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

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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
    2016-05-30T12:39:05+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,

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-06-01T06:01:36+00:00

    I have tried at least 6 different methods to solve this problem. NONE of them worked. I cannot believe something as basic as the start button is none functional in such a highly touted operating system release!!!   MS operating systems have been going downhill since XP/2000/NT and each succeeding version is more problematic and slower than the last. I have an I5 quad processor with 16 gigs of memory and the programs are slow to load. Why can't Microsoft fix this????

    My current solution is really a bypass of the start menu. I have made up file folders containing shortcuts to the executables. Each folder has a theme. Internet programs, video players, music players, graphic prorams, video programs, etc...  Works fine for me. I used to organize my start menus in a similar fashion but could not do the same with W10.

    So I will live without Edge,action center, voice commands and of course the start button. I will just have to be resourceful until MS fixes the problem....

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-06-01T21:48:18+00:00

    I have tried at least 6 different methods to solve this problem. NONE of them worked. I cannot believe something as basic as the start button is none functional in such a highly touted operating system release!!!   MS operating systems have been going downhill since XP/2000/NT and each succeeding version is more problematic and slower than the last. I have an I5 quad processor with 16 gigs of memory and the programs are slow to load. Why can't Microsoft fix this????

    My current solution is really a bypass of the start menu. I have made up file folders containing shortcuts to the executables. Each folder has a theme. Internet programs, video players, music players, graphic prorams, video programs, etc...  Works fine for me. I used to organize my start menus in a similar fashion but could not do the same with W10.

    So I will live without Edge,action center, voice commands and of course the start button. I will just have to be resourceful until MS fixes the problem....

    I also am living without the start menu, but agree with your criticism of the company.  We are customers, and customers can go and spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere, if Microsoft continue to have the audacity

    to expect their customers to put up with shoddy half-developed goods themselves too often, then eventually they will do just that: "The bigger they are, .......  etc!"

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