Windows 10: Right Click start menu items do not work

I updated to windows 10 last week and everything worked.
Now if I right click on the start menu, the context menu items other than Run, shut down, search or desktop no longer do anything.
Cortana always asks me to switch my speech language, but if I ignore that it works and answers typed questions. (no microphone). I can type in words like Control panel or file explorer or device manager and they work. Clicking on the menu items does nothing. There are many old threads on this forum on the subject, but none of them work. (cannot try the restore computer option due to large data files and existing programs)
Has there been any solutions found in 2016?
Just checked on my laptop and it all works as it should (except Cortana)

:)

 

Right click on Start Menu does not work

Hi Shane,

Thank you for posting in Community.

We understand your concern and we apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

We are aware that some customers are experiencing this error, and are actively investigating. You may be able to temporarily resolve the issue by booting to Safe Mode, and then immediately booting back into normal mode. This workaround
may resolve your problem for a while, however the error may return later.

Method 1: To boot to Safe Mode with Networking:

• 
  From Hold the Shift key down while you press the Power icon and select
  Restart.
  
• 
  Once you are within the Windows Recovery Environment, select
  Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then
  Startup Settings, and Restart.
  
• 
  When it restarts, you should see a number of options. Press 5 or F5 for
  Safe Mode with networking.
  
• 
  Once you sign into your account in Safe Mode, you’re done. Just restart your PC to return to a normal boot.
  

If the issue still persist, follow the below method.

Method 2: SFC

run System File Checker [SFC] scan on the computer which will replace the missing or corrupt files & check if the issue persists.

a. Right click on the Start Menu, locate and select Command Prompt (Admin).

Note: If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

b. Type the following command, and then press
ENTER:

sfc /scannow

Method 3: DISM.

Follow the steps to Run DISM Commands:

1) Press Windows + x on your keyboard.

2) Select Command prompt (Admin) to open
Administrator Command Prompt.

3) In the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the following commands. Press the Enter key after each command:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

Method 4: You may disconnect the email id associated with the Microsoft account and associate that email id with the Local account. Once this is done the Local account which is working fine would now become
the Microsoft account.

How to switch to a local account from Microsoft account.

• 
  Press “Windows + I” keys to open settings (When you get the error “Critical error-start menu and Cortana not working”).
  
• 
  Select Accounts.
  
• 
  On the right side, it will show your current account with an option "Switch to a local account”.
  
• 
  Select “switch to a local account” and follow the steps to switch your Microsoft account into a local account. Once this is done your Microsoft account is safe and not linked with that computer anymore.
  

How to convert a local account to Microsoft Account:

• 
  Press “Windows + I” keys to open settings.
  
• 
  Select Accounts.
  
• 
  Tap or click Switch to a Microsoft account and follow the on screen instructions.
  

After performing above steps, sign out and try to sign in to Windows 10 again and check if it helps.

Hope this information helps

 

Right click on Start Menu does not work

This right click issue appears ongoing and well known. My question is does Microsoft have the fix? I don't have the expertise to fix a problem with their software and when searching, I see the answer coming from everyone (exaggeration) else but them. I'm
tired of looking.

Right Click Issue- Original Title

 

Hi, don't know what you've tried, which makes it kind of hard to 2nd guess.
Try downloading Shellexview, (free), hide all MS extensions, disable the rest.

Then try your right click.

This is what rjwhite1 did in this thread with identical symptoms.
Solved Start Menu button right click menu fails - Windows 10 Forums
(There's a lot of discussion about other things that don't seem directly helpful).

 

Did that, then restarted explorer. Result? One black screen and nothing else. Will re-boot and see what happens

 

I did hide all the MS extensions and disabled the rest. Restarted file explorer and got just a black screen. Re-booted. Right clicked on Task Manager and got nothing at all. So I tried to start Word, and after a minute it started. Halfway through composing a document, task manager opened up, and after that everything worked. I suppose now that the solution is to restart each of the disabled items until it does not work and then delete that item.
It stopped working after I re-enabled Dropbox, so it looks like the problem lies there.
If I leave extensions disabled, what happens other than loss of some usability?

 

Hmm, interesting effect.. as you might guess, probably wouldn't expect that. The idea is to restore normal operation... you'll know more when you identify which is/are responsible.

So yes, enable some and retry - if you've a lot, enable them in groups- a binary chop approach. (Enable half, see what happens, then either disable half of those or enable half of the remainder depending on the outcome).

 

It will take some time as there seems to be more than one extension causing problems. Thanks for the fix.*Tongue

 

Good to see you've a way forward. Nirsoft has produced some neat utilities.