Windows 10: Failed updates and lost "Start Menu" & "Action Center", etc. - Second Attempt!

Below is a transcript of efforts to correct the problems created by updating Windows 10. The last contact was Thursday, Aug. 6; I have heard nothing more and the problems continue. Please HELP!:


On Thursday, July 31, I attempted to install three updates for Windows 10. Two updates installed successfully, 0xc1900101 failed. Since then my “Start Menu” and “Action Center” will not open, the “Search”, “Cortana”, “Task View”, “Microsoft Edge” and “Store” buttons have all disappeared from my “Task Bar.” Items in the “Hidden Icons”, e.g., “Speaker Volume” do not work. I uninstalled the two completed updates; no change. I have researched all available and applicable topics. In the “Power Shell” I ran Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$$_.InstallLocationAppXManifest.xml”} In “Command Prompt Admin” I ran sfc /scannow. In both cases I get the error message: The database disk image is malformed

The database disk image is malformed

At line:1 char:1



#BiancaB14

• Independent Advisor

Replied on August 4, 2020

Hi, I'm Bianca, an Independent Advisor for Microsoft, an expert and a Microsoft user like you. I'm happy to assist you.


Sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue. I hope I can help.

I'm not sure if you already have tried this but I do not want to miss important troubleshooting steps. Please follow the steps on the link below:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/10164/...

I hope this helps. If not, let me know if this does not work or if you've tried this already. I have another possible solution to try after this one.



davenport_r

Replied on August 4, 2020

In reply to #BiancaB14's post on August 4, 2020

That only made things worse! I did the reinstall of the updates. Now after I log into the computer, my screen is completely blank. If I use Ctl-Alt-Del, I can access the Task Manager. There I see that virtually all of the processes, including Windows processes are at 0%. After a few minutes in the Task Manager, suddenly the desktop shows up. All other problems continue.





#BiancaB14

• Independent Advisor

Replied on August 4, 2020

I'm sorry if those are happening. The link that I have provided you should have fixed the errors on updating Windows. To narrow down the source of the problem, please start Windows in Safe mode. Follow the steps here:


https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/12376/...


Check if you have the same problems in Safe mode.

davenport_r

Replied on August 5, 2020

In reply to #BiancaB14's post on August 4, 2020

In Safe Mode I see my desktop, though the wallpaper isn't there. Nothing else has changed- Start Menu and Action Center still won't open, buttons are still missing on Task Bar, hidden icons volume, etc. don't work. Shall I stay in Safe Mode for now? It doesn't give me internet access, if I need another link.

Reply



#BiancaB14

• Independent Advisor

Replied on August 5, 2020

You can choose Safe mode with Networking for you to have access to the internet. I also suggest for you to run again the System File Checker. Let me know what happens after.

Reply



davenport_r

Replied on August 5, 2020

In reply to #BiancaB14's post on August 5, 2020

In Safe Mode with Networking, the computer is unable to find any WiFi networks.

Here's the result of SFC:

Verification 100% complete.


Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
For online repairs, details are included in the CBS log file located at
windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For offline
repairs, details are included in the log file provided by the /OFFLOGFILE flag.
I don't know what that means.....
I found the CBS log and saved it, but it's 300 pages long. What now?


#BiancaB14

• Independent Advisor

Replied on August 6, 2020

Thank you for the update. Try this troubleshooter:


https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/402732...



davenport_r

Replied on August 6, 2020

In reply to #BiancaB14's post on August 6, 2020

Ran it twice - Troubleshooter was unable to identify the problem.

Does this review the CBS log?



#BiancaB14

• Independent Advisor

Replied on August 6, 2020

No, this should just automatically fix the error. Let me ask my colleagues to help us with this. There might be another workaround. Please wait for them to respond.

:)

 

Action Center and Start Menu Continually Fail


Device: Surface Pro 4
OS: Fully Updated Windows 10

Issue: Action Center and Start Menu continually fail.
Symptoms: After an unpredictable amount of time, Action Center and Start Menu will not open using multiple prompts. Action Center will not respond to taskbar link or swipe from the right and Start Menu will not respond to task bar click or keyboard button.

Troubleshooting:

• I have done several SFC scans (the first few found stuff and repaired it and subsequent runs find nothing)
• I've done the DISM image restore health hocus pocus to no avail.
• I've executed "Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppxManifest.xml" -verbose }" in an elevated powershell. This works, until it doesn't.

EDIT: Nothing is working now for troubleshooting. Going to try a restart and see how long until it happens again.


​None of these are permanent solutions. Any ideas as what is causing this and how to stop it from happening?

 

Failed updates and lost "Start Menu" & "Action Center", etc.

On Thursday, July 31, I attempted to install three updates for Windows 10. Two updates installed successfully, 0xc1900101 failed. Since then my “Start Menu” and “Action Center” nor "Calendar" on the right end of the "Task Bar" will not open,
the “Search”, “Cortana”, “Task View”, “Microsoft Edge” and “Store” buttons have all disappeared from my “Task Bar.”
Items in the “Hidden Icons”, e.g., “Speaker Volume” do not work.I uninstalled the two completed updates; no change.
I have researched all available and
applicable topics. In the “Power Shell” I ran
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml”}In
“Command Prompt (Admin)” I ran sfc /scannow. In both cases I get the error message: The database disk image is malformed

The database disk image is malformed

At line:1 char:1

Following one solution, I performed a "Clean Boot" to correct the image. No change.

Please help.

 

Action Center and Start Menu Continually Fail


Hi, you are right in that no one seems to know exactly what happens when things go wrong with Cortana and the Start Menu. Occasionally someone makes a bit of a breakthrough in discovering a more targetted fix, but unless you're a developer, your options are very limited.

(Another 'fix' some have suggested for the start menu not responding is to restart explorer;
Solution 2 here is another attempt:
Start Menu is Not Working in Windows 10 [Fix]

And then there's the possibility of conflict with sthg you've installed...
)


Note that Cortana is easily broken by (e.g.)
- changes to Privacy settings (e.g. people concerned about trying to stop Win 10 phoning home)
- attempts to change your display and speech language (which requires several settings to be changed together - messy)

Never before has it been so necessary to take precautionary steps, and be aware of what not to do.

Best way to protect yourself:
- enable system restore (mysteriously disabled by MS by default) and set up a daily scheduled task to create a restore point
- use disk imaging and update regularly

My view, FWIW:
a. This is an immature product, given it's targetting a mass consumer market
b. MS has made a major change in an attempt to produce a one-size fits all devices and has sacrificed reliability and usability in doing so.
c. Probably the minority of users are experiencing and reporting bugs/problems, given the market size - but several busy forums like this with some problems occurring repeatedly show there are weaknesses as we know
d. The Start Menu is an atrocious attempt to mix and match the traditional with the new, using Cortana for its search bar. This is little more than an attempt to reinvent the wheel badly.

Why?
- it fails to represent a hierarchical start menu categorisedin folders and subfolders properly, losing the subfolders. So if you upgrade from Win 8.1 and had a large start menu, many things are not shown, or shown very confusingly. Hence I see Help Help, Help Help .. in a verticl list, where the shortcuts are from subfolders.
- the left pane cannot be manipulated in the traditional way (the way users expect)
- the search is a real confusion of elements
- it can unexpectedly cease to be available

Classic Shell does everything I need and competently - the only thing missing is tiles.

Now, that said, I've never seen the start menu fail to appear personally.

e. Cortana is an attempt to provide multiple functions and take on Siri.
- search the start menu
- search your indexed files and folders
- search settings
- search the internet (well, interface to your browser)
- begin to provide 'intelligent' answers to natural language questions
- provide some humorous responses to questions like 'How old are you?'

I don't need such over-ambitious confusion, and Windows search has never been very useful to me, and can be confusing.