Windows 10: Cannot open the search bar after removing files in $WINDOWS.~BT

Greetings,


Please bear with me as I explain the whole situation. All of my actions seem to have lead to the current issue, therefore it is important that I clarify everything I did.

Recently I have attempted to delete the $WINDOWS.~BT folder after noticing how its size is well over 20 GB and every source on the internet I had came across said it is a temporary folder safe to delete. I attempted to remove several files from this folder as I couldn't delete it traditionally (I required admin permissions which I did not seem to have, even though I am using the admin account).

Currently I only have the NewOS folder inside it and deleted everything else (although the size seems to be the same). Other than that, I changed its proprieties by giving full control to SYSTEM in the Security tab, thinking those were the required permissions to delete the folder.

The situation at hand is that after deleting those files (yes, from Recycle Bin too), I cannot open the search bar anymore, nor can I right click the windows logo in the corner. If I click the search icon, nothing happens. If I left click the menu button, my cursor moves diagonally and that's all. Right click works fine and this doesn't seem to be related to the taskbar itself, as I can left click the taskbar and it works as it should.


Here's a GIF so you can see exactly what I am talking about.

GIF from Gyazo

Other than that, I have noticed that I cannot open Firefox normally either. I have to run it as administrator in order to open it.


Attempted fixes:

• Restarting Windows Explorer from taskbar.
• Restarting Windows Search service.
• Changing Windows Search service proprieties so that it restarts automatically, without delay.
• Troubleshooting Search and Indexing (no results)
• Using System File Checker (sfc /scannow) - It said there are some corrupt files that cannot be fixed.
• Troubleshooting from the Windows Security window. The problem detected there was "moved location for temporary internet files" and it said fixed.
• Rebuilt the Windows 10 search indexing options.
• Restarting device.

What is left to do? Hopefully I do not have to reinstall windows because I don't know my activation key anymore and I think I can only use it once? (I am not familiar with how it works, nor if I can re-use it).


Thank you for your time and for your help,
- Alex

:)

 

How to clear the search record at the search bar on Windows 10

Hello,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I apologize for the inconvenience happened. We are glad to help you.

Please share this:

• 
  Which search bar are you referring to?
  
• 
  Is it the search bar in file explorer or the search bar on desktop (cortana and search)?
  

If you are referring to the search bar in file explorer, I suggest you to follow the steps given below and check if it helps:
(to delete a specific entry)

• 
  Open File Explorer.
  
• 
  Click/tap inside the Search box, then select (highlight) the search suggestion (ex:
  ttt) that you want to delete, and press the Delete key.
  
• 
  You will not notice that it has been deleted.
  
• 
  Repeat if you would like to delete another one.
  

To clear all search entries, follow this:

• 
  Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, then
  run it.
  
  Clear_Search_History_in_File_Explorer.bat
  

2. If prompted, click/tap on Run.

NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by
unblocking
the downloaded .bat file.

3. You will now notice a command prompt quickly open and close while applying the changes to your registry.

Hope this information helps. Feel free to get back to us for further queries. We will be happy to assist you.

Thanks and regards,

Jenith

 

Removing a search Bar

Hi Dave,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community. I will surely help you.

To understand the issue better, I would need more information from your end.

• What is the make and model of the computer?
• Did it appear after performing any particular function?

You may try to uninstall the search bar and check if it helps. To uninstall the
search bar follow these steps:

• 
  Right-click on
  Start Button and click on Programs and Features.
  
• 
  Right-click on the
  search bar and click on Uninstall.
  

Hope this information helps. Reply to the post with an updated status of the issue so that we can assist you further.

 

Cortana/search bar not opening

I'm unsure how to bring up the command prompt without the search. I do not see the CMD option in complete list and of course the search bar is what we're troubleshooting.