I found Windows 10 one of the best versions from Microsoft so far except for one minor thing in particular.
Sometimes my laptop that has Windows 10 installed, its start menu and Cortana doesn’t work.
I heard the same problem from many other people that Windows 10 start menu not working for them as well and tried different fixes to sort out the problem.
After several hits and trials and research about Windows 10, I’m finally able to fix this annoying problem.
In today’s post, I’ll discuss all those fixes and hope everyone will be able to rid of them using either of these solutions.
Keep reading.
While several people were happy to see Start Menu back in place when the company announced Windows 10, many didn’t bother much.
People start to get bothered when this start menu doesn’t work even after several clicks, it becomes annoying!
There are quite a few fixes that I’ll discuss one by one and you can choose one which you find convenient.
However, since there could be different reasons for different people, there are high chances that the same solution which worked for your friend will not work for you too!
Hence, don’t get disappointed if you aren’t able to fix Windows 10 start menu not working problem with one method, move on to the next one and I hope you fix it.
Why Windows 10 start menu not working problem arises ?
Certainly, it doesn’t cause due to a particular thing that we can fix and resolve this problem.
The cause of this problem could be different for different people and I’ll discuss all the possible causes and offer a solution for them.
For few people, this problem could occur due to missing files or corrupt files.
Sometimes what happens when you install some software or application and uninstall it after some time, it deletes core files as well or corrupts them that causes your PC to start to behave strangely.
In some other cases, it is caused due to improper installation of the Windows operating system on your computer.
Hence, it is very important that you follow all the steps carefully at the time of installation and make sure everything is done right.
This problem might also occur due to conflict in the operating system’s core file. Just look for the error which file is causing this problem and try to resolve the problem accordingly.
Sometimes when you have several programs running and files opened simultaneously, it consumes maximum PC resources such as memory, CPU, Disk and leaves no scope for the execution of other operations such as the opening of the Start Menu and doesn’t let the Start menu work properly.
How to fix Windows 10 start up menu not working problem
Let’s get straight to resolving this problem. We will be discussing several fixes and I hope any of these fixes will resolve the problem.
Make sure you follow the instructions carefully that are given in my solutions else you may not be able to resolve the problem.
Fix: 1
Do the old age stuff
Take the childhood approach to try to fix this problem. Restart your PC and see if the problem is fixed.
It happens sometimes that some services or the supporting files stop functioning properly which causes the start menu to start to behave strangely. Restarting the PC may fix this problem in some cases.
Fix: 2
Take help of manufacturer’s troubleshooter – Start Menu Troubleshooter
It looks like a common problem and it surprises me why Microsoft doesn’t work to fix this problem permanently at their end.
At the moment, we need to download Microsoft’s “Start Menu Troubleshooter” from their website to fix this problem. It diagnoses the error and fixes it automatically.
This is the easiest fix where you need not do anything on your own.
You just have to download the troubleshooter and run it, it will identify the problem itself and resolve it. Here is what you need to do:
- Open the browser and search on Google “Start Menu Troubleshooter” or Click here
- Open troubleshooter and you will see the same screen as shown below. Click NEXT.
- It will take some time to diagnose the problem. Let the troubleshooting be done.
- Once the troubleshooting is done, it will generate the report, click next and it will fix the problem itself. If it doesn’t, move on to the next fix.
Fix:3
Find and repair corrupt Windows files
As I said above Windows 10 start menu not working problem may occur due to the missing or corrupt file.
In this fix, we will try to find those corrupt files and repair them.
- Press ALT + CTRL + DEL and then select Task Manager. Alternatively, you can RIGHT click on Start Menu or the “Cortana Ask me Anything” text box and choose Task Manager.
- The Task Manager will open. Click File then “Run new Task”.
- Create a New task. Type “powershell” in the text box and tick the check box that reads ” Create this Task with Administrative Privileges” and then hit OK.
- The Windows Powershell will open that looks like a command prompt. Type sfc /scannow and hit enter. The process of system scan will begin. It will check for the missing or corrupt files.
- If there is a problem with Start Menu, it will give an error like “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them“
- Type the command “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” in powershell and hit enter.
- It will resolve the problem by downloading and replacing the corrupt file. Make sure you are connected to the internet otherwise it may not work. Allow the process to get completed. Restart the PC and check if the problem is resolved.
Fix:4
Kill the process:
This is a pretty much straightforward method and helped me resolve not only Windows 10 start menu nor working problem but others too.
There are several things going on in the background that the user doesn’t know about. If any of these processes don’t work properly it might cause this problem.
Follow these steps:
- Press ALT + CTRL + DEL and the device manager will open.
- Click on “More Details.
- Look for “Windows Explorer” from the list. Select and hit the “Restart” button. Check if the problem is fixed.
Fix:5
Media Creation Tool
I hope any of the discussed fixes worked for you to resolve Windows 10 Start menu not working problem.
In case it didn’t you have the last resort Media Creation Tool. While it could be a little difficult, anyone with a little bit of knowledge can easily follow the method.
Even if anyone doesn’t have much technical knowledge and he/she follows the steps that I’ve given below carefully, it shouldn’t be much difficult to fix this problem. Let’s go ahead:
(Note: Although this method will replace non-functioning files and wouldn’t result in loss of your data, yet it is highly recommended to take back up of all important documents, pictures, software, etc. before proceeding. Precaution is better than cure. You will be on a safer side if you take backup just in case anything goes wrong)
- Go to Microsoft Website and download ISO file based on your operating system, either 32-bit or 64-bit.
- Download MediaCreationTool and Create an installation disk with Microsoft Media Creation Tool.
- Run setup.exe file from the Media tool you have just created.
- Read and Follow on-screen instructions carefully. When you reached a stage where it asks to “Keep files and applications”, select this option. NOTE: If you don’t choose this option, it will remove all the files and applications.
- It will take some time for the process to get completed as it will repair all the corrupt files. Allow it till the process is completed.
- After the process is completed, the PC will restart automatically. It will take a few moments for the PC to get ready for the first time, bare with it. Check, windows 10 start menu not working problem should be resolved.
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