Windows 10: Removing dead icons from Start menu All Apps

After disabling and uninstalling Cortana, Edge and others as well as Search I ended up with 2 dead icons in the All apps menu one for Search and one for Edge. When I drag the Search icon to the desktop it's named as:
@{Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.4.8.176_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewyms-resource--Microsoft.Windows.Cortana-resources-TileDisplayName} but not sure I want to start deleting various reg entries where this shows. I also tried in all the usual places where the shortcuts are supposed to be but nothing worked and the icons are still there so wondering if anyone has an idea how they can be removed if at all. It's more of a cosmetic problem as I have no issues with Windows otherwise





:)

 

Removing XP Mode from Windows 10 Pro

Thanks Niranjan,

I took a look on TechNet and found a question there entitled 'Remove dead icons from Start All Apps'

The answer proposed did not, apparently, fix that posted question, however one part of the answer proposed was:

"To remove Items in All apps for Only Your Account. From File Explorer, copy and paste into Address Bar.

%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Remove any items that you don't want."

I successfully used the above:

I interpreted "Remove" to mean "DELETE"

Which in my case entailed deleting the folder "Windows Virtual PC"; which contained a folder named "Windows XP Mode" which containing the entire group of 'dead' apps.

I then restarting my PC --> Result:

All 66 of the dead apps now gone (for the apps group -->Windows Virtual PC --> Windows XP Mode)

 

Calculator doesnt work after windows 10 update

I am experiencing the same issues

from the start I open the all apps menu and the list but calendar calculator store and a couple other app icons are dull and non responsive. I can access store but only by typing in the search. The desktop icon is dead

I have received no error messages

 

Here you go brother, shimshom

Get a yourself the Unlocker 1.9.2 ( install it )

Get your self also take ownership right click command tool


Here is the task after you get both tools

You need to remove the entry from AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\vedatamodel.edb or rename it to vedatamodel.edb/temp after you pushed the ownership command and the unlocker tool in rename mode

Also take a extra backup copy of it, just in case something does go wrong.

*** Reboot your windows and the broken link or dead link within your windows 10 menu should be gone.

You might need to add new short cuts again yourself example office and other apps you have installed, after the menu system sector has been flushed after the main reboot that's an easy fix *Wink

PS: you might also get a access error that's also a an easy fix if you get nailed for an area after the menu reset or flush *Wink

Go back into the location and delete the vedatamodel.edb/temp and your set and do a clean total update check and cleanup and take a back up restore image and your set and good.


; )

 

Thanks AcuraTML appreciate the suggestion. Unlocker or IOBit unlocker successfully delete the file but when restarting the left click start menu is completely broken and everything slows down considerably including opening any folders (The right click is still fine). Deleting any of the other files in the same folder also breaks the start menu except EDBtmp.log which only causes explorer to slow down. I tested it on a 2nd desktop I have as I always do so no issues if it breaks. I did find that creating a new account gets rid of the dead entries so when time permits will test to see if copying the files from the new account to the old one gets rid of the dead icons without causing any issues as well as using a second accounts negates the need to install an unlocker

 

The contents of the folder TileDataLayer\Database\ are locked when you are signed on - you can't copy them. What I did is create 2 new local admin accounts (A and B say), sign on and off both to populate TileDataLayer folder.

Sign onto account A and copy the whole contents of TileDataLayer\Database\ from account B to original account after deleting what was there. You can then delete the unneeded A and B accounts.

I couldn't copy successfully with only 1 extra account but perhaps you could do it in safe mode.

It is same idea as @AcuraTML suggested - just a different method of using accounts instead of unlocker - and worked fine for me.

I copied like this to get the correct authority:

Code: xcopy /herky "C:\Users\<user B>\TileDataLayer\Database" "C:\Users\<original user>\TileDataLayer\Database\" icacls "C:\Users\<original user>\TileDataLayer\Database" /grant "%USERDOMAIN%\<original user>"F) /t[/quote]

 

Shimshom,

Sorry for not being very clear regarding the after affects of being hit with permission errors and access problems with your start menu.

after you renamed to temp: AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\vedatamodel.edb "temp" you should have rebooted

and then to fix or repair the permission or access errors you need to give full permission to you start folder using the take ownership tool...

