Start Menu & Search Functions Broke With Microsoft’s January Patch

Topic

New Reply

[Mr. Austin]

Any useful or experienced help will be appreciated. The symptoms:

• from a cold boot the Windows button, Start menu, and Taskbar search box fail to function completely
• I can get a Task Manager, but can’t execute Shutdown.exe from it
• The keyboard and mouse work
• These things also mean that File Explorer is hosed, and the shortcut I have for it on my Taskbar is unresponsive
• They might start working when I figure out a way to restart the OS

These symptoms make the system utterly unusable. As I write this now I know that one sensible but abysmally long fix will be to reinstall the partially corrupted OS.

I know from decades of experience as a Windows user and former mixed-OS LAN administrator that it might take Microsoft’s 2nd-level engineers literal hours to solve this. I’m instead posting what feels like a last-ditch effort to prevent me from abandoning my use of Windows. I feel like selling my Intel hardware and getting a high-buck Apple desktop and laptop. If I do I won’t be looking fondly backwards at my long, now ending use of Microsoft products. They were an OK company for the 20th century. But they’re failing me now.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.

Reply | Quote

Replies

[geekdom]

What is your version and build?

What was the update and KB number?

Were there any error messages during or after installation?

Did you make a backup?

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
offline▸ Acer TravelMate P215-52 RAM8GB Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1265 x64 i5-10210U SSD Firefox106.0 MicrosoftDefender
online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by geekdom.

Reply | Quote

[Mr. Austin]

– Windows 10, build 19041

– whatever automatic, required patches Microsoft suggested

– no error messages

– shut down was accomplished using the power off switch

– after cold boot the symptoms might disappear until the next boot

– several backups in place

I might proceed with a system Reset, as File Explorer shows symptoms of being hosed.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.

Reply | Quote

See if this helps – Troubleshoot Start menu errors

--Joe

Reply | Quote

Thanks Joe.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

Mr. Austin wrote:

I know that one sensible but abysmally long fix will be to reinstall the partially corrupted OS.

The sensible fix would be to restore from image backup taken before applying Jan. updates.
This fix will take 5 min. the most.

Reply | Quote

I agree. But no can do at this writing. Because:  You also might have followed other threads noticing that Acronis True Image was failing on this same box. So I de-installed it.

I began testing EaseUS To Backup Home last month. It’s fiddly. It would do backups but without human intervention, but it wouldn’t automatically trim down its own files, and it filled up an 8 TB spinning USB disc with itself. So EaseUS suggested I receive their tech support for the brand new installation of their software. Haven’t done that yet in my copious spare time

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

Repair install over the top.

PowerShell command to fix the issue  https://techuserfriendly.com/how-to-fix-windows-10-start-menu-when-it-is-not-working-powershell-command-prompt/#:~:text=Right-click%20the%20Windows%2010%20Start%20Menu%20icon,%20then,have%20a%20%E2%80%9CPS%E2%80%9D%20in%20front%20of%20it.%203.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

Reply | Quote

Now, that, Susan, looks encouraging

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

Susan Bradley wrote:

Repair install over the top. PowerShell command to fix the issue

Thanks Susan. I tried according the destructions shown there. Since when the problem actually happens both the Windows button and right mouse menu over are unavailable, I applied the procedure in a Hail Mary pass to see if it helped.

I must wait until the next cold boot and see what goes on. Attached is screenshot of the procedure in progress.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

Is fast startup enabled? I’ve seen some strange stuff with it enabled. I now disable it on every system.

Reply | Quote

this SHOULD be the VERY FIRST thing to do on any modern PC running Win10 on superfast SSD drives – disable fast startup

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth

Reply | Quote

[Mr. Austin]

Anoymous:  Probably. Dunno. What I do know is that this system (yes, it came from the factory with an SSD) has run for over 18 months without ridonckulous Start Menu issues like this. The problem started the morning after the system was cold-booted, immediately after Microsoft’s patches to their patches. I get a tepid feeling about disabling a UEFI feature like fast start when both the OS and all its hardware were designed to handle it. To me, either the OS functions properly without either constant or Herculean tweakage, or the OS outright ***, and I see no gray areas there worth considering. Microsoft isn’t paying me to de-bug their mediocre-at-best OS.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.

Reply | Quote

On shutdown, Fast startup closes programs and logs the user out. Then it saves the kernel, drivers and system state to the hibernation file and powers off.  When powered back on, the ram is refreshed with the image from the hibernation file.

My thought is, any OS corruption that occurs is carried forward to each new session until you use restart, which bypasses Fast startup.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

Reply | Quote

mledman wrote:

My thought is, any OS corruption that occurs is carried forward to each new session until you use restart, which bypasses Fast startup.

If that’s true (and I’ve no reason to disbelieve it since I haven’t looked into it) then the behaviors I’ve seen would make sense. At the same time it would also represent significant flaws in Windows spaghetti code because it would tend to perpetuate a mistake.

To me it still means that I might want to reinstall Windows and thereafter keep an up-to-date system drive image. I’m unwilling to babysit OS breakage.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

mledman wrote:

On shutdown, Fast startup closes programs and logs the user out. Then it saves the kernel, drivers and system state to the hibernation file and powers off.  When powered back on, the ram is refreshed with the image from the hibernation file.

OK, anon, EP and MLedman. I caved and disabled Fast Start inside the UEFI BIOS. Now I wait and see what happens or doesn’t. Thank you. At least that strategy is faster and simpler than reinstalling the complete OS.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

From the Task Manager – Last BIOS time:  178.5 seconds. Basically 3 hooman minutes. Since I usually fire-up my desktop when I’m pre-verbal between 4:30 AM and 6 AM, I’ll just go make a cup’pa, and relax about this, and the world will wait for my outboard mind to come on-line.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

From the Task Manager before rebooting, and after disabling Windows fast startup:

1 –  Before a warm re-boot, Last BIOS time:  8051.7 seconds. Charming and totally inaccurate

2-  At this most recent warm re-boot, Last BIOS time:  11543.0 seconds. Surprising and insanely inaccurate

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

What do these figures represent–the amount of time that it took your computer to finish booting with Fast Boot disabled, or something else?

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

Reply | Quote

They represent me trying to keep track of how long it takes the computer to boot. The goofy high numbers seemed to have been happening because I was restarting the computer rather than shutting it down. After the last shutdown the same number shows 22.5 seconds.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth

Reply | Quote

The changes you need to make are not in the UEFI BIOS, but in the OS. It is NOT Safe Boot/Startup, which is related to the UEFI BIOS.

Fast Startup saves part of the Operating System (Windows). You turn off Fast Startup in the Control Panel\Power Options\Choose what the power buttons do
It will be at the bottom along with Sleep. You may have to click “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”

Put the UEFI/BIOS settings back to where they were and change the Fast Startup settings in the Control Panel.

Reply | Quote

well, looking at your previous posts as a profile of what is being dealt with, says it all. ‘Seek and ye shall find’ Tinkering with registry when you clearly do not understand the implications, looking for quick fixes after breaking, OS hooks isolated in an attempt to fix for yourself. I don’t believe it’s the OS or a patch, pebkac is wholly to blame.

With regards to Windows 10 as an operating system, is best left as it is with GP settings in place and not many modifications.

Reply | Quote

PKCano wrote:

It will be at the bottom along with Sleep.

PCCano – I don’t see matching language for that. Here’s a screenshot of the existing settings before I change anything.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

[cyberSAR]

Control Panel > Power Options Look on left for link “Choose what the power buttons do” and click it.

Look at bottom of page for fast startup. You will probably have to click Change settings currently unavailable at top of page to change it.

I usually disable hibernation with the command “powercfg -h off” in powershell as admin. Faster than bouncing around through all the menus.

Edit to add: I don’t use hibernation at all so that’s why I do the poweshell command.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by cyberSAR.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Mr. Austin

Reply | Quote

[Mr. Austin]

cyberSAR wrote:

Control Panel > Power Options Look on left for link “Choose what the power buttons do” and click it

Found it although it was hidden. The Windows OS does not define it as a feature with capitalized names, which is one of the reasons why I’d yet to think of it in my mind as a Windows feature, and my experienced heretofore defaulted to thoughts of a BIOS setting.

I expect to use Hibernation as Microsoft sold the OS to me as a feature I value so I’m leaving it alone.

These two screenshots were taken before I disabled fast startup.

 

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Mr. Austin.

Reply | Quote

Uncheck Fast Startup and reboot. You may notice a very slight increase in time to your desktop but not much at all… especially with an SSD. Your delay after changing the setting in the BIOS was because it is running more tests on memory and hardware than with the fast start (in the BIOS) enabled. Either setting is fine in my opinion.

Reply | Quote

Soooo, all who posted about this. After disabling Windows fast startup, the computer wasn’t going to sleep, and would stay on. So I re-enabled fast startup so the computer does the behavior of going to sleep. I will wait and see if the wacky Start Menu behavior returns or it doesn’t.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote

Do a repair install over the top if it still occurs.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

1 user thanked author for this post.

Mr. Austin

Reply | Quote

Susan Bradley wrote:

Do a repair install over the top if it still occurs.

Susan, your direction is both intelligent and welcome. I’ve known and worked on all versions of Windows since 3, and have found that once its installations reaches some thresholds of corruption it’s most efficacious to reinstall the whole OS. Otherwise can be easily caught in a labyrinth of rabbit trails, chasing down seemingly infinite leads, and the whole process becomes an unwelcome game.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

Reply | Quote