Windows 8 Start Screen and Apps Not Responding

Anonymous
2012-11-17T18:46:01+00:00

I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro on its release date.  It had been working fine for me until yesterday (11/16/2012).  Suddenly, I can't get the Start screen to respond.  I'm unable to launch apps, access the Charms bar, etc.  By pressing WinKey + D multiple times, I am able to get the Desktop to load.  Once loaded, the Desktop seems OK though I can't access Charms from it either.  

I tried the Apps Troubleshooter from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=271185, but it didn't find any problems.  Also, my screen resolution is above 1024 x 768, my video driver is current (I checked for updates via Device Manager), I do NOT have UAC disabled, and I'm logged into my own account (which is linked to my Microsoft account).  Also, I do not have a 3rd party AV/security product installed, just Defender.

In Event Viewer, I do see repeated errors from Time Broker (listed as TimeBroker.exe or  svchost.exe_TimeBroker).  The error message reads, "The Time Broker service terminated unexpectedly."  That didn't seem to be a problem until yesterday, but I don't know what to do about it.

I would appreciate any suggestions or advice.k

Matt

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-01-30T17:24:34+00:00

    One thing I did notice on my computer, I have (6) drives and one in particular had a folder called:

    FileHistory and it completely filled up that drive. I removed the files, 200+ GB and restarted my computer. Most or all of my performance has returned.

    Where did this folder come from?

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-01-29T15:05:23+00:00

    I have tried this method along with having MS support remoting to my computer and running these a batch file with these commands:

    DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth

    pause

    DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

    This did not work either.

    About a week later, another support tech remoted into my Windows 8 Pro and ran VIPRERescue15034 in safe-mode networking. This process ran for about 2-3 hours. The next day the OS8  ran even slower.

    Almost every app, or online will stop..(Not Responding) ....then continue.

    I also turned TimeBroker back on because there were no positive results from being disabled.

    Suggestions?

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-01-09T08:46:41+00:00

    TimeBroker service is responsible for background activity of StartScreen Apps.

    "If this service is stopped or disabled, then background work might not be triggered."

    It is possible that after disabling it, all Active Tiles won't work anymore.

    I had the same problem, StartScreen hangs and not responding.

    In my case it was a TimeApp, 3rd party ClockApp it was trying to connect to a server or something and an till it could StartScreen was not usable.

    I've resolved it by disabling in PC-Settings TimeApp permissions to work in background.

    StartScreen worked since then flawless, but to be sure I've uninstalled whole 3'rd party TimeApp from StartScreen.

    Now I have no problems any more, TimeBroker service is working fine and other active tiles work as well.

    Best wishes for the New Year.

    Piotr

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-01-04T06:36:29+00:00
    1. After modifying the Windows registry and finishing reboot, make sure your TimeBroker is really in the state of "disabled".

    Bruce Wentz Wu

     

     

     

    So, can you please include step-by-step instructions for disabling TimeBroker in the Windows Registry?  I've called myself trying, but can't seem to do so.

    hope the following link will help:

    http://nlabs.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/timebroker-kills-the-metromodern-ui/

     

    • Press the shortcut combination: Windows key + R, type in “cmd” and click OK.
    • In the command window, type in “regedit” and hit enter
    • Search and navigate to the registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TimeBroker

    • Modify the “Start” value to “4″ (4 for disabled; 3 for manual).
    • Reboot the system and the Start Screen should work normally for you to uninstall Apps.

    It works! Thanks WentzWu and all the other contributors whose suggestions helped me to solve the issue.

    And I am rather disappointed with Microsoft for releasing such an unstable Windows, which a single registry or app error would cause the MUI freezes and unusable.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-01-02T00:54:39+00:00

    My situation was quite the same as what you stated. Some apps or live tiles should still affect Windows 8. Check it out if any apps and/or live tiles that you want to uninstall are still installed and pinned on your stat screen. Just right-click your mouse to uninstall. I suggest you uninstall suspicious timebroker-related apps that might harm the Windows 8. For my instance, I uninstalled almost all the apps and live tiles in the Windows Store and Start screen (including Microsft news, travel, contact and so on). You can reinstall all the apps from the Windows Store.

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