"Critical error - start menu not working"

Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to open
the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser from opening
(windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening). You can still run
programs as long as there is an icon for them on the desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast anti-virus, and
also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in normal mode.

But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is causing it
and when a fix is likely?

I managed to get an affected PC back into a usable state by installing
Classic Shell (which replaces the Windows Start Menu with its own - with the
advantages that it looks more like the Windows 7 one and that you can
right-click on a menu item and then paste-shortcut it onto the desktop) and
by switching to using Internet Explorer (or Firefox or Chrome) in place of
Edge. My client may decide to carry on using these even after MS fix the
root cause problem.

NY wrote:

Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to open
the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser from opening
(windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening). You can still run
programs as long as there is an icon for them on the desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast anti-virus, and
also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in normal mode.

Does that statement mean you ARE running Avast under Windows 10?

If so, do you have Avast configured in silent (gaming) mode AND in
Hardened mode? Hardened mode means you want Avast to be less likely to
miss zero-day malware. Moderate mode is actually more restrictive then
Agressive mode for hardening. In Agressive mode, Avast will check its
cloud-based whitelist of known good apps to allow those to run without
prompt. If not whitelist, the user is the final authority as to whether
or not a program will load; however, that requires the user respond to a
popup from Avast saying the program was blocked but gives the user the
option to add the program to a local whitelist. If you run Avast in its
silent mode (no popup alerts) then you won't see the popup telling you
that an unknown program was blocked from loading which also means you
don't get the chance to click on the link to whitelist that program.

Avast uses their free version as adware. Several times per year they
will decide to use their program to retrieve and display ads. This can
be quite the nuisance with ads popping onto the screen and interferring
with your use of your computer. So some Avast users noticed that these
ads would never show if Avast was running under its silent or gaming
mode. That means no popups. That also means no popups to allow a
program to run when using Avast's hardened mode.

One suggestion to get rid of Avast's popup ads (rather than use silent
mode which eliminates seeing ANY popups, including those you really do
want to see) is to add an outbound blocking rule in the firewall. Block
avastui.exe from connecting out. I'm trying this but will have to wait
a week, or so, to make sure that signature and program updates are still
offered when they become available.

But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is causing it
and when a fix is likely?

If Avast or some other software you installed is causing the problem
then how would Microsoft necessarily know about the problem? It is not
their fault.

I managed to get an affected PC back into a usable state by installing
Classic Shell (which replaces the Windows Start Menu with its own - with the
advantages that it looks more like the Windows 7 one and that you can
right-click on a menu item and then paste-shortcut it onto the desktop) and
by switching to using Internet Explorer (or Firefox or Chrome) in place of
Edge. My client may decide to carry on using these even after MS fix the
root cause problem.

Although you mentioned others recommending to boot into Windows safe
mode (to test if the problem went away), *you* never said if you tried
safe mode to see if the problem went away.

NY posted this via
:

Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to
open the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser
from opening (windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening). You
can still run programs as long as there is an icon for them on the
desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast anti-virus,
and also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in normal mode.

There is a trend there...


But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is causing
it and when a fix is likely?

It's NOT a Microsoft issue, so why should they "fix" it?


I managed to get an affected PC back into a usable state by installing
Classic Shell (which replaces the Windows Start Menu with its own - with
the advantages that it looks more like the Windows 7 one and that you
can right-click on a menu item and then paste-shortcut it onto the
desktop) and by switching to using Internet Explorer (or Firefox or
Chrome) in place of Edge. My client may decide to carry on using these
even after MS fix the root cause problem.

Yes, you should have a start menu and edge browser that works - whether you
choose to use them or not.

Most issues with upgrading to Windows 10 have been rooted in existing 3rd
party software; specifically, anti-virus and firewall software. There's
also conflicts with old 3rd-party software and MSFT's "app" routines...
Like QuickSFV, which inserts itself into the context menu; however, it
disables some of the context menu items when you right-click the Start
button... This is NOT a MSFT issue; rather it is a QuickSFV issue. One
solution is to disable it, and only enable it when you want to check or
create SFV files (I use CCleaner to do this); or Uninstall it an find
another way to accomplish those tasks. If QuickSFV takes the postion that
it's a MSFT issue, it'll never get fixed, so sooner-or-later, they'll come
around - or they'll go under as Windows 10 continues to proliferate.

These issues remind me of the Sun Java (vs. Real Machine); RealPlayer and
Apple's QuickTime back in the Win9x days... they each took the hardened
position that their various install and upgrade problems was a Microsoft or
Windows problem - actually creating quite a following to that position -
until they eventually fixed their own act, and look where they are now.

Banging Microsoft for every 3rd-party software conflict hasn't got a very
bright outlook - if looking for meaningful results.

There's probably a long-way-around fix to the issues you are describing;
however, if you are experiencing all these issues on several PCs, then the
liklihood that it's some adjustment or software that is unique to you and a
small particular group of users is actually quite astronomical. Or it may
well be some stupid little system setting - but without being able to
duplicate your circumstances, it'll be difficult to advance any meaningful
response.

It might be easier to simply restore your pre-Windows 10 qualifying OS,
then uninstall 3rd-party AV and FW sofware, then update... You can always
add software, 1 at a time, and investigate for changes before proceeding.
Or backup your data files, and fresh install a clean copy of Windows 10.

Windows 10 works! If you install a 3rd-party software and then it doesn't
work correctly, it's the 3rd-party software, NOT Windows 10.

Resistance is futile.

--

I AM Bucky Breeder, (*(^; and,
It's like Yogi Berra, RIP 9/22/2015, always used to say:
"The future ain't what it used to be!"

http://i.imgur.com/f193YWS.jpg?1

NY wrote:
Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to
open the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser
from opening (windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening). You
can still run programs as long as there is an icon for them on the
desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast anti-virus,
and also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in normal mode.

But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is causing
it and when a fix is likely?

I managed to get an affected PC back into a usable state by installing
Classic Shell (which replaces the Windows Start Menu with its own - with
the advantages that it looks more like the Windows 7 one and that you
can right-click on a menu item and then paste-shortcut it onto the
desktop) and by switching to using Internet Explorer (or Firefox or
Chrome) in place of Edge. My client may decide to carry on using these
even after MS fix the root cause problem.

To start with, this cumulative update was supposed to
address a similar issue.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3093266

You need to check your Windows Update history, to see
whether that or similar updates have been installed.
There have been at least a couple cumulative updates
since 10240 was released. They're quite large, 250MB+
in size, and in terms of file content, some of the items
contain rather old (six month old) files. So the
cumulative update is almost like the release wasn't
fully baked, and all changes during the Preview, baked
into the release. You want to make sure those are
in there, to get you on the same baseline as everyone
else here. If your Windows Update was busted, either the
Windows Update would not appear, or the Windows Update
history would be "full of fail".

The baloney about booting to Safe Mode then booting
to regular Windows, is fine if they had explained exactly
what that was allowing the OS to do. Does it help the
OS repair the user profile (registry file associated
with the user account) ? I hate workaround ideas, where
absolutely no one has any idea what they fix.

I would have been tempted to suggest that Avast had quarantined
a service critical to running the Explorer GUI, but that probably
isn't it.

Someone ("Bob") posted a solution yesterday, for adding convenient
"F8 Safe Mode" operation to the OS. The feature is implemented
as a BCDEDIT feature. It adds some stuff to the BCD file,
which is a binary file similar in concept to boot.ini,
but part of the /boot folder. Since it is binary, we are
stuck with that miserable utility, instead of just
opening Notepad and fixing stuff...

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2...e-windows.html

Right click Start, look for Command Prompt with the
word "Admin" in it, as you need an elevated
Command Prompt window to work in. Win10 has the "good
stuff" as a right-click of the Start button. Very nice.

cd /d C:

That sets the current working directory to C: for whatever
that is worth. Now, type "bcdedit" in order to review
the existing BCD info. While the example on the
Tomshardware page shows "Default", if you're doing
this from a running Win10, it's likely to be
"Current" that you want

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy --- from recovery CD
or recovery console

bcdedit /set {current} bootmenupolicy legacy --- from Win10 and
elevated cmd.exe

Close the Command Prompt window once you are happy
with the changes. When you reboot, the theory goes,
you will see the traditional Safe Mode menu via
pressing F8.

Later, this would remove F8, although I can't imagine
why you'd bother removing this convenient feature.

bcdedit /set {current} bootmenupolicy standard

For some users, their OS is non-functional, they have
to boot the recovery CD or a Win10 installer DVD,
to get to a Recovery console (command prompt) and
do this. But when the OS is still running, you
can add the feature from the running OS, as long
as you can still get a Command Prompt to open.

# Really for people who are very broken, and are
# adding this feature to an OS they cannot currently
# boot in fully operational mode...

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

After making the change, this is what my basic BCD contains.
(It's a little more compact without using enum option.)

C:\WINDOWS\system32bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
flightsigning Yes
default {current}
resumeobject {c926158f-72fb-11e5-bb22-baca1204ca8a}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \WINDOWS\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 10
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence {08c0236d-72fc-11e5-bb22-baca1204ca8a}
recoveryenabled Yes
flightsigning Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \WINDOWS
resumeobject {c926158f-72fb-11e5-bb22-baca1204ca8a}
nx OptIn
bootmenupolicy Legacy ------ new item

C:\WINDOWS\system32

So now I'm ready to start and press F8 for Safe Mode.

I tested it, and my new F8 works. Since the F8 key brings
up my BIOS boot menu, first I end up in the boot menu,
I select the Win10 disk, and boot. And as soon as the
screen turns black right after my popup boot disk selection,
I press F8 again to be greeted by the Safe Mode menu. So
there's a timing window to do this right. Some users have
F2 or F11 for the popup boot menu, so there is not a
conflict over using F8 and you can hammer the blazes
out of the F8 key if you want :-) A user with an Asus
motherboard (like me), will have two things bound to
the F8 key

And after rebooting from Safe Mode, the OS returned to
normal mode without me touching the keyboard.

HTH,
Paul

"Bucky Breeder"
wrote in message ...
NY posted this via
:

Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to
open the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser
from opening (windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening). You
can still run programs as long as there is an icon for them on the
desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast anti-virus,
and also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in normal mode.

There is a trend there...


But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is causing
it and when a fix is likely?

It's NOT a Microsoft issue, so why should they "fix" it?

How sure are you of that blanket statement?

A lot of the forum postings about it *do* mention Avast, but the PC that I
had to fix the other day had Norton Internet Security.

Since the customer hated the new Windows 10 start menu anyway, and preferred
IE to Edge, I installed ClassicShell to solve the failure to open the start
menu (and at the same time to give a more Windows 7-like start menu) and
instructed the customer to use IE (all its shortcuts were still there from
before the upgrade from Win7 to Win10, whereas the upgrade to W10 hadn't
exported them to Edge).

But that's a problem avoidance (to the user's advantage) rather than really
a fix.

I've just heard of another customer who's experiencing the problem, so I'm
about to find out what AV that PC has.

Some forum postings suggest that "sfc /scannow" (from a CMD prompt running
as administrator) solves the problem. Some suggest that if the PC has Avast,
try repairing its installation from Control Panel | Programs and Features.

There's a lot of myth and legend out there, and it seems that no-one yet has
hit on a definitive root cause. I presume that in their product testing, MS
include testing with various standard AV packages (Norton, McAfee, Avast,
AVG) in case of compatibility problems - and then start blamestorming to
decide whether it's an MS or third-party-package problem!

NY posted this via
:

"Bucky Breeder"
wrote in message ...
NY posted this via
:

Has anyone encountered this show-stopper error message when you try to
open the Start Menu on Windows 10? It also prevents the Edge browser
from opening (windows closes within a few milliseconds of opening).
You can still run programs as long as there is an icon for them on the
desktop or taskbar.

I've seen lots of forum postings about it, implicating Avast
anti-virus, and also suggesting starting in Safe Mode and then in
normal mode.

There is a trend there...


But has there been any feedback from Microsoft yet as to what is
causing it and when a fix is likely?

It's NOT a Microsoft issue, so why should they "fix" it?

How sure are you of that blanket statement?

Hey, have you always been a myopic asshole? Click the link:



That's *NOT* a blanket statement!


A lot of the forum postings about it *do* mention Avast, but the PC that
I had to fix the other day had Norton Internet Security.

Well... that says *a lot* about it, right there!

Since the customer hated the new Windows 10 start menu anyway,

How did s/he "hate" it... if it didn't open?!? WTF!?!


and preferred IE to Edge,

You simply switch defaults for that... D'uh.

I installed ClassicShell to solve the failure to
open the start menu (and at the same time to give a more Windows 7-like
start menu)

Now "there's" a "logical" approach... you claim the start menu didn't open
- yet somehow the subserviant idiot you call a "customer" "hated" it...
So, *WHY NOT* just start installing some **** over the top of the alledged
malfunction before you post up in here whining for assistance.


and instructed the customer to use IE (all its shortcuts
were still there from before the upgrade from Win7 to Win10, whereas the
upgrade to W10 hadn't exported them to Edge).

But that's a problem avoidance (to the user's advantage) rather than
really a fix.

I've just heard of another customer who's experiencing the problem, so
I'm about to find out what AV that PC has.

Seems like the common thread here is that all of these whiney assholes
are ALL *YOUR* "CUSTOMERS"...


Some forum postings suggest that "sfc /scannow" (from a CMD prompt
running as administrator) solves the problem. Some suggest that if the
PC has Avast, try repairing its installation from Control Panel |
Programs and Features.

There's a lot of myth and legend out there, and it seems that no-one yet
has hit on a definitive root cause. I presume that in their product
testing, MS include testing with various standard AV packages (Norton,
McAfee, Avast, AVG) in case of compatibility problems - and then start
blamestorming to decide whether it's an MS or third-party-package
problem!


What I told you was 1) start with the basic installation; 2) make sure it's
operating appropriately; 3) then and ONLY then start installing 3rd-party
software - ESPECIALLY AV & FW software; 4) observe carefully what impact
those have on the system; 5) if all ops are normal and stable, proceed to
the next adventure. (You don't saw off your toes to make the shoes fit.)

THAT IS MY "BLANKET STATEMENT", you pendantic dillhole.

And don't ever accuse me of making blanket statements again.

--

I AM Bucky Breeder, (*(^; and,
It's like Yogi Berra, RIP 9/22/2015, always used to say:
"The future ain't what it used to be!"

http://i.imgur.com/f193YWS.jpg?1

"Bucky Breeder"
wrote in message ...
A lot of the forum postings about it *do* mention Avast, but the PC that
I had to fix the other day had Norton Internet Security.

Well... that says *a lot* about it, right there!

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. Are you denigrating Norton?
Are you saying that any anti-virus software (on the grounds that it is
probably not written by Microsoft) is suspect? If the fault is only seen
with one specific third-party package, blame that package. If it's seen with
a variety of different combinations of third-party packages, maybe it's a
Microsoft problem, given that almost every Windows PC will have AV of some
sort installed.

Since the customer hated the new Windows 10 start menu anyway,

How did s/he "hate" it... if it didn't open?!? WTF!?!

Ah, I should have said. The start menu and Edge had worked fine for a while
after upgrading from Win 7 to Win 10, then began intermittently provoking
the error message. This ties in with many bug reports on forums.

When the start menu *was* working, the customer found the presence of the
Win8-style tiles and the advertising links on it to be distracting, and
wished that he could revert to the start menu that he'd had on Win 7 before
upgrading.

and preferred IE to Edge,

You simply switch defaults for that... D'uh.

*I* know that. The customer didn't till I showed him how to change Default
Programs.

I installed ClassicShell to solve the failure to
open the start menu (and at the same time to give a more Windows 7-like
start menu)

Now "there's" a "logical" approach... you claim the start menu didn't
open
- yet somehow the subserviant idiot you call a "customer" "hated" it...
So, *WHY NOT* just start installing some **** over the top of the alledged
malfunction before you post up in here whining for assistance.

The customer is looking for a solution. A workaround which both prevents the
error message and improves the layout of the start menu (as he sees it) is a
good solution, even if it is masking the underlying problem.

I've just heard of another customer who's experiencing the problem, so
I'm about to find out what AV that PC has.

Seems like the common thread here is that all of these whiney assholes
are ALL *YOUR* "CUSTOMERS"...

Complaining about a message that appears in certain circumstances isn't
whining. And judging by the number of postings on forums (Google for
"windows 10 critical error start menu") there are a *lot* of so-called
whining people out there.


What I told you was 1) start with the basic installation; 2) make sure
it's
operating appropriately; 3) then and ONLY then start installing 3rd-party
software - ESPECIALLY AV & FW software; 4) observe carefully what impact
those have on the system; 5) if all ops are normal and stable, proceed to
the next adventure. (You don't saw off your toes to make the shoes fit.)

Sadly I don't have that luxury. By the time I'm called in, the PC has
already had lots of third-party programs installed, both by the manufacturer
and by the user. Removing all third-party programs in sight to get back to a
vanilla Windows 10 installation (and then re-installing them afterwards) is
not good use of time, unless there is evidence that one specific package is
a common factor in lots of reports of the error.

Of course if I was building a PC from scratch, I'd do what you suggest -
start simply and gradually add programs, looking for unwanted side-effects
along the way. And hope that these appear immediately and consistently,
rather than some time afterwards and only intermittently.

Given the prevalence of the symptom in discussion forums, I'd surprised I
haven't seen anyone else post "me too" responses to my thread.

NY posted this via news:I6-dnUWW1
:

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.

Geezus man, I said it over and over and over again... point blank...
straight to the point...


What I told you was 1) start with the basic installation; 2) make sure
it's operating appropriately; 3) then and ONLY then start installing
3rd-party software - ESPECIALLY AV & FW software; 4) observe carefully
what impact those have on the system; 5) if all ops are normal and
stable, proceed to the next adventure. (You don't saw off your toes
to make the shoes fit.)


Most of the problems with Windows 10 upgrades and upgrading have to do with
3rd-party AV and FW programs. === see that? that MIGHT be the point.

The easiest answer is to roll 'er back to either 1) prior to the upgrade;
or, 2) prior to the installation of the software; then/or, 3) uninstall the
software; and reboot.

Interestingly, on Windows 10, Windows Defender and the Windows Firewall are
quite sufficient... At least to start off with. I'm familiar with all the
previous/past-OS anecdotal evidence, testimony and pity-party whining about
them. In fact, on my Windows 8.1 Pro, having had negative or inadequately
satisfactory experience, I used AVG and Private Firewall with great
success, multiple controls and minimum of resource expenditure...

But still, thanks to all the reports accumulating on the Googles and
forums, I figured out to UNINSTALL THEM to facilitate a successful upgrade
to Windows 10. Also, any 3rd-party network monitoring/management
software...

ASIDE NOTE: At first Windows Defender was a little cumbersome because
every time I turned around it was notifying me that it had updated and
pestering me [via the Notifications icon/app] that I needed to scan the PC.
Sometimes 3 or 4 times a day! I'd already comitted to compliance - for at
least a while - so that's what I did. Windows Defender is short on user
settings - compared to most 3rd-party AVs - but I did manage to launch it
and set it for "Quick Scan" as well as omitting my data drives/partitions.

Now, it does it all in the background; efficiently, silently, swiftly...
Meanwhile, I've managed to search out and shut down those other invasive
defaults which come with the standard issue Windows 10 (Pro)... not only
that, but I also NOW know how to go back and turn 'em on - and turn 'em off
again - any time I need to. Examples would be turning OFF live tiles,
until I want to watch the stock market; then just turn it on while it's
convenient; then turn it off when it's not.

Same principle applies to the Start Menu... Why not LEARN (or L-E-R-N, for
home-skoolers) how to configure with the tools indigenous to Windows 10,
before making helter-skelter alterations????? There's much about the start
menu which is very configurable - WITHOUT ADDONS... Then there's methods
to create "Quick Launch" toolbars... You can turn off Live Tiles... You
can even adjust the width of the Start Menu's pop-up interface, if you so
desire. After EVERYTHING ELSE is running smoothly, then perhaps use some
outside software which modifies your kernal... HOPEFULLY, it won't
interfere if Microsoft listens [through their EXTENSIVE network of
feedback] and decides to make some modifications/improvements to the
existing Start Menu via Windows Update... BUT IT'S HIGHLY LIKELY THAT IT
COULD - because Microsoft is not reasonably burdened to accomodate every
software author which alters, conflicts-with or defeats their code.

If you [in the collective/general sense] must diddle with the controls, do
it ONE CHANGE AT A TIME, and carefully examine for conflicts prior to
proceeding to any other changes/alterations.

As far as you being the IT Service type for customers who have already
caused the mess... YOU are the one who took the postition that Microsoft
should modify Windows 10 to adapt to AVAST, et-al... That's just plain
"bad-thinking"... in fact, it's "stinking-thinking"! I'm sure there's
people who will join-up with you... but exactly what kind of club are in?

The easiest solution is to start uninstalling 3rd-party software -
ESPECIALLY AV AND FW -- BECAUSE WINDOWS 10 WORKS -- and allow the Windows
10 to do what it was intended to do, making such adjustments as are
available and convenient, for the time being, then - ONCE EVERYTHING IS
UNDER CONTROL - start adding some 3rd-party software you would like to
explore - but use a carefully thought-out methodology which allows you to
easily undo the changes in the event there is some conflict(s).

Last count, Windows 10 only has about 100-Million users worldwide so far...
I'm sure the 3rd-party software writers and Microsoft are striving to hone,
tweak, and adjust... It's all going to take a little bit of time perhaps,
but in the meantime, proceeding carefully and methodically with a
reasonable strategy serves everybody much better than posting flames and
trying to lambast Microsoft in various forums... about deficiencies which
are most likely in the 3rd-party softwares' codes and routines.

As far as reading the Internet for more people who are whining about
similar things... Since when is it a big secret that the Internet is full
of whining idiots with more keyboard diarreah than common-sense? Imagine,
if there are 1-million whiners posting whiny-grams about Windows 10, that's
only 1% of a growing database. Like my dad used to tell me when I was a
leetle kid, "If everybody was jumping off a cliff, would you?" Of course,
I'd say "It's not a cliff, Dad, it's street racing club..." And Dad would
say, "It doesn't matter, Bucky, whatever it is, make sure you have an
efficacious exit-strategy which exposes you to a minimum of cost, effort,
and future exposure to adverse consequences and/or conditions."

And I'd say "Awww Dad, cain't you just spank me like all the other kids'
dads do?" He'd just laugh and make me go do my homework before going out.

--

I AM Bucky Breeder, (*(^; and,
It's like Yogi Berra, RIP 9/22/2015, always used to say:
"The future ain't what it used to be!"

http://i.imgur.com/f193YWS.jpg?1