Start menu, Cortana, settings, Edge all not working

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splunge

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Feb 16, 2006
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Hi all. I suspect this occurred after a recent Windows 10 update. I find the windows keyboard key and the clicking the windows screen icon don't bring up the start menu, cortana etc. The search option in the task abr doesn't work consistently. I DL'd windows start menu diagnostics app which initially reported the tile database was messed up and tried to repair it. The screen was black and I let it run overnight with no apparent change. I stopped it, restarted a few times without improvement. I reran the startmenudiag app and it reported no errors. I ran it yet again and it got stuck "registering applications "
Now I'm running Tweaking.com Windows Repair 2018 which I found on this website, I believe a while back. It's been running for some 9 hours and got stuck at "Running Repair Under System Account" and "Repair jobs 2/47"

I ran a game while fixes were cooking and it got frozen forcing a restart. The PC ran a startup disk check and that got stuck at 10% on disk D. I restarted again then ran a disk check under safe mode. This said there were errors but to fix outside of the program. I restarted in normal mode and miraculously the start menu etc all worked! I created a system restore point and ran check disk again. This time it said no errors.

I restarted again and found the same nonfunctional start menu etc. I did a system restore from when it worked to no avail!


I researched fixing a tile database problem and some sites suggested creating a new user account but I can't access Settings to create a new account.

I have a back up from a few days ago on an external drive but am not sure if the problem existed then


Thanks in advance for any advice! I consider myself an advanced beginner in troubleshooting. I know enough to make a small problem a big one!
 
Solution
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go to C:\Users and enter folder matching name of your previous user. enter it and copy the required folders and paste it in your current user folder located C:\Users. while doing this make sure you are log in using new user account.
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What edition, version, and OS Build are you using? Find out here:

Settings->System->About Look at the bottom of the page for: Editions, Version, Installed on, OS Build

Also, what are the hardware specs? motherboard, cpu, gpu, ram, etc
 
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Try following steps to create new user account

Type "lusrmgr.msc" in run and press enter
From new window click on "Action" and select " New user" option.
input the required information and create a new user
Now select Groups folder and select "Administrators" group
Make the newly created user member of "Administrators" group

Reference:
https://www.top-password.com/blog/3-ways-to-create-new-administrator-account-in-windows-10/
 
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Thanks for the replies
Mazboy: I can't access settings but by properties my computer I've got:
Windows 10 home I'm not sure how to get more- system properties won't open
Intel i5 3570 with 8 by RAM
Graphics is Radeon HD 7800

I need to go to work and will try adding new user. Will I lose any libraries associated with he original user account?
 
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no it will just create new user/profile. Old data will not be removed.

 
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Haroun453, I tried tour recommendation, unfortunately the local user manager gave error message snapin does not work with this version of Windows 10 and recommended making new user in settings.

I tried the command prompt, but WinX didn't work. Run>cmd opened a command window, but for C:\User\User name, not C:\Windows\system 32 and it would not accept the command net user name /add [edit- the cmd box WAS headed C:\Windows\system 32\cmd.exe, but not administrator]

I tried Run>control panel>User accounts, but that led me back to settings which won't open

Any other thoughts? Is there another way to get to the correct command prompt for windows?
 
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Sob! I hate reinstalling all my programs!

I made a backup on an external hard drive. I don't know if it predated my problems. Would restoring work?
Alternatively, would rolling back windows updates work? Can I do that without a setting or start menu?
 
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Is that an image backup you made? I highly recommend them--I do one at least once a week, or when I get a new build from Microsoft--because it's so easy to restore and atone for past sins. If you're talking about a "system restore disk (USB)", go ahead and try, but I've had pretty terrible luck with them.

In the future, do that built-in system image backup onto your external HDD: control panel->System and Security->File History->System Image Backup [found at the bottom left of the window]->Create a System Image->

And if you look closely, you'll see that you can do an image of all of your drives at the same time. I have 2xSSDs and 2xHHDs in my main computer, and I can do an image of all of them at once. It works great.

And while I'm talking backup, stick and extra HDD in your case and use this to do incremental backups at intervals that you set: settings->Update & Security->Backup

Make sure "Automatically back up my files" is turned on. Click on "More Options". Set the interval, the folders you want to back up, and the target drive.
 
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Yes, image back up with the old windows 7 left over control panel. Unfortunately I think they over write so my only one is about a week old. I disconnected the drive to avoid losing it. I do have a back up image on the internal he'd but it dates back to 2016! It may be my best bet, though, if the problem persists on the 2018 image.

Any other ideas before I do an image restore?

Any other way to get to command prompt as admin without search or start?
 
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Run following command in command prompt

sfc /scannow

It will check for OS file integrity and will try to fix.
You have to run this command in Command Prompt with admin privileges/ elevated rights. Open task manager and select file entry. From file menu click on "run new task". Type follwoing command "cmd" and press enter.

You can also find CMD.exe in "C:\Windows\System32" assuming your os is installed on C drive
 
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I got it running! I expect it'll take a while, o I may not post results until tomorrow.
Until then, thanks!

If it doesn't work, maybe using the cmd with admin can let me make a new user. I understand that has fixed this issue for others
 
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I have gone through logs and found that system has fixed some of the corrupted files but some of the core files are still corrupted. Creating a new user profile to solve original problem is not recommended as system integrity is compromised. Recommending a system redo with fresh windows installation.
 
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Not the answer I was hoping for but I appreciate the time you spent helping me out.
Short of a reinstall, what do you think about restoring a back up image (as above

Also, my PC came with win 7 installed. I don't have a win 10 disk. can I reinstall 10 without a disk?
 
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yeah...wipe...reinstall. Although at this point you might as well try the image restore because...why not?

Get the latest and greatest version of win10 here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 If you had Win10 on the computer before the installer will recognize that and will give you no problems. Don't forget to do the old settings->Update & Security->Windows Update->Check for updates before doing anything else after the install. If you have a discreet video card, load the driver for that last (be sure you have the most recent one).
 
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Good news everyone!
I added a user with admin privileges and in that account, the start menu, settings, cortana etc work great and it runs a bit faster. Unfortunately, i don't know how to migrate everything over. For example, I play modded games through Steam and the mods apparently are in the original user's account and not accessible in the second. Trying to access the original user profiles data gets me a password check that I don't know how to bypass.

Any help, tutorials?

Earlier trying to research fixing this problem, I found an article that gave suggestions to create 2 new accounts and while in 1, use the second to reset the original account, Alternatively, earlier when trying to research fixing this problem, I found an article that gave suggestions to create 2 new accounts and while in 1, copy AppData\Local\TileDataLayer from the other new, working account and paste it to the original, non-working account. I suspect I would still need to get access across users. additionally, I can't seem to find this file. Any thoughts?
 
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go to C:\Users and enter folder matching name of your previous user. enter it and copy the required folders and paste it in your current user folder located C:\Users. while doing this make sure you are log in using new user account.
 
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