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Windows 10 is a widely used and the most dependable user operating system of Microsoft. There are few problems reported by the users about windows 10 experience. Frozen or crashed start menu is one of those common problems which are very annoying and irritating. These kinds of faults make your computer system just useless until you fix it.
If you are using windows 10 and suddenly you find that your taskbar is unable to work, you can’t see the icons, keyboard shortcuts are not working or there are no results found when you are clicking the taskbar that means your windows 10 start menu is frozen. This problem is reported by many users. This issue may arise due to variety of reasons.
Possible causes of frozen windows 10 start menu:
- Unfinished update of operating system
- Some update related glitch
- Untrustworthy system files
- Unethical user account files
- Malfunctioning of application
- Installation of corrupted window update
Most commonly the users who struggle with this problem are those who have installed the latest update and those who recently upgraded their computer system to windows 10. Fixing this issue is relatively uncomplicated. You just need a keyboard for this.
Few quick fixes to get rid of windows 10 start menu frozen:
- If you have noticed that your start menu is not working just after the installation of latest update of windows 10 then turns back the update.
- Run a clean boot. A clean boot can help you identify and analyze the exact cause of the problem.
- Run the troubleshooter in windows store. It has been successful for most window 10 users. To run windows update troubleshooter simply go to the “settings” click “update and security” and then click “troubleshoot”
- Remove all undesired files, applications and software.
- Check and update the device drivers of your computer systems.
- Scan your computer system with professional antivirus software.
Check out these solutions to fix the frozen Windows 10 start menu in Windows OS:
Restart the windows explorer:
This is the solution for various issues associated with taskbar and start menu. So first of all try this. Restart the windows explorer through task manager.
Step1: press the keys “ctrl+shift+esc” together to open the “task manager”. Click “process” panel and scroll down.
Step2: you can see “window explorer” highlight it and click “restart” at the bottom.
And there you go. Window explorer will restart and you can access the taskbar now.
Activate user manager:
If the user manager of your computer is disabled then it may stop the working of start menu. So check the user manager and enable it.
Step1: Press the keys “window+R”. When a box appears on your computer screen, type “services.msc” in that box and click “ok”.
Step2: Now search the “user manager” and double click on it.
Step3: Select “automatic” for the box in front of “startup type”. Click “start” and then “ok”. Start your computer again and you can see that frozen windows 10 start menu is fixed.
Uninstall suspected applications:
Some users found that certain applications (classic shell and drop box) cause this start menu malfunctioning. If you believe that any application is causing this issue in your computer then you can uninstall that application to resolve the problem.
Step1: press the keys “window+R” to open the prompt command box. Write “appwiz.cpl” in the prompt box and then click “ok”.
Step2: you can see the window showing all programs and features as shown in the image below. Find the problem causing applications in the list of installed applications and double click on them. Now you will get prompt commands to finish the process of uninstallation. Follow those commands and reboot your computer.
Run SFC (System File Checker) to fix windows files:
Step1: press the keys “ctrl+shift+esc” together to access the “task manager”.
Step2: click “file” at the left side top. Then click “run a new task”. Now you have a small box on your screen. Type “explorer” in the box in front of “open” column and click “ok”.
Step3: “file explorer” is open now. Go to “C: / Windows / System32”. Now scroll down to find “cmd.exe” and right click on it. Select “run as administrator” option. Now you will get a prompt notification from user account control, click “yes”.
Step4: now you have prompt window on your computer screen. Type “sfc/scannow” in this command window and press “enter” to run SFC. After 100% complete verification you can resume the start menu.
Run Powershell:
Powershell command can help you defreeze the frozen start menu.
Step1: open the “task manager” by pressing the keys “ctrl+shift+esc” together.
Step2: click “file” option in the left top and click “run a new task”. A “create new task” window appears on your screen. Type “powershell” in the box in front of “open” column. Mark the small box below and hit “ok”. Follow the prompt commands. Now you can use your windows 10 start menu.
Disable currently opened things:
Step1: Open the settings by pressing the keys “window+I” together. Now select and click “personalization”.
Step2: click “start” in the left side.
Step3: turn off the “show recently opened items in jump lists on start or the taskbar” column at the bottom.
Update windows 10:
Check for the windows 10 update. If it is up-to-date that’s very good otherwise update it following below given steps.
Step1: open the “settings” by pressing the keys “window+I” and click “update and security”.
Step2: Now click “check for updates”.
Generate a new Google account:
Step1: open the “settings” by pressing “window+I” keys.
Step2: select “accounts” and then click “family and other people”.
Step3: now select “add someone else to this PC”.
Step4: select “I don’t have this person’s sign in information” and click “next”.
Step5: then click “add a user without a Microsoft account” and click “next” and type your details in “username” and “password” columns. Click “next”. Now sign in to the new account. If the issue is resolved then transfer your data to new account and you can delete your old account.
Conclusion:
I have explored the solutions which are proven and helped many users to fix windows 10 start menu frozen. Bring your start menu to normal again by implementing these methods and enjoy hassle free working experience on your computer system. Make sure you follow all the steps and type all the commands carefully. Typing a single wrong alphabet can make your efforts useless and lead to further issues.
