Windows 10: Program Can't Start Because Combase.dll is Missing...

Correct, I currently cannot remove any program, it will alert me that an error occurred and that it may be already uninstalled. Also I have tried to run the setup.exe from the mounted ISO but I get a dialog box that states "Setup couldn't start properly. Please reboot your PC and try running windows 10 Setup again."

I get this same message when I tried to run the setup from my own Windows 10 install USB. I can boot into my Windows USB and the installer runs but it will force me to try an in place upgrade if I choose to "Keep My Files". Unfortunately the in-place upgrade doesn't get past the setup startup even if I run as admin.

Note: Restarting my pc does not actually fix the setup issue.

Shall I try using the upgrade app or media creation tool as described in steps 6/7?

 

When's the last time you ran chkdsk?
Drive Error Checking in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Do you have all your data backed up?

 

I ran chkdsk about 12 hours ago when I was researching this error and it found no problems. Just re-ran and also says it found no problems and no further action required. I also backed up my data using the windows tool to a secondary drive in case I needed to wipe my SSD as I was losing hope on recovery.

 

Okay. I'll do a little more research. I will be afk for a bit, but still logged in so it'll look like I'm here when I'm not.
If you open the Windows Store, and check for updates, anything there?

 

Windows store crashes or "appears to close" as soon as the window for it opens. This also happens with the "News" store app but not with the others as stated in a previous post.

I appreciate your time and effort thank you.

 

Hi. Back for a bit.
Let's try re-registering the Store:
Store - Re-register in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Next, we can try the apps troubleshooter:
Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter - Run in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Failing those, we can try a re-install and re-register of all native apps:
Apps - Reinstall and Re-register in Windows 8 and 10 - Windows 10 Forums

.

 

Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CF6, Package could not be registered.

Returns nothing found.

Deployment failed with HRESULT 0x80073D02, The package could not be installed because resources it modifies are currently in use. I checked the event log and it says Cortana is the resource in use but I'm not sure how to terminate the Cortana background process entirely.

 

Ugh! This is a persistent bugger, eh?!
This is the only way I know of to turn Cortana off:
Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

I wonder if these commands would work in clean boot?

If you can open File Explorer, can you look and see if this dll file does indeed reside on your system?





Short of a clean install, I am running out of ideas. I can't figure out why a repair install/in-place upgrade won't run...I know Norton have put out some updates today - wonder if that has anything to so with it? Wish we could get that out of there. You should be able to uninstall it when in Safe Mode, We're sure the system is clean, yes?

 

Cortana should be "off" but the background process still remains. If I terminate it it just restarts itself and I'm not sure what service to stop so that it doesn't come back.

I did check the windows folder and saw that the dll file does indeed reside on my system. I tried copying over the dll file from my Win 10 laptop but couldn't get permission to replace any file on sys32.

Norton fails to start at startup on boot because of the same error so its not currently running. As far as I know each Norton scan was fine and occasional Malwarebytes scan returned clean.

I was kinda headed to wiping the drive and performing a clean install but decided to post here first and see if I could avoid doing so.

 

What steps do I take to perform a clean install? Does it automatically replace windows on my C: drive or do I need to wipe it beforehand?

 

I just did one yesterday (on a borked forced-upgrade+revert). Booted to the W10 USB, chose custom installation, had it delete all partitions it would let me delete, then selected to format the partition with the OS on it and install.
Here's the tut:
Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums

Finished with a clean, 3-partition install (this one was an upgrade from W8>W8.1>W10 and had like 6 or 7 partitions on it, including the OEM recovery, which is useless), and it is running smoothly.

I'm really sorry we couldn't get this resolved. I am sure the Norton has something to do with it. If it were me, I would use Defender + the paid version of Malwarebytes Antimalware, (for active protection), then add the Malwarebytes Antiexploit free; round it out with the free version of SuperAntiSpyware (manual updates and scans).

Good luck and let us know how it goes. *Smile

 

Just finished clean install after wiping. Just doing tedious driver/windows updates and reinstalling programs. Recovered from backup but thinking it may have been a bad choice to recover to original location. Anyway I'll mark as resolved despite not figuring it out.

Thanks again!

 

You're quite welcome! I know what you mean, I am in the middle of setting up a clean install right now. *Wink I would suggest some images using Macrium Reflect Free. That way, when things go south, you won't have to go through the entire setup again.
Cheers!