Windows 10: Cannot Invoke Cortana

System: ASUS M32CD 64-bit, Intel Core i5-6400 CPU @ 2.70GHz,, 4 Cores, 8 GB DRAM, 4 TB Harddrive
OS: Windows 10 Home, V 10.0.16299 Build 16299 (factory installed, updates up to date)

Despite a mention of Cortana here and there, I can't make it run. My screen never quite agrees with the various directions for "downloading" or "enabling" Cortana. For example, I'm told to "click inside the taskbar search box." My taskbar contains no search "box;" it has a search magnifying glass. Clicking that does not give me a "Corona Settings Box;" it merely shows a search specification box that knows nothing about Cortana. Other recommendations, such as "Type the windows-S key," returns only the same search specification box. I have downloaded and executed the "Enable_Cortana.reg" file with no effect. Windows 10 Settings does not mention Cortana. Googling "download cortana" gives me only .docx files.

Cortana is supposed to be standard in Windows-10, isn't it? Could anyone recommend a procedure that works?

--Robert Smith

:)

 

Cortana Alarm Added Through Invoke Speaker Cannot be Removed

This is a problem with Cortana running in HK Invoke. As Shawn put it, the alarm is in the Cortana Invoke. It cannot be changed from anywhere other client. I tried two separate laptops connected to Cortana and could not see that alarm.

HK knows about this problem, but their workaround is to reset - which is annoying and too expensive to manage alarms.

As a result, I am now using a competing product for setting my alarms.This is not something Cortana team would want us to do either.

 

Invoke Harmony Cortana Speaker

Yes I am having an issue with uploading my contacts to the Cortana app so I can make calls from the invoke when I ask it to call a person on my contacts list Cortana replies Sorry I cannot find that name in your contacts you make want to upload your contacts
to the Cortana App. I have check and rechecked and all my accounts and are synced properly but Invoke is not recognizing these contacts that are synced from my accounts please help

<OS not stated>

<Moved from Mobile Devices>

 

Press the win + r keys together, copy and paste the following in the run dialogue box:-

C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe (press enter), you will not see a response, try Cortana now


If that doesn't work then I would try the following
Click on Start menu
Type Powershell
Right click on Powershell and select to Run As Administator
Copy and paste the following and hit Enter
Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMo
de -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

These will reinstall Cortana

or use the same steps above except use the following command at Powershell. This will reinstall all Win 10 Apps.

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

 

The "ctfmon" suggestion had no discernible effect. Trying the Powershell suggestion resulted in the following:
"cmdlet Add-AppxPackage at command pipeline position 1
Supply values for the following parameters:
Path:"
(less quotes)

Hitting Enter for "Path:" and the following "Register:" resulted in a lot of angry red comments. What should I specify for those arguments?

 

Correction! The problem was white space in the word, "DisableDevelopmentMo de"
Now it has run to completion. I'll report after restart on whether it made a difference.

 

Regret to report no improvement. Re-ran the "ctfmon" suggestion, also with no effect. Many enablement suggestions call for clicking on the "Notebook Icon," supposedly visible after clicking the "Start Icon" (I presume the "Start Icon" is the little slanting window picture in the screen bottom left). I see nothing that resembles a notebook. Is that the problem? Does Cortana work only on portables?

 

There is an option when installing Win 10 to use Cortana or not. I'm wondering if you (or the installer) chose not to?

- suggests you didn't enter the command correctly.

Please post a screenshot of what you attempted.

Windows key + S should launch Cortana if enabled and functional.
This is the Notebook (in this context):




Rt click the taskbar and you should see this:

*Arrow Hide or Show Search Box or Cortana Icon on Taskbar in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

Apparently my "prt scr" will not capture the boxes produced by Win-S and right-clicking the taskbar, but I assure you that the Win-S box contains nothing like your off-center-holed floppy disk and the rt-clicked taskbar no "Cortana" line.

You are probably right that the factory installer of Windows-10 turned off Cortana. The question is, how do I turn it back on?

 

Apparently my "prt scr" will not capture the boxes produced by Win-S and right-clicking the taskbar, but I assure you that the Win-S box contains nothing like your off-center-holed floppy disk and the rt-clicked taskbar no "Cortana" line.

You are probably right that the factory installer of Windows-10 turned off Cortana. The question is, how do I turn it back on?

[I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO DELETE THIS EXTRA POST. ADMINISTRATOR, WILL YOU PLEASE DELETE IT?]

 

Did youmrun this command to reinstall All apps?

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

 

To capture the Win+S menu use the Snipping Tool. It has a useful 'Delay' option that gives you enough time (just) to get the Start menu ready before it captures the screenshot.





PS: to delete a post, just edit it. The 'delete' option is above the editor.

 

To Techjourney: I ran the reinstall all apps command as Administrator and got the following results:

Code: PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocati on)\AppXManifest.xml"} Add-AppxPackage : Cannot find path 'C:\AppXManifest.xml' because it does not exist. At line:1 char:28 + ... | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.I ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\AppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], ItemNotFoundException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand Add-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073D02, The package could not be installed because resources it modifies are currently in use. error 0x80073D02: Unable to install because the following apps need to be closed Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_10.0.16299.15_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy. NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] 33ad26c8-7cfd-0000-3ed1-b233fd7cd301 in the Event Log or use the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID 33ad26c8-7cfd-0000-3ed1-b233fd7cd301 At line:1 char:28 + ... | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.I ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (C:\Windows\Syst...ppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], Exception + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand[/quote] To Bree: Thanks for the tips -- although article #8, which I would delete, no longer seems to allow editing.


Tp Dalchina: Here are the requested screen captures, thanks to Bree:

After keying Win-S:




After right-clicking in the Taskbar:


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Should I change anything in them? [/quote] L: My Computer

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Guru Posts : 12,257 Win 10 Pro (1709) New[/b] 25 Dec 2017 #14

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Computer Type: Laptop
System Manufacturer/Model Number: PC Specialist custom laptop Cosmos IV
OS: Win 10 Pro (1709)
CPU: i3 Dual Core Processor i3-6100H
Memory: 16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 940M
Monitor(s) Displays: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen
Screen Resolution: 1920x1080
Hard Drives: 256GB SAMSUNG SM951 M.2 1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE
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Guru Posts : 12,257 Win 10 Pro (1709) New[/b] 25 Dec 2017 #16

 

Note: to use Prt Scr, then paste the buffer into say, Paint to see what you've captured, and hence save it.

So, it looks as though you need to do the reverse of this:
Replace cortana icon with search icon in Windows 10 v1607 - Super User

This tutorial also addresses the difference between having a search magnifying glass symbol, a Cortana icon or a search box:
Hide or Show Search Box or Cortana Icon on Taskbar in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

To dalchina: I have applied the reverse of the "Replace Cortana Icon ..." suggestion, tried to follow the complex instructions in the "Hide or Show ..." tutorials where applicable and rebooted with no change in either box previously captured and shown. While reading the latter suggestion and displaying the register I came across the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

which contained several Cortana references as follows:
Code: CanCortanaBeEnabled REG_DWORD 0X00000001 (1) CortanaCapabilities REG_SZ SpeechLanguage CortanaCapabilityFlags REG_DWORD 0x00000200 (512) CortanaConsent REG_DWORD 0x00000000 (0) CortanaInAmbientMode REG_DWORD 0x00000000 (0) CortanaMUID REG_DWORD MUID=ff612640d69b43eaaa8e2b6002a36ea6 CortanaStateLastRun REG_BINARY 47 5d 3e 5a 00 00 00 00[/quote] Should I change anything in them?