And now I also get errors trying to install Classic Shell.

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I was able to get rid of classic shell start. In the default Windows 10 start menu the affected software now simply does not show up in search or my program list. I'm going to reinstall some to see if that changes anything. They still show up in Control Panel > Programs

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