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
    2016-03-11T16:54:35+00:00

    Multiple restarts did not help.  What has finally helped is another  unorthodox solution but it worked immediately.  Change your theme for your desktop to  a high contrast theme.  Crazy, but it solved the problem instantly.  I switched it back to my old theme once I was sure everything was working again, and haven't had a problem since.  I will definitely keep this little trick handy if it happens again.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-03-07T16:54:31+00:00

    I tried it but it just opened the file explorer, not the start menu

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-06T17:21:03+00:00

    I second this - a restart seems to 'clear' problem

    Anecdotally

    1. I've had windows 10 since it was first released - this problem only started in the last month
    2. My laptop seems to exhibit this problem 1 in 5 or so times when I switch it on - (it seems to be accompanied by an overly long Windows logon - 20 seconds plus - rather than the usual 5)

    It's quite tiresome - and such a basic function surely Microsoft should have fixed this by now?

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