Windows 8 Start Screen and Apps Not Responding

Have you made any recent software or hardware changes on the system?

Let’s try the following steps and check if it helps.

Step I:

You may try booting in safe mode with networking and check for the issue.  Post the results, so that we help you with further troubleshooting.

a. Right click at the bottom left of the desktop and select Run.

b. Type msconfig and hit enter.

c. Now click the boot tab.

d. Place a check mark on the safe boot option.

e. Choose the type of safe mode by selecting one of the options below the Safe boot check box:

> Network- For safe mode with networking.

f. Click apply and then ok. Restart the computer.

Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to boot to normal startup.

a. Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b. In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c. On the ‘General’ tab, click the ‘Normal Startup’ option, and then click ‘OK’.

d. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click ‘Restart’.

Step II:

If you are not facing the issue in safe mode with networking, then place the computer in clean boot state and check if it helps.

Follow the steps to perform Clean Boot:

Step 1:

a. Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b. In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c. Click the ‘Boot’ tab and uncheck ‘Safe Boot’ option.

d. On the ‘General’ tab, click to select the option ‘Selective startup’, and then click to clear the option Load startup items check box.

e. On the ‘Services’ tab, click to select the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ check box, and then click ‘Disable all’.

f. On the ‘StartUp’ tab, click ‘Open Task Manager’. In the Task Manager window under startup tab, right click on each startup item which are enabled and select ‘Disable’.

g. Click ‘OK’, and then click Restart.

Step 2: Enable half of the services.

a. Follow steps 1a and 1b to start the System Configuration utility.

b. Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box.

c. Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list.

d. Click OK, and then click Restart.

I only had to remove AFF540DC.Clock using this method.  

After that, my system is working properly again - thanks!

Based on your suggestion I went and find the command line for removing Windows Store apps :)

 

http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Remove-Windows-Store-Apps-a00ef4a4#content

I tried all the other suggestions before I got to here. Specifically, I couldn't find ANY WAY to get to the User Settings to convert back to a local account. You cannot do this when in safe mode and that was the only way I could get into the User settings. There doesn't seem any way to change to local account for a different user either - what a Microsoft balls-up!!!!

The TimeBroker service cannot be stopped by even an admin account and running services.exe with elevated privileges.

In the end, I managed to run the suggested script (uninstalling from the start menu would not actually uninstall the app). I ran it on a whole load of apps including some of the crappy Microsoft ones as I really don't want them anyway. The script failed on an app called WhatsOnTV, but then ran through some others. When it had got about 1/2 way through the list, the whole computer suddenly came back to life. One of the following apps was the culprit:

38142TheBlueIT.Clocktime has been removed successfully

AFF540DC.Clock has been removed successfully

Microsoft.MicrosoftMahjong has been removed successfully

Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection has been removed successfully

10404JeffKey.TheTime has been removed successfully

GBBSOFTWAREPIOTRMACIEJEWS.GbbCalculator has been removed successfully

47348JeongwooChoi.SP2013Diagram has been removed successfully

2240FirstLook.UltimateWindows8Shortcuts has been removed successfully

With 10404JeffKey.TheTime or AFF540DC.Clock being the most likely candidates.

It is VERY clear to me now that the Start Screen App capability is currently hopelessly broken. You can easily install an innocent seeming app that will lock you out of your account and leave most people facing a wipe and reinstall of their computer.

I am now going to change my account type back to local and I'll not be installing any other Start Screen Apps at all.

lots of people are getting the problem with "Time Broker" I got around it by just disabling it by right clicking on it and then selecting disable.

Here's what happens over and over:

Log Name:      Application

Source:        Application Error

Date:          11/29/2012 6:02:16 PM

Event ID:      1000

Task Category: (100)

Level:         Error

Keywords:      Classic

User:          N/A

Computer:      Sandman-PC

Description:

Faulting application name: svchost.exe_TimeBroker, version: 6.2.9200.16420, time stamp: 0x505a9a4e

Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.2.9200.16384, time stamp: 0x5010ab2d

Exception code: 0xe06d7363

Fault offset: 0x00000000000189cc

Faulting process id: 0xd80

Faulting application start time: 0x01cdce859333fe82

Faulting application path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\KERNELBASE.dll

Report Id: d101eb3d-3a78-11e2-be87-50465d6f5a1b

Faulting package full name:

Faulting package-relative application ID:

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

  <System>

    <Provider Name="Application Error" />

    <EventID Qualifiers="0">1000</EventID>

    <Level>2</Level>

    <Task>100</Task>

    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>

    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-11-29T23:02:16.000000000Z" />

    <EventRecordID>12533</EventRecordID>

    <Channel>Application</Channel>

    <Computer>Sandman-PC</Computer>

    <Security />

  </System>

  <EventData>

    <Data>svchost.exe_TimeBroker</Data>

    <Data>6.2.9200.16420</Data>

    <Data>505a9a4e</Data>

    <Data>KERNELBASE.dll</Data>

    <Data>6.2.9200.16384</Data>

    <Data>5010ab2d</Data>

    <Data>e06d7363</Data>

    <Data>00000000000189cc</Data>

    <Data>d80</Data>

    <Data>01cdce859333fe82</Data>

    <Data>C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe</Data>

    <Data>C:\WINDOWS\system32\KERNELBASE.dll</Data>

    <Data>d101eb3d-3a78-11e2-be87-50465d6f5a1b</Data>

    <Data>

    </Data>

    <Data>

    </Data>

  </EventData>

</Event>