Although Windows has made great strides in recent years, the problem is always around the corner and can affect even the most important functions of Windows, such as the Start menu, the default apps and the Store launch.Solving these problems might seem difficult at first, but luckily Microsoft has built effective systems within the operating system that can restore missing or damaged components of Windows without having to format the entire system.
In the guide that follows we will show you how to fix problems with Start menu, search, Edge browser and other system applications that no longer work on Windows 11 and Windows 10, which are the two modern operating systems supported by Microsoft.
READ ALSO -> Restart the Windows 11 and 10 Start process (if the menu doesn’t work)
1) Use Troubleshooting
On Windows 11 and Windows 10 we can resolve any errors in the system components (Start, Edge, menu and so on) using Troubleshootingbecoming in the meantime extremely precise and effective in solving this type of hitch.
To use troubleshooter on Windows 11 we press the key combination WIN+I on the keyboard, we open the entry Settingslet’s get to the menu Systemwe press on Problem solving and finally we open the menu Other troubleshooting tools; from this menu we press the Run button next to the items Windows Store App, Search and indexing e Program compatibility troubleshooting.
To use troubleshooter on Windows 10 we reward WIN+I on the keyboard, let’s go to the menu Update and securitywe press on the menu Problem solvingclick on the item Additional troubleshooting tools and launch the tools associated with Windows Store App, Search and indexing e Program compatibility troubleshooting.
To learn more we can read our guide on how to use Windows troubleshooters.
2) Reset Start menu and Microsoft Edge
If the Start menu is causing problems (does not start or is completely empty) or the Microsoft Edge system browser, we can quickly solve it by closing the Start menu process and downloading the Microsoft browser again (without uninstalling it).
To restore the Start menu, simply press CTRL+ALT+CANC on the keyboard, we select the voice Activity managementwe press on More details (if any), we identify the called process Startright click on it, click on End process and restart the PC for the changes to take effect.
To restore Microsoft Edge, download the browser again from the Microsoft official sitewe run the executable, follow the suggested steps and finally reboot the system for the changes to take effect.
3) Create a new user
The trick that provides the creation of a new local user it is often underestimated but it can be decisive for solving Start, Edge and Store Apps problems related exclusively to our user account.
To proceed we press WIN+I on the keyboard, let’s go to the menu Accountwe press on Family and other userswe press on Add another user to this PCwe select the item I don’t have this person’s login informationclick on Add a user without a Microsoft accountlet’s choose a username for testing (that’s okay too Test) and click on Next without entering any password.
Now all that remains is to try the new user by pressing CTRL+ALT+CANC on the keyboard by clicking on Change user and selecting the trial account.
If within the new Start user and the other system apps work without problems, we can “transfer” our old account, log back into Microsoft and delete the damaged account by following the suggestions seen in our Guide to User Account Management in Windows 10 and 11.
4) Use SFC for recovery
If the tricks used so far have not worked, the damage to system files is very serious and needs a thorough investigation. For this purpose we must open a command prompt with administrative permissionswhich is not easy if the Start menu is not working properly.
To open the administrative prompt, press CTRL+ALT+CANC on the keyboard, we press on Activity managementwe press on More details (if present), click at the top on File -> Run New Tasklet’s dig cmd in the field, we check the item Create tasks with administrative privileges and finally press on OK.
Inside the prompt we run the following command:
sfc /scannow
and we await the end of the scan; if there are damaged system files, the command will restore them using the system cache or copies of the files present in the original installation of the operating system.
5) Use DISM for recovery
If the SFC command does not solve the problems with the Start menu, with apps and with Microsoft Edge we can rely on another very powerful administrative tool dedicated to recovery: DEC.
To start this tool, make sure that the computer is connected to the Internet, open a command prompt with administrative permissions (as seen in the previous chapter) and type the following command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /ScanHealth
This command will start searching for damaged system files, scanning each area of the operating system; at the end of the scan (which can take more than 10 minutes) we launch the following command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth
to start scanning and restoring damaged system files, using Microsoft servers to download new versions of the files to be restored. Even this process can be very long: you just have to wait for the scan to finish to restart the system and check that everything is working correctly.
Conclusions
If none of the tips and tricks seen above have solved the problems with Start, Edge, the Store and the Store apps, all you have to do is start a recovery procedure, using the last known good configuration or by using the automatic recovery system included in Windows 10 and Windows 11 (which restores the system and keeps personal files).
In this regard, we invite you to read our guides on how to use system restore in windows 10 and 11 and how restore Windows with fresh installation without losing personal data.