Your start menu is located after you unhide folders: Local Disk (C) ProgramData,Microsoft,Windows, Start Menu, Right click and give full permission to the Programs folder and reboot permission can be added manually and reboot..

after the reboot. run sfc /scannow with admin rights command prompt till 100% is completed and you will be good...then delete the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\vedatamodel.edb "temp" and reboot and you will be fine and good.

***PS: Keep in mind if you removed apps like Cortina or Maps, or in general all apps let me know I have to get you the correct codes to get you around this problem "if you removed apps or all of them" there is another fix that I will help you repair your start menu its very important to let me know if you done any mods and removals to your apps before hand...

 

[/quote] That will work but also look at my work around above it corrects the permission or access problem also and faster *Wink

Unless you or someone removed their apps like Cortina and other apps or all of them, then you need to get a hold of me to send you the commands and a tool to sort out and repair your start menu its again very simple have no fear *Wink

 

@{Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.4.8.176_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewyms-resource--Microsoft.Windows.Cortana-resources-TileDisplayName} (--------------------------------- is always a sign of Mods and App removal keep that in mind...

@{Microsoft (----------------------- start menu is on its way into corruption when you ever see icons with @{MS

Have no fear simple fix anyways *Wink

 

Thank you both AcuraTML and halasz for taking the time to respond. I ended up booting into a live Win XP and renaming vedatamodel.edb to vedatamodel.edb.temp once I rebooted the dead icons were gone I then did as AcuraTML suggested and granted full permissions to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs (I have it in my right click menu) rebooted again ran sfc rebooted again and all is well and working as it should. I did remove all the apps when I initially installed Windows after doing a lot of reading as I don't use any of them. Cortana wasn't available anyway here in Oz when WIN 10 RTM came out so wasn't too hard to get rid of it. It was also easier as I didn't need to upgrade since I was given a Win 10 Pro license by a friend as a present. I will mark this as solved and kudos to you both

 

Your very much welcomed! Shimshom and Halasz

 

Does anyone here know how to have tiles in the start menu that link to a app in the store without having the app installed as I noticed in my original Windows 7 to 10 upgrade on August 10, 2015, the default tiles were all going to default apps that were installed. However, all the in-place upgrade installs I did to fix the Start Menu not working problem since September 12, 2015 - the default live tiles when I create a new account, it would basically be tiles that go to default apps that are installed plus it has tiles for I<3Radio, Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta, and Flipboard which are not installed but when you click on it, it just opens up the app page for that app in Windows 10 where you can download and install the app. in-place upgrade installs of 10240 RTM was working fine where one can just copy the vedatamodel.edb from the new account to the account I'm trying to fix while logged on as the account I'm trying to fix after stopping the tiledatamodelsvc process, I tried the method of logging in as a third admin account and copied the files but it always messes up the 3 tiles for the apps that are not installed. I noticed until October 18, 2015 - in-place upgrade installs all work fine with the copying of the vedatamodel.edb file. However, ever since Microsoft came out with the Security update on October 19, 2015 to fix Adobe Flash, in-place upgrade installs works but copying the vedatamodel.edb using the third admin account or while logged in to the problem account by stopping the tiledatamodelsvc process no longer works as the stop menu would not respond when you click on it until you deleted the vedatamodel.edb file. The other issue is it seems like all the default apps that are part of C:\Windows works but none of the ones in C:\Program Files\Windows Apps works until I do the following, take control of that folder, add ALL USER PACKAGES which will add with the default permissions before doing the following line:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -register "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode}

For whatever reason, if I did not do not add the ALL USER PACKAGES to the permission before doing the above line, all the default apps in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps would not launch as you can see the window but it will close immediately. So I will need to add ALL USER PACKAGES first and doing the above and then the apps will open without problems.

