Windows 10: Windows 11 does not start anymore? UI customizations may be the reason

Microsoft confirmed a new Windows 11 issue that may affect devices with user interface customization applications. According to Microsoft's post on an official support website, Windows 11 devices may not start up anymore if certain UI customization apps are installed.



The issue affects devices running Windows 11 version 22H2 that run the preview update KB5022913 or newer cumulative updates. Microsoft released KB5022913 yesterday, and with it the second feature drop for Windows 11. The update introduced the AI-powered Bing on Windows, but it also brought along a number of other features, including several application updates, Phone Link improvements, touch and Braille improvements, and more.

Microsoft explains that third-party customization apps may "cause errors with explorer.exe that might repeat multiple times in a loop". The company mentions the two programs StartAllBack and ExplorerPatcher specifically, but there is a chance that other user interface customization tools may also cause the issue.

Microsoft recommends that Windows 11 administrators remove the two mentioned apps, any others, from the device before installing the latest cumulative update for the operating system. For users who are already affected by the issue, Microsoft recommends contacting the developer of the application that is installed for help.

StartAllBack users may be able to resolve the issue by installing the latest version, StartAllBack 3.5.6 or later.

Microsoft notes that it is investigating the issue currently and that it plans to provide more information on the issue once it is available.

User customization apps


StartAllBack is a popular customization app for Windows that may modify the appearance of the taskbar, File Explorer, Start Menu and other interface elements. The latest version available is 3.6.1 at the time of writing. Windows 11 users are encouraged to update the application to the latest version, as it may prevent the Windows 11 startup issue.

ExplorerPatcher is an open source tool that is offering different taskbar designs and other interface customizations. The application was last updated in November 2022. We reviewed Explorer Patch last year here on Ghacks.

KB5022913 is a preview update for Windows 11. It should be considered a beta release, and its contents will be included in the March 2023 cumulative update. The March update will include security fixes as well, but all the feature changes and bug fixes introduced in the preview update are also included.

It is unclear if Microsoft will have addressed the issue before the next cumulative update for Windows 11 is released on March 14, 2023. Administrators who run customization apps may want to create system backups of the Windows installation before the updates are downloaded and installed on the devices.

Customization apps may use undocumented or unsupported methods, e.g., methods that Microsoft no longer maintains, but has not yet removed from the operating system.

Now You: do you run interface modification apps?

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Windows 7 to officially support logon UI background customization

I found this,is real interesting.

http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/0...ly-support-logon-ui-background-customization/

I just tried it,it works.*Rockout :rockout:

 

Metro UI Tweaker: Make Windows 8 Look Like Windows 7

For those of you trying out the Windows 8 developer release who already hanker for the old Windows 7 look, help is now at hand! Enter Metro UI Tweaker from The Windows Club. From the screenshots below, you can see that things like the Explorer Ribbon and the Metro Start menu can be turned off. It can do a lot more, however.













Note: This application requires the enabling of .NET Framework 3.5.1 on the Windows 8 developer preview as follows:
1 Fire up Control Panel then click on More Settings and go Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off
2 Select .NET Framework 3.5.1 from the listing and click OK
3 Windows will connect to Windows Update to download the required files
4 When that’s done, you’re good to go

The tweaks currently being offered are:

1 Disable Metro Start menu: Disables only Metro Start menu screen. This function requires editing a system file. It does not remove the file
2 Disable Metro Ribbon: Disables only the Metro Ribbon UI. It requires taking ownership of a system file. It does not remove this file
3 Disable Metro Start menu and Ribbon: Disables the Metro Start menu UI, Ribbon UI, Metro Task Manager UI and the lock screen
4 Enable Metro Start menu and Ribbon: Re-enables all available Metro UI options
5 Add power options to the Metro Start menu screen: Logoff, Switch User, Lock, Sleep, Restart and Shutdown
6 Add any application/file to the Metro UI Start menu screen: Some applications/files may not be available to you to add to the Metro Start menu screen. This program allows you to add those applications/files which would otherwise be unavailable

When first run, the program will generate a folder in your Windows directory labelled Metro UI Tools. This folder is there to keep your power option apps in place without worrying about them having to be moved. Once generated and the files are unpacked from the program, do not remove the folder or the power apps from this folder as these options will no longer be available and may generate errors. The program works on 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. It's constantly being refined, so check the Windows Club website regularly for updates.

Sources: ZDNet | The Windows Club | Microsoft Developer Preview Intro | Windows 8 Developer ISO download page

 

Custom WinRE tool for WIndows 11?

Hi All,

I am trying to have our custom recovery tool working under windows 11 advanced recovery menu, but the current windows 10 procedure does not work.

c:\windows\system32\Reagentc.exe /setbootshelllink /configfile C:\xxxxxx does not add anything to the list anymore, this works fine in all Windows 10 builds, just not Windows 11?

Has this been disabled/removed in Windows 11?

How can I add our custom tool, and keep the current Windows 11 Recovery layout.

Thanks.

Al.