Forum Discussion
Windows PC start menu will not diisplay
It has been this way several days now. If I left click on the Start menu icon (lower left corner of screen) nothing happens! To shut down the PC, I must right click on the icon and select "Shut down and sign out". I have no access to the start menu programs. The only ones I can get to are on the Task Bar. I rely heavily on the mouse to run programs due to some neurological issues that make actually typing something onerous.
5 Replies
"Hi David, I’m just checking in to see if the steps I shared helped resolve the issue with your Start Menu? If that didn't work, we can try some other advanced troubleshooting methods together. Let me know if you need any further assistance!"
Hi David,
Since your right-click is still working, we can bypass the broken GUI easily. To fix this corrupted Start Menu update, please try these steps:
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Click on "File" at the top menu, then select "Run new task".
3. Type: sfc /scannow
4. Make sure to check the box that says "Create this task with administrative privileges", then click OK.
5. Once the scan is completely finished, go back to "Run new task" in Task Manager, type this restart command to reboot your PC automatically: shutdown /r /t 0
If typing is onerous for you due to your neurological conditions, or if these steps don't work, I would be more than happy to log in and help you directly via remote support (using Quick Assist or AnyDesk) so I can fix it all for you with my own hands. Let me know if you need me!
Hi Davidohu,
I had the exact same issue after the recent Windows update, and I managed to fix it. Since your Start Menu and Settings are completely broken, here is the fastest way to open Command Prompt as an Administrator and fix the system without needing the Start Menu:
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
Click on "Run new task" (located at the top of the Task Manager window).
In the box, type: cmd
Crucial Step: Make sure to check the box underneath that says "Create this task with administrative privileges". Then click OK.
A black Command Prompt window will open. Type the following command to repair the corrupted files and hit Enter:
sfc /scannow
Wait until the verification reaches 100%. Once it is completely finished and the scan is done, type this command to safely restart your PC and apply the fixes:
shutdown /r /t 0
After the restart, your Start Menu should be fully restored and working again. Hope this helps you!
The good news is that since your right-click on the Start menu still works, we can use that as our way in to fix the left-click issue without needing to type much.
Here are some simple solutions to help: To open the Task Manager, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Open Windows Explorer, right click and choose Restart. Press the Start button once again. If it still doesn't work: Open Task Manager, and click File → Run new task. Type: sfc /scannow Check that Create this task has admin privileges and run it. When it's finished, reboot your computer. The issue has been ongoing for days, so it's likely that the Start menu process or the Windows system files are corrupted. The orange flash could be related to a process repeatedly crashing and restarting.