So I wonder how does Windows 10 create the default tiles, does it query Microsoft on the net because it seems the default tiles changed in September vs August. Also, is there a way to add tiles without installing the app like how those 3 apps are done.

For the Start Menu, which user should the full permission be given to?

Forgot to add these, screenshots of the default tiles for the Start Menu:

August 11, 2015 Default Tiles:




September 12, 2015-October 12, 2015 Default Tiles:




It will still generate the same default tiles except when I copy the vedatamodel.edb file from the newly created account which has the tiles above, it will look like this, the 3 tiles for the 3 apps not installs that links to the store changes to a solid color:

 

After days of trying to find a fix for the corrupted All Apps list in my Start Menu (apparently caused by uninstalling the rubbish apps that I neither need nor want), I finally came across this thread. This alerted me to the existence/use of the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\vedatamodel.edb. Didn't want to go down the track suggested by AcuraTML (too complicated for my limited skills) but the lx07/halasz solution didn't quite work either (xcopy failed).

However, the info from both led me to another (simpler?) variation that after a bit of testing using newly created local Administrator accounts, took only about 10 minutes and worked perfectly.

Prerequisites:
Three local Administrator accounts, including my own with the corrupt Start Menu, and one "clean" one using the halasz/Ix07 guidelines along with the "Take Ownership" function in my context menus (ref.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/3...dows-10-a.html).

Process:

• Set up a new clean Administrator account (mine plus one other was already in place - otherwise set up two new ones)
• Log on to the a/c that is neither the problem one nor the new clean one and use the normal Windows File Explorer (set to view hidden files) to access the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\ folder in the Clean User account structure.
• Copy the vedatamodel.edb file in that folder and then paste it to the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\ folder in the Problem User structure, overwriting the file already there.
• If there is a permission problem (like when I tried to paste the vedatamodel.edb file) just "Take Ownership" of the target AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\ folder before pasting the vedatamodel.edb file).
• Log out of the account and log back into the problem one - found problem fixed and User Menu fully restored to original glory with full "All Apps" list in place, including all the links to the traditional desktop applications (MS Office 2010, various audiovisual editing and specialist database packages) that had been in place on the PC before the problem occurred. Just because I'm a bit paranoid, I went to the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\ folder and used the "Take Ownership" function again from within my own account.
• Delete the "clean" user account if no longer required (can be easily recreated if problem comes up again).

Worked for me...but one point that may/may not be relevant:
Everything on my PC is Local Account based - I do not have a Microsoft account and do not use any sort of cloud based synching between my various PCs/Laptop/Tablet (the hard-wire and WiFi home network is adequate for that) and I have a Symbian phone rather than Apple/Android/Windows because I'm not surgically attached to the phone. I have no idea what would happen if the above fix was attempted where one of the user accounts involved a link to a Microsoft account.

For interest, while I was testing this fix, I deleted the AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\vedatamodel.edb file from a clean user account structure from within another user account. When I logged into the user account with the missing file, the Start Button worked but there were no apps in the start window. Over the next few minutes the whole "All Apps" list fully rebuilt itself but apps needed to be manually "pinned to the start menu" to show up in the apps window.

Thanks for the help people...this is the only really useful source of ideas that I've found so far in dealing with Windows.

 

I found the easiest way was to boot up with a live CD of any flavour of Windows and rename the file and upon booting back in it recreates it but might need a restart a couple of times. At least it worked for me

 

Hey AcuraTML

Any chance I could see this tool?

I have a similar issue... I removed all my default apps through Powershell, but the tiles for them (no icon in the tile, just a coloured square) are still there, for example for "maps" or "alarms". When I click them nothing happens (makes sense since the app is uninstalled) but I can see no way to remove these dead entries from the "all apps" menu.

If you could help out that would be great.

I tried the fixes in this thread of renaming the EDB file... it just leaves me with a blank start menu *Smile