Windows Start button not working

Anonymous
2010-11-11T12:49:00+00:00

The Windows start button is not working. When I press it nothing happens. SO I cannot shut down the computer in the normal manner or access any programs other than ones with desktop icons.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2015-02-14T05:42:28+00:00

Hi,

I faced a similar issue! The following worked for me

  1. Right click on the Start Button and select "Run"
  2. Type "regedit"
  3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Explorer>Advance
  4. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value, call it "EnableXamlStartMenu"
  5. Restart Explorer​ from task manager.

Hope this helps!

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Anonymous
2010-11-11T15:34:40+00:00

Hi nickthomp.

Does start menu open if you press the windows key on the keyboard?.

Can you right click the start menu orb and choose properties, if so

In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, click Use Default Settings, clickOK, and then clickOK again.

Also try.

1 .   Press Ctrl + Alt+ delete on the keyboard and click on task manager.

2 .   Click on the Process tab and locate explorer.exe in the windows and click on end task.

3 .   Click on File and then click on New.

4.   Type explorer.exe and press enter.

Hope his helps.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-07-01T17:25:20+00:00

    Checking into this thread once again. After a few months of normal operation the issue has resurfaced again. Same symptoms everyone else has had.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-07-01T17:22:36+00:00

    Hi,

    What if 'Properties' does not show up when you right click the start button?  Properties is not listed as a choice...

    I await your reply-

    thanks,

    sam

    Same with me. No Properties option when right-clicking Start button.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-07-01T17:21:39+00:00

    Hi,

    If issue is recurring then there might be a chance that HDD is corrupted. So, I would request you to run chkdsk command to scan your hard disk if there is any corruption with disk or not. To check if your hard drive is causing the issue we can try running chkdsk command.

    Steps to run CHKDSK command.

    • Go to Start, click All Programs and open Accessories.
    • Right click on Command Prompt in the Program list and then select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click OK.
    • Press OK the UAC prompt if shown. That will open an elevated command prompt. (It will show Administrator in the caption.)
    • Then enter the chkdsk command

    chkdsk c: /f (or other drive letter if applicable).

    • Confirm to run on next startup and reboot.

    Computer can’t run a disk check while actively using Windows, but you can schedule it to start automatically the next time your computer is turned on.

    When the disk check is finished, your computer will automatically reboot. The disk check will fix any problems it encounters in your hard drive.

    Important: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost

    Do keep us updated.

    Regards,

    Did you notice that the title of this thread is "Windows Start Button Not Working"? We are posting here because we cannot "go to Start".

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