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
    2015-12-21T17:24:22+00:00

    Be careful with the new user 'trick'.... I tried that and it won't now let me log back into to my original MS account... plus the new account had exactly the same problems with the Start Button and Modern Apps not working!

    Changing the user on my Surface pro 3 solved partially my problem: start menu worked again but, for example, the camera still refused to work...

    In the end I had to return to Windows 8 (again, for the nth time!). After all these problems (and useless efforts to amend it) I won't upgrade to Win 10 again. I don't like Win 8, but that is much better than being stuck with a malfunctioning Win 10.

    What puzzles me is that on a different laptop I do have (an old Sony Vaio), Windows 10 runs smoothly and I've had no problems at all.

    It's a shame Microsoft doesn't solve this problem which seems to be affecting so many users.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-12-21T17:01:26+00:00

    Be careful with the new user 'trick'.... I tried that and it won't now let me log back into to my original MS account... plus the new account had exactly the same problems with the Start Button and Modern Apps not working!

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-12-21T16:33:08+00:00

    I wonder if other peoples problems with the Start Button & Modern Apps has only happened after the 1511 Windows 10 update?

    I have 3 computers with 1511: a desktop, laptop, and surface pro 3.  None of them had this bug on win 10 before 1511. After the 1511 update, the laptop and SP3 got the bug. I tried the recommended fixes to no avail, so I did a full factory reset with full format on my laptop. Reinstalled a fresh win 10, immediately upgraded to 1511 with no extra apps installed, and the bug was back within in a day. The only thing I haven't tried is the new windows user account trick. I might try to do that because my unaffected desktop doesn't have my windows account registered to it and it's fine.

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