Windows 10: Windows 10 Keeps Removing WinX Contents

Hi, I have an issue since upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 few months ago. Basically, Windows 10 has that feature to right click on Start menu button to get access to system shortcuts like Programs, Settings etc. So this feature just stopped working for me after few days of Windows 10 usage. I googled it and found out it's a common issue that Microsoft just refuses to fix for couple of years already. To fix that one has to go to a Default user folde/ appdata/ local/ microsoft/ windows/ winx and copy group1,2,3 folders from there, then go to the same path for a current user and paste the folders in there.
I did that, restarted explorer process and everything worked great until I reboot. After rebooting, these folder become empty again. So I have to repeat that copy and paste process every time I reboot. This is highly annoying and I have no idea why Windows 10 keeps removing those shortcuts.

I even created a backup folder next to Group1,2,3 folders in a current user directory, to do things quicker, but Windows 10 even removes contents of backup folder. Note - folders themselves stay, only shortcuts files get removed from them.

Could anyone suggest what is happening?

:)

 

Windows 10 Update - declined - still trying to install

Reply disappeared.

I did the script and updates are working properly - even if they do lie and say its windows 10.

I haven't tried the Disk Cleanup Tool, as I need to make sure I'm not removing stuff I want to keep but lost track of.

What has gone wrong though, is Explorer 11 is basically pooched since I did the WinX upgrade removal.

I visit lots ofhumor sites - memes etc.

One of my favorites - Ha Ha Stop

Every time I click the arrow to turn the page, Explorer 11 closes & restarts.

It was working fine - until the WinX update removal.

I'm at a loss.

And I may well be in the wrong area for Explorer 11.

John

 

the winkey-X shortcut not working properly.

The only fix I found is to take a flash drive and go to a system that has a working quick link menu and copy the files you need for it to run correctly then load them on your machine.

On the machine that has a working quick link function, go to File Explorer and the View tab, check hidden items box so you can see appdata folder and its contents. The go to....

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX folder. Copy WinX folder to the flash drive. Disconnect flash drive and go to your machine.

The on your screwed up machine Open File Explorer, go to View tab and make sure the hidden items box is "checked".

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX folder and delete the WinX folder.

Do the same thing on your user folder found at, C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX, deleting your existing WinX folder.

Insert the flash drive and go to C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows and paste the WinX folder into the Windows folder

Then go to your "your user" folder and paste the WinX folder into Windows as show below.

C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows. Restart and hopefully all will be fine. This fixed mine...

 

Hi, have you seen these?
Solved Start Menu button right click menu fails - Windows 10 Forums
Solved Right Click start menu items do not work - Windows 10 Forums
Windows 10 Start button - No right click option - Windows 10 Forums

which I found for you in this forum by searching for
right click start doesn't work

Windows 10 Start button - No right click option - Windows 10 Forums
#3

You could find more quite easily if you need more - you could add
solved
to the search string

If no solution please post back with what you've tried.

 

I think there was a confusion, as my issue is not how to restore right clicking. I know how to restore it. The issue is that after rebooting Windows 10 keeps removing those shortcuts from WinX folder. I want to understand why and how to stop this.

 

So, taking ideas from those links.. which I guess you may not have tried..

1. have you actually tried Shellexview and disabling context menu entries to see if that stops this happening? (Hide all MS extensions, disable all others).

2. If no effect, try a clean boot and see if the menu remains

You're saying Win 10 removes its own menu. I've never seen that. What we're looking for is sthg installed that damages Windows.

A much more technical approach would be to use Sysinternals ProcMon, leave it running, find the folder has disappeared, then search ProcMon's log to see what did it.

That approach could be somewhat time consuming.

 

I did all of that, and it seemed to be working for a week. Then all of a sudden Win10 is at it again - right click stopped working and all WinX folder content is empty - no shortcuts in Group folders.
I don't know what's going on, but Windows apparently removes them from time to time.

 

Does pressing Windows key + X work when the right click is not showing the shortcuts?

 

Nope. WinX Group folders just get empty, it won't work until I copy the contents of Group folders from the Default user and paste them into WinX of my user. And then it's going to work for some time until something happens again and they get emptied.

Also, I noticed every time it happens, sound volume icon also disappears from the panel at the bottom right. But this is usually easily fixed by restarting Explorer. But these two oddities happen together.

 

"all of a sudden Win10 is at it again - right click stopped working and all WinX folder content is empty - no shortcuts in Group folders."

Why screw around with all that. Follow Brink's easy tutorial below and get an All Tasks folder with even more tools than Win + X has. I pin mine to Windows Administrator Tools but easy enough to pin to taskbar or wherever -

Control Panel All Tasks Shortcut - Create in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums