Encountered a puzzling issue with Windows 10 at work.
Encountered a puzzling issue with Windows 10 at work.
I’m not anticipating a resolution here, but perhaps someone has insights I’m missing or it’s a slim chance. I’m in touch with a consultant regarding this matter, though I’m holding on while I wait. In the meantime, I thought it might be worth sharing since I’ve been a member for a while. Essentially, the problem unfolds like this: after launching a Microsoft Store (UWP) application, the process starts normally until Windows switches back to the desktop, seemingly without any warning. The only exceptions occur when a user tries to open image files such as .jpg, .png, or .gif. The photo app launches but then crashes, showing a message stating "The app cannot start." When opening images from the IBM Notes program, IBM Notes itself reports an error: "Cannot invoke program." This issue appears with most installed apps, except for the pre-installed LinkedIn App. It’s been observed across all machines—both laptops (like Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Yoga and Dell Latitude 7480) and desktops (Dell Optiplex 3060)—and we’re running Windows 10 1709 on laptops and Windows 10 1803 on desktops. The problem has progressed gradually, with only a handful of help tickets coming in weekly from users facing this challenge. Not every user is affected; in fact, just one person in our department has reported the same issue. Another note: our laptop users have administrative privileges, whereas desktop users do not. We don’t use an Active Directory server or rely on Local Group Policy for file permissions. In the Windows Event Viewer, under "Applications and Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\Apps\Microsoft-Windows-TWinUI/Operational," you’ll find an event ID #5961 whenever a UWP app is attempted to launch. Below are some measures we’ve attempted so far: removing and re-registering installed UWP apps via PowerShell, applying the latest Windows security patches, scanning and fixing with System File Checker, using DISM in online repair mode, activating the Windows Store App troubleshooter in settings, running wsreset.exe to clear the store cache, performing a Startup Repair, and verifying file and registry permissions for the "ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES" group (see the Microsoft support link for details).
This occurs when certain services are turned off, such as Windows Firewall (now called Windows Defender Firewall). Disabling them isn't straightforward, but it's achievable. Additionally, attempt to reactivate the Security Center, Windows Update, and BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service). It's worth noting that these services are crucial not only for security and updates but also for many other Windows functions.
I experienced a similar issue after a recent update, where roughly half of my apps stopped working. Luckily, my store remained unaffected, and I fixed the problems by following the link in the error message that appeared when launching the app that repaired the store. If your store is also impacted, have you attempted to repair or reinstall it?