Windows 10 issues with Start Menu and Cortana functionality.
Windows 10 issues with Start Menu and Cortana functionality.
I face ongoing problems with the Windows Start menu and Cortana acting strange over several days. It appears they become damaged or corrupted. I've explored all possible fixes from forums—no success. Scan tools, virus checkers, system updates, driver patches, a full Windows reinstall, and even a complete OS reset on a freshly formatted SSD didn't solve the issue. A new Virus scanner helped a bit, but nothing permanent. I recently tried toggling Windows Features on and off followed by a restart, which seemed to temporarily restore menu functionality for a short time. Anyone have any advice? Appreciate your help, Xysto.
Do you experience the start menu appearing grayed out while background tasks remain visible? This occurs after renaming a specific folder. The creators merged the Windows search and Cortana features. I'm not implying any renaming was done, just sharing this observation. Have you attempted a system reset yet? @Xysto
I attempted a reset and ran Memtest. Reinstalled the x2 version. There were too many solutions, scans, and updates to keep track of. It didn’t work. The ISO was a new download, which I verified. I found similar issues in other forums, so I’m not alone. Microsoft doesn’t know what’s causing this.
I completely agree with @Xysto. After upgrading to Fall Creators Update, I've faced several problems: the start menu and taskbar stop working after just 10 minutes of booting, background and foreground apps crash or freeze simultaneously, and modern Windows apps (settings, store, etc.) don't respond properly—just freeze to the app logo. My event viewer is packed with app-related events like APPCRASH, CLR20r3, MoAppHang, and WindowsWcpOtherFailure3, all pointing to freezing issues. Despite reaching out to M$ support multiple times, they've only offered basic remote assistance and recommended a full reinstall. I've tried registry tweaks, PowerShell commands, and even an in-place upgrade, but nothing helped. It's strange that Microsoft or their Level 1 reps aren't aware of this problem, and if they are, they can't seem to find a solution. EDIT: Interestingly, opening Settings or apps and then clicking the start button with both mouse buttons causes the menu to appear and the apps to "unfreeze." What triggers this odd behavior?
I've found a workaround that doesn't fully fix the problem. It allows you to bypass the need for a full restart. First, make the Start Menu unresponsive at launch. Then, use Real Process Explorer to locate svchost.exe processes linked to your account. Identify the ones using minimal RAM and terminate them. This approach works until a restart occurs.
Hi Rubin, I'll attempt this again next time. Will not start now! Thanks for reading. I'll share my results soon.
It's great that it helped you. Right now I've discovered two more options, one effective and another that appears to be a tweaked version of my previous end task fix. ROFL! Solution 1 (the standard approach) 1. Open the start menu and press settings (the gear icon) 2. Select accounts 3. On the left side, click sign in options 4. Scroll down and disable "Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device after an update or restart" This method works well for me too. When the sound icon shows an X and I press it, it tries to fix the problem but I can cancel it and it restarts normally. I've also noticed the "Use my sign-in info..." feature is really handy, especially on computers without SSDs. Solution 2 (a less intrusive fix) 1. Navigate to the start menu and type 'regedit' to open the registry editor 2. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WpnUserService or type the path on the top bar (I really like this option!) 3. Find a DWORD (32-bit) value called Start 4. Set its value to 4 I tried this myself and observed that after restarting Svchost.exe running WpnUserService, it didn't launch properly. This means you don't need to end the task every time it restarts—good news! But keep in mind, my Windows sound problem persists even after this adjustment. Please remember, these ideas weren't created by me (unlike the previous workaround). I'm giving thanks where it's due. I've linked below where I found these tips, though I couldn't track the original source since they didn't mention it. Unless they're the real ones.
Thank you for providing the material. I might need to go through it again later, but solution #1 remains a reliable option for my setup. Right now, I'm really glad I don't have this problem happening again.