Broken modern app shortcuts in Windows 8.1 after updating from Windows 8

Anonymous

EDIT: See Page 3 for the solution to this problemNOTE: Please click the "Me too" link to the right of this post if you experiencing this issue so that Microsoft and Avast take notice of it. Thanks.

Short Story: Avast 2014 appears to interfere with the app shortcut cleanup process that occurs during the 8 -> 8.1 update. Also, Windows 8.1 really needs an easy/elegant way to remove dead Modern app shortcuts as you can with dead desktop app shortcuts

I updated from Windows 8 Pro x64 with Media Center on my 2 machines (Ivy Bridge Core i3 & i7) via the Windows Store and have had multiple broken/dead app shortcuts in All Apps on both machines as seen in the red rectangle below (direct image link):

When I attempt to launch any of the apps by clicking the shortcuts, I get the following message (the "Microsoft.Camera" part is specific to 1 of the shortcuts I tried) (direct image link):

Clicking the Go to the Store link only produces this message in the Windows Store app (direct image link):

Returning to All Apps and right clicking any of the dead shortcuts to remove it exposes no such option. There's no way to uninstall the app (it's probably gone already gone anyway) and also no way to remove the dead shortcut. As you can see below. the only options are Pin to Start and Customize (direct image link):

Does anyone know how to remove the dead shortcuts? I've tried going to *C:\Program Files\WindowsApps*, but access to that is denied and I can't find any way to give myself permissions for it. The offending shortcuts aren't listed in Control Panel -> Programs and Features, C:\Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs, or C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu either. Microsoft's own Apps Diagnostic utility doesn't fix it, and neither does syncing app licenses within the Windows Store app.

Help? Any ideas? TIA

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

OK -- I FIXED IT.

Through a lot of trial and error.

Head to users/user/appdata/local/microsoft/windows/applicationshortcuts

Once there do a search for each file within application shortcuts using the search bar in the top right of the explorer, you might need to play with the search terms. For example, mine found the photo app when I searched 'modern' but not 'photo'. Odd.

I used the following terms, camera, microsoft ((for skydrive)), bing, modern.

You need to delete the little white shortcut tile (I had to adjust security settings first and give myself permission to delete within the app shortcuts file, but Windows will guide you through it.)

For the chat app, just delete and reinstall the calendar/people/mail group and its gone.

Hope it works for you guys too...

this worked like a charm, thanks

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

OK -- I FIXED IT.

Through a lot of trial and error.

Head to users/user/appdata/local/microsoft/windows/applicationshortcuts

Once there do a search for each file within application shortcuts using the search bar in the top right of the explorer, you might need to play with the search terms. For example, mine found the photo app when I searched 'modern' but not 'photo'. Odd.

I used the following terms, camera, microsoft ((for skydrive)), bing, modern.

You need to delete the little white shortcut tile (I had to adjust security settings first and give myself permission to delete within the app shortcuts file, but Windows will guide you through it.)

For the chat app, just delete and reinstall the calendar/people/mail group and its gone.

Hope it works for you guys too...

0 comments

64 additional answers

Anonymous

2014-09-29T17:29:25+00:00

OK -- I FIXED IT.

Through a lot of trial and error.

Head to users/user/appdata/local/microsoft/windows/applicationshortcuts

Once there do a search for each file within application shortcuts using the search bar in the top right of the explorer, you might need to play with the search terms. For example, mine found the photo app when I searched 'modern' but not 'photo'. Odd.

I used the following terms, camera, microsoft ((for skydrive)), bing, modern.

You need to delete the little white shortcut tile (I had to adjust security settings first and give myself permission to delete within the app shortcuts file, but Windows will guide you through it.)

For the chat app, just delete and reinstall the calendar/people/mail group and its gone.

Hope it works for you guys too...

Hey there, had a similar problem, in the folders you mentioned there were to files the original and

a file same name with a (2) some were like App(2) or AppexSports(2) AppexMaps(2)

simplest way to fix this is to do a search for (2) and delete all the apps with the 2 beside it.. i had 30 to do for a customer. Now everything working. Without the above guide i would not have figured it out so quickly . Thank you
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2014-04-10T23:46:36+00:00

users/user/appdata/local/microsoft/windows/applicationshortcuts

Using this location, it contained many files which contained shortcut files of the tiles on the start screen.

I had two tiles that were unwanted that match the file names that others on this forum are having problems with; one that I assumed was for photos and was something like;

"ms-resource:ShortProductName".

(I assumed this was pertaining to the old photo app because when I pinned the application to my start screen I showed a photo that would have been inside my new photos app.)

I also had a file that contained the shortword "Skydrive".

Skydrive was renamed Onedrive by Microsoft, so why would I have a shortcut to a Skydrive app still.

Using the Below Location;

users/user/appdata/local/microsoft/windows/applicationshortcuts

I saw the photo folder and the skydrive folder. Seeing as they contained only shortcuts, I saw no harm in deleting the file all together. Upon doing so, It removed the tiles that were unwanted and did no other damage or harm to the remaining tiles.

I only had problems with two corrupt tiles but I am guessing you can do the same thing with the others.

I hope this may have provided some idea of what to do till and if there is a true fix in the future.

I also had Avast 2014 installed onto my computer at the time of the install for windows 8.1.

Cheers,

Terin Kinasewich
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2014-03-13T03:41:27+00:00

I can tell you how to delete the shortcuts but it doesn't get rid of the problem of apps not functioning. All you are doing is deleting the application shortcut. Here ya go...

Click on File Explorer

Click on This PC

Go to search box in upper right corner and type in Application Shortcuts

When Application Shortcut file pops up, Double click on it.

This takes you to the list of folders containing the shortcuts.

Double Click on the folder to the shortcut you want to delete

Shortcut should pop up.

That's it. I wish fixing the apps was as easy. No actually, I wish the apps worked and no one had this ordeal of trying to recover their pc's. Windows 8.1 is impressive but would be more so if they didn't try to hurry through to get it out there before it was ready.

Hope the app deletion helps you out.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments