Microsoft Store and various apps don't work in Windows 10 version 1903

(1) "Yes, no kidding, that (and other non-Store applications and settings) are the reason I don't want to do a clean install."

I can see that. And I don't mean to be judgmental, but that is what a Windows system image backup would have locked in. I make one after anything big, which for me is every quality update (new OS Build) that installs well. And I keep the last three made. I make two image backups after every feature update (new Windows version), the 2nd with a 3rd-party app. And after a feature update, I renew my USB Recovery drive as well as my USB Win 10 Installation media & my .ISO.

(2)  I'm not sure you got to the screen I said. Click this to get to your Microsoft Account...

https://account.microsoft.com/account/Account?refd=login.live.com&ru=https%3A%2F%2Faccount.microsoft.com%2F%3Frefd%3Dlogin.live.com&destrt=home-index

Microsoft Account Sign In

Report what is at the "Microsoft Store device management" screen.

Edit: Now I've found this...

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026440/microsoft-store-manage-your-devices

Manage devices used with your Microsoft account

There is lots of info & links to more in that article. Read through it & post results or any further question. For one thing, in one of the links it says...

"Check your time and location settings: Select Start, then select  Settings  > Time & Language. Select Date & time to verify your time settings and select Region to check your location. These settings need to show your current location and time zone."

"And I don't mean to be judgmental, but that is what a Windows system image backup would have locked in. I make one after anything big, which for me is every quality update (new OS Build) that installs well."

That's a good idea.  I guess you knew that an in-place upgrade can't solve some problems that a system image restore can.  (The second sentence is a bit snarky, I don't really think you knew that reason for a system image backup, but your idea is good anyway.)

"Click this to get to your Microsoft Account..."

It shows two of my computers that still exist and one that died a year ago.  It doesn't show the one that has problems, though my digital licence is intact.  As my previous message said, when adding a computer to Microsoft's database of my devices, Microsoft often forgets about computers that were added earlier.

"Edit: Now I've found this..."

Yes, I've seen that before.  I've also seen pages that it links to, such as "If you're having trouble downloading or updating apps on any of your devices, see Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store" and the further link "If you're having trouble launching Microsoft Store, see Microsoft Store doesn't launch."

"Check your time and location settings: Select Start , then select  Settings  > Time & Language. Select Date & time to verify your time settings and select Region to check your location. These settings need to show your current location and time zone."

I already set these to Canada and Eastern Time when I moved back from Japan.  They have remained correct.

If Microsoft Store doesn't launch, here's one of Microsoft's suggestions:

"2. Make sure Microsoft Store is up to date: Select Start  > Microsoft Store , then select See more  > Downloads and updates > Get updates. If an update for Microsoft Store is available, it will start installing automatically."

Right, if it doesn't launch then launch it and tell it to update itself so it will launch.

Well, here.  It says to run wsreset again.  I did.  The error is the same as last time.

(1) I apologize for any unintended snarkiness, & I certainly didn't intend any. I can't even see any in that 2nd sentence. I do know, much earlier in this thread, I was going to say your computer was from Mars, not Japan - but I refrained!

(2) Restoring a system image backup is a cure only if the problem occurred after the backup was made. It returns all the partitions that are Windows back to the precise state they were in at the time of the backup. Obviously, it can't fix a hardware failure or undo a BIOS or firmware update. Also I dimly recall a warning about credentials or something. If those are stored in Windows (& are difficult to reestablish), better make a new image if you know they have changed.

(3) I really don't know. But - if its important to have the region right - maybe it needs to be changed back to Japan. But maybe then it also will need to be brought back there too. It's just a suspicion, maybe a silly one. Were any of the other computers moved that far?

(4) I think the real problem is that the computer is not linked at your Microsoft Account. Is that your only Microsoft Account? Even if you create a Microsoft Account on that computer (which links it), I think you still must open the Store & let it download something. But the Store won't open for you. I don't know whether creating the account would be a fix for that.

If the Store would open, it would ask that you sign in, & that would establish the link (w/o having to create an account on the computer, I believe). So - I think the cure will be to get the Store to open. I already looked for that earlier & will look again.

Edit: Still have to look again for a Store fix, but...

(5) "It shows two of my computers that still exist and one that died a year ago.  It doesn't show the one that has problems, though my digital licence is intact."

I'm not sure, but...  If the computer itself has no Microsoft Account on it, then you might not see it until you get to the "Microsoft Store device management" page. Looks like you get directly there with this link...

account.microsoft.com/devices/content

Microsoft Store Device Management

(6) "As my previous message said, when adding a computer to Microsoft's database of my devices, Microsoft often forgets about computers that were added earlier."

All I can think of is, are you sure you sign them in to the same Microsoft Account? Sounds spooky.

"(1) I apologize for any unintended snarkiness"

You can't apologize for my snarkiness because mine was intended, though I explained it.

"(2) Restoring a system image backup is a cure only if the problem occurred after the backup was made. It returns all the partitions that are Windows back to the precise state they were in at the time of the backup."

Right, that means it wouldn't really be a fix.  My Outlook and Firefox databases would be reverted to the time of the backup.  (I do know how to put those two on my other drive, but then I'd have two points of failure.   Actually I use my other drive as a backup for data files, in addition to external drives.  This is why I could remove my other drive as an experiment to see if a Windows in-place upgrade would behave better, but it didn't.)

"(3) I really don't know. But - if its important to have the region right - maybe it needs to be changed back to Japan. But maybe then it also will need to be brought back there too. It's just a suspicion, maybe a silly one. Were any of the other computers moved that far?"

Yes my other computers were moved from Japan to Canada, and they don't have this problem.  This one also didn't have this problem for a few months, and I don't know what caused the problem.

"(4) I think the real problem is that the computer is not linked at your Microsoft Account."

But my other computers don't have this problem.  On one I installed Microsoft Minesweeper, and when I couldn't stand the ads any more I installed someone else's Minesweeper from the Microsoft store.  On one I installed Irfanview from the Microsoft Store (of course it's also available as an ordinary application, being far older than the Microsoft Store).

"I'm not sure, but...  If the computer itself has no Microsoft Account on it, then you might not see it until you get to the "Microsoft Store device management" page."

Well, a year or two ago it temporarily did have a Microsoft account on it so I could register it for the purpose of transferring its digital licence after the computer dies.  But I don't ordinarily use Microsoft accounts to log in to my local Windows accounts.  Anyway, Microsoft forgot about the digital licences of several PCs including this one.

By the way regarding PCs dying, yes every few years I do have to spend a few weeks installing and making settings for applications on a new PC to replace a dead one.  I backup data regularly, but applications take a while to repeat installing and setting.

Hi Norman,

My name is Kelly and I totally feel your pain. Ever since I downloaded 1903 I have not been able to download anything from Microsoft Store or Update Computer - been slowly doing that one by one via the stand-alone installer. 

To be honest all these pro really don't know. I too have run SFC, DISM, run a clean Windows from the media tool, etc.  

Bottom line it is a Microsoft problem. Through researching the codes I received, I found out that the current Microsoft store folder- there are three, it is the one with the .exe in it-is missing SharedLibrary.dll and mt100_app. I have tried downloading and copying to the folder but folder denied access. I even tried downloading the full WindowApps folder (renamed) from another computer that I was using it successfully in 1903, but still no luck. I am hesitant to delete the first and keep the second.

I sent a message with the code through feedback suggesting maybe their media tool is corrupted and tried again a couple of days later since this is a new computer, but still those files are missing.

So any "pros" from Microsoft. FIX THE PROBLEM but don't send us an update as we can't download those either.

Have a good day!