Windows 10: Microsoft Apps suddenly broken

Hi,

Since yesterday, I have noticed that a number of built in Windows 10 apps have broken.

Photos, Skype, Calculator and Maps have all disappeared completely and only appear in the All apps list under Other and all have weird long names (see picture attached). Clicking on them has no effect, they no longer run at all.

I have tried to uninstall the offending app using the admin PowerShell commands, e.g. Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage, but get the message:

"Remove-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered.
error 0x80070003: Reading manifest from location: AppxManifest.xml failed with error: The system cannot find the path
specified.
.
NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] f97c8a93-2898-0002-3c20-7df99828d101 in the Event Log or use
the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID f97c8a93-2898-0002-3c20-7df99828d101
At line:1 char:28
+ Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : WriteError: (Microsoft.Windo...__8wekyb3d8bbwe:String) [Remove-AppxPackage], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.RemoveAppxPackageCommand"


I have tried to reinstall all built in apps using PowerShell using Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”} , but for each of the broken apps I get the message:

Add-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered.
Merge Failure : error 0x80070003 : Cannot register the Microsoft.Windows.Photos_15.1120.13270.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
package because there was a merge failure with the following file: C:\Program
Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_15.1120.13270.0_neutral_split.scale-100_8wekyb3d8bbwe\resources.pri
NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] f97c8a93-2898-0002-d1d8-7df99828d101 in the Event Log or use
the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID f97c8a93-2898-0002-d1d8-7df99828d101
At line:1 char:37
+ ... s| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.I ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : WriteError: (C:\Program File...ppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], IOException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand


I have checked out the relevant event log entry, as the Windows rantings suggest, but I can't make head or tail of it. Please see the second attached picture.

Does anyone have any ideas please?

Hope someone can help!

Thanks
Matt

:)

 

Error code 0x80070490 on updating apps from Windows Store on Windows 10.

Same problem here, it's apparently related to a broken
Microsoft Visual C++ redist update that was issued a while back. This causes all Store apps dependant on that library to fail to update/install.

Error 0x80070490 when trying to install/upgrade applications dependent on Microsoft.VCLibs.140

It's becoming apparent that Microsoft doesn't even bother testing their broken apps before pushing them to their customers. Last december I lost my calculator app when it suddenly stopped working and now none of my store apps are updating since the recent
VC++ update screwed them.

 

Several Win 10 apps are dead - please help

The repair install using TechBench iso worked perfectly. But quite a hassle. The question is, WHY did my apps suddenly break? From your

site:

"In the aniversary update,a reset app feature is being provided that resets an app.I will update the post when it is available to public.."

Obviously this "reset app" feature is desperately needed.

 

I had that as well I went back to a recovery point hoping to fix that and a problem with the Netflix, Edge and the Weatherbug app.

This problem fixed itself, the others still a broken with Edge and Weatherbug not even loading Netflix just refuses to let me log in to my account though I can fine in my browser.

 

I tried a restore point but amazingly there weren't any. I upgraded in August! Windows had set aside 0% for system protection, which is certainly not what it was set at in Windows 7 and I didn't put it down to zero myself. Consequently that is not an option, sadly.

 

Does anyone know if using the media creation tool to 'install' Windows 10 when Windows 10 is already installed (and keeping all files etc) will fix problems?

I did that when the November update hadn't downloaded and it installed ok.

 

Yes it will work. It is faster to upgrade (even to same level) than to try to figure out these things I think. I've done it many times and takes about half an hour or so.

It is very good for these store app problems as it just replaces them all. You can keep your other apps and files.

See here Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums

 

I'm having this bug too. Many win10 apps are simply not working.

I tried using the Powershell trick, Windows Update / Apps troubleshooters, wsreset.exe, dims.exe commands, fixing Security flags for WindowsApps folders/files, clearing Windows Store app cache, using a Microsoft Account in my PC instead of a local account, and STILL no luck.

I can't even open a Calculator.. pathetic. MS is garbage

 

I recommend downloading the media creation tool and use it to reinstall Windows 10 making sure to select the option to keep all your files and settings. It fixed my issue and no amount of Powershell fiddling had worked before. Because Windows 10 was already installed and I chose to keep settings etc, after the 40min installation I found Windows completely fixed.

 

this might slow down your Windows due to installing Windows on top of a previous installation

 

zaarin2003, can you please send me the Security settings for all files and folders inside c:\program files\windowsapp\ so I can restore it?

Open cmd as admin, and type: icacls "%programfiles%\windowsapps" /t /save settings.txt

Zip the file then send it to me please. My email is gabklein **at** gmail.com

Thanks!

 

Sorry, I got your pm. Why do you want me to send you this information?

 

I'd be interested in the ACL list also because I'm getting "access denied" errors. I figure somewhere among all the repair suggestions, the WindowsApps permissions got messed up. I just need to know what they should be.

 

I too am in much the same situation, with many important apps gone, including Windows Store itself, People, Calculator, Camera, Photos. My four restore points did not solve the problem, nor did the command in Windows Power Shell (first time I have used it). WPS reports for each affected app that 'the package cannot be cannot be registered because there was a merge failure.' --- whatever that means.

It is clear now this is a serious and widespread issue. Can one expect Microsoft to produce a fix, any time soon? Before I realised it was a common problem I had a chat session with a MS technician, not that I have much confidence in them. All he could suggest was a reinstall via the media creation tool. I was not keen on this but comments here suggest it may have to be done. Is it the case that all apps and non-Store programs and files can be retained? Is the procedure 'fairly easy'? I paid (quite a lot) to a technician to do the W10 upgrade and don't really want to pay again.

 

The short answer is yes, with the MCTool, you can reinstall Windows 10 such that all non-Store programs and files can be retained. And it is fairly easy. You download the MCT, it creates an ISO file or a DVD or a bootable USB stick, your choice. Then you mount it, run its 'setup.exe', tell it you want to keep everything, and then just wait, maybe an hour or three.

i had a long explanation here how and why I do it, but I hit the wrong key (angry and surprised emoji faces here). I'm trying to fix the same problems you are, and I'll recreate how I'm making progress. Tomorrow.