Windows 10: Search installed programs does not work

As far as I can tell. I'm using a Dell Inspiron 620 with 4GB of ram, Windows 10 Home, 64 bit. When I left click the "start" button in the lower left, nothing happens. I have the search icon next to it but it too doesn't respond to the left mouse button. When I right click the start button and select Search nothing happens. I can right click and select run but... now I have to figure out the program names. How do I run installed programs?

For example, if I want to run Paint, I cannot unless i find the complete path to it. I tried pinning something to the Start Menu and that didn't error out but nothing is displayed.

Also, I cannot type anything in the4 "Search the web and Windows" text box (if it is a text box. If not, what is it?)

Thanks.


RON

:)

 

Windows Search does not find installed programs.

We suggest that you try these troubleshooting steps:

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Task Manager.

2. In the Processes tab, select Cortana and click on
End task.



3. Scroll down to the bottom of the Task Manager window and select Windows Explorer, then click on
Restart.



Regards.

 

Windows Search does not find installed programs.

I have tried both of those potential solutions from other threads I have found like this. However I have tried them again just to be sure, it still does not find my installed programs.

 

I'm not sure if rebooting helped. It seems like it did but the bigger problem may just be that the Start menu is not that responsive. The WIn7 start button was very fast and this one is much slower. Not agonizingly slow but slow enough that I thought it wasn't working.

This may be part of a more general problem. For instance I tried using Cortana which to me just seems a way to pipe questions to IE. OK, that's fine. The IE window comes up but it is blank. I tried putting something in the search bar like Google but again the window is empty. I don't use IE anyway so not much of an issue but perhaps indicative of other issues???

I restarted IE and now it works. Maybe it just needed to go through some "First Time" stuff???