slate_leeper wrote:
Windows search has always been problematic on this computer. Through
various updates the problem remained the same: after a reboot
sometimes the search box (Windows key) would simply turn white if any
character was entered. Other times after a reboot it worked just fine.
When it didn't work, it would most often start working again, on it's
own, a few hours or days later.

Now, version 1909: When first installed and after each of two reboots,
the Winkey search worked fine. After rebooting again, now pressing any
character produces a larger black box with what looks like an icon of
a magnifying glass in the center. Any further key presses are simply
ignored. The same non-functioning box is produced by Winkey+S.

Any ideas?


-dan z-

The Windows search service has to start, before some
of that stuff will work. Normally, the "box to type into"
wouldn't even appear, if not enough of the OS is up.

It's hard to say from your symptoms, seeing as you
"got further than you were supposed to", what that is indicating.
(I.e. Lots of your graphics came up, and then it decides
it is broken.)

Would EventViewer have any info ? eventvwr.msc

I have had an event with Win10, where just about everything
was blocked at startup, and it was something really stupid
which was blocking it. But now I've completely forgotten
what that was :-/

OK, one symptom from that episode, was clicking the
Cortana circle, helped "initialize" Search. So if the
search box isn't working, click Cortana and then look
for additional activity on the TaskBar.

Paul