Windows 8 "Change PC Settings" Not working

Anonymous

I recently discovered that many of the Windows 8 apps I have on my new Asus laptop has gone missing such as the store icon. I was trying to locate the store icon because I know it was there when I first started using Windows 8 but I found out its not there any more about 2 days ago. I then tried to open "Change PC Settings" but It did not work. Everytime I click it, nothing will show up.

So I'm very frustrated because I do not know what to do.

I tried to locate the windows store app and its no where.

I tried to click on Change PC Settings so I can do a system refresh and see if I bring it back to the point where I first got the laptop but still nothing.

Please help as soon as possible. I would really like a resolution on how to get it back to normal and hopefully without effecting all the files I have already on the computer.

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Anonymous

Hi Ashley,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community and thank you for giving us a chance to assist you.

It can be very frustrating to not be able to use the computer properly. I see that the Store app is missing and you are unable to access the change PC settings menu.

Please answer these questions so I get a better understanding of the issue.

Do you get any error code or error message on startup?
Have you activated Windows 8?
Have any changes been made to the computer before this issue occured?

You can try these methods to check if the issue gets resolved.

Method 1: Run the app troubleshooter.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/2/4/F24D0C03-4181-4E5B-A23B-5C3A6B5974E3/apps.diagcab

Open that link to run the troubleshooter.

**Method 2:**Reset Store Cache and check

a. Press "Windows key + R".

b. Type "wsreset.exe" on Run the window and press enter.

**Method 3:**Check if the issue exists in clean boot.

Follow the steps here to troubleshoot the issue. Once you are in clean boot check if the

settings menu works and see if there is something that conflicts with it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Note: Once troubleshooting is done please follow "Step 3 :Reset the computer to

start as usual" on the article to boot the computer in normal mode.

**Method 4:**Run a System File Checker scan and check if that helps.

Refer to the following steps to run SFC scan.

a)Move the mouse pointer to bottom left of the screen where you see preview of start menu and Right-click to bring up a list of Windows settings.

b)Click on ‘Command Prompt (Admin) to bring up elevated command prompt. Note: Click ‘Yes’ if it prompts for permission.

c)In the command prompt type in the following command: ‘sfc /scannow’.

If a Windows Resource Protection (WRP) file is missing or is corrupted, Windows may not behave as expected. For example, some Windows functions may not work, or Windows may crash. The System File Checker tool (SFC.exe) scans for missing or corrupted system files and repairs them.

Please get back to us if you need further assistance.

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117 additional answers

Anonymous

2013-12-24T08:56:42+00:00

You should actually be able to format it: you can do a clean install using upgrade install media. That means you'd clean install 8, and then update to 8.1 via the store again.

Thanks for getting back to me Shawn. Do you know where or how I can get the upgrade install media? When I run the Windows 8 installer, it seems this option is no longer available to me; it must detect that I've already got the most recent Windows.
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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2013-12-20T14:48:19+00:00

You should actually be able to format it: you can do a clean install using upgrade install media. That means you'd clean install 8, and then update to 8.1 via the store again.
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Anonymous

2013-12-20T09:51:55+00:00

Hi Shawn,

I've tried refreshing the PC the way you suggest (and created a recovery drive on a USB) but it stops as it says the media is invalid. I've tried it several times, but it won't work unfortunately.

This PC's already running windows 8.1 pro (upgrade) and don't know how to re-install it as the upgrade download no longer shows in the Store and can't find anywhere to download the .exe from to re-install it. This PC originally had windows 7 ultimate, so can't format it, as we don't have the OEM version of windows 8 pro (we paid for the windows 8 pro upgrade and got the 8.1 upgrade for free from the store).

Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.

Cheers!

P.S. Upon completing sfc /scannow the log reported that here were corrupt files, but I'm clueless on how to fix this. Here's a link to skydrive showing the CBS log and a printscreen of the message on the command prompt:

https://skydrive.live.com/?mkt=en-US#cid=F47AC9A619695FCD&id=F47AC9A619695FCD%21161
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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2013-12-19T20:23:53+00:00
Hi FouadHaidar, at this point I would recommend refreshing your PC. This process does the following:
1. Automatically backs up all your personal documents/pictures/videos/music files (under C:\Users\YourName), as well as your personal settings and preferences.
2. Makes a note of what programs and apps are installed.
3. Erases your hard drive and re-installs Windows.
4. Restores your personal files and settings.
5. Gives you a list of programs that need manual re-installed.
This is basically the next best thing to erasing your computer to factory conditions (which is a PC reset instead of refresh).

To try the refresh, see here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc
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