Windows 10 is the latest and greatest Microsoft