Windows 10: Microsoft Apps suddenly broken

Hi Steve,

Correct, Running the PowerShell command screws up 15 other Windows 10 Apps. All is not lost. You don't have to refresh or reinstall Windows. I have found a solution to fix issues without ever reinstalling Windows 10. Somewhere down in this thread I have listed the solution.

 

^ does this guy sound like a spammy robot or what? The blog post looks legit though.

 

Hi IFlip,

Was just helping out with a working solution to the Windows App issues.

 

It look OK but I would only download from MS not someone's blog no matter how well meaning they are.

 

Well done Theodore for finding this fix. It's strange that Windows Store is a Windows app and is not fixed by SFC /SCANNOW. Is there a similar fix for Windows 8 apps which are also prone to having problems? I had various problems with my W10 upgrade (including apps) and did a clean install last week which was time well spent.

I took the precaution of making Macrium Reflect backups of the clean install immediately after the W10 installation and after installing all my apps & programs. I should have the apps folders if needed from these backups. However, what happens after a major upgrade to W10? Will the apps folders in my clean install backup and the link posted by Theodore still be valid?

 

Maybe, but as time goes by probably not.

The problem with this approach (rather than a repair install) is it gets fiddly. You have to not only have the correct versions of each app but the correct version of pre-requisites of that app (so you need the right versions of VClibs and .NET in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps as well).

For example Mail in 10586 has these dependancies (from the AppManifest.xml file) Code: <Dependencies> <TargetDeviceFamily Name="Windows.Desktop" MinVersion="10.0.10240.0" MaxVersionTested="10.0.10240.0" /> <PackageDependency Name="Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00" MinVersion="14.0.22810.0" Publisher="CN=Microsoft Corporation, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US" /> </Dependencies>[/quote] This could mean after an upgrade (either of OS or apps) while you could use the exact same approach - you might have to track down an updated (or older) version of dependencies (it isn't hard to identify - powershell will tell you when you try to install if you don't have it).

If you got an ISO after an upgrade you could extract them from there I guess as the upgrade will update your apps but will not update your old backup so you would have all you needed (somewhere).

I did install windows 8 store (by copying all the files and dependancies) into one of the Windows 10 previews (because I'd uninstalled it by mistake and only had Window 8 to copy from) and it immediately updated itself but it was quite a hassle.

I do like @Thodore thinking here - it is clever. But for the future what would be nice is if MS would let you do the apps part of the repair install on its own (without upgrading everything else) as this problem does seem to happen a lot.

 

I think MS needs a comprehensive Apps Troubleshooter in view of all the apps problems in W10 & W8.

 

Oh yes, agree with you there. Their Apps troubleshooter (there is one you know) is pitiful.

As far as I can figure out it checks the ownership of one directory and then gives up.

I can understand their networking troubleshooter being utterly useless (lots of different hardware and so on) but they should have control over their own programs which are delivered as part of every upgrade.

Mind you, it is my hobby so it would be dull for me if it was all too easy *Smile

 

Your exhaustive efforts are immensely appreciated. Following your instructions I can confirm, function of my alarms app has been restored. I don't have time to test the others at the moment. Keep up the brilliant work!

 

Thank you both. This looks very positive and helpful, I feel at last I may have a chance of getting somewhere. If I can settle the apps and Store problem without re-installing I will be very pleased. I will start serious work on it tomorrow.

In the meantime I will explain about the Calendar. I cannot delete past or future entries, either one-off or series which have multiplied automatically making quite a mess. For a while I could not create new entries but now I can. But when I click on an existing entry I want t remove, the editing page opens but there is no delete option or other way to delete. The Live Tile has been OK.

One reason I have been wary of the re-install is this: I paid a professional (quite a lot) to do the upgrade because I feared difficulties due to the small amount of free storage space on my SSD, only 5 GB, despite spending months preparing with several strategies to reduce the amount of disc space used. I now have only about 3 GB. If I had to re-install would I face the same issue, or worse? I struggled (but succeeded} with installing the November update which was held up by messages saying my storage space was not enough.

 

This solution worked, but only after I had re-upgraded to Windows 10 with the Media Creation Tool, but this wasn't a problem as it meant none of my apps, settings, or files were altered.
Thanks *Smile

 

I have just started on Theodore's Fix for the broken apps --- with a considerable amount of trepidation.

I have encountered an ERROR notification in Step 6, Setting Permission for App Packages. At the last instruction I get this message "Failed to enumerate objects in the container. Access is denied." I have gone through the procedure again, with care but with the same result."

Can someone advise please? I have only a vague idea of what the message might mean.

 

Double click the file first, grant admin permission on the prompt, then go back a folder, then try again to set permissions, worked for me.

 

Bewinxed --- I followed your advice, which worked and I got almost to the end of the fix but my Apps and Store are still not working. It is very disappointing.

I got the app files onto the desktop and transferred most of them to the Apps Folder. But it has made little difference. There was the odd change, like the Groove Tile getting its icon back and is no longer Zune, but it does not launch. The Other list is still there, with its @ names. Most of the affected Apps have blank tiles, if they have tiles. Weather has reappeared, but so far seems the only app to have recovered --- no People, Camera, Photos, Films, Calculator, etc.etc.

Where do I go from here?

 

I really suggest that neither you or anyone else follow the previous suggestions.

You are downloading god knows what from some random blog which may (or may not) be genuine Microsoft software. Even if the guy is genuine do you imagine he will keep it up to date from his first post until the end of time? His instructions are also incorrect as they don't reset permissions.

Honestly, don't do it. Do yourself a favour, download the ISO and do a repair install. At least then it didn't work due to a MS error.

A repair install (after downloading the ISO) takes me about 20 minutes and you keep all your files and programs. You can see a tutorial here Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums

If you like playing around and learning things then by all means go ahead. You can always to a repair install later if or when it doesn't work but please don't ask about "I downloaded something off the internet and ran some random powershell commands..." No-one will be able to help you even if they want to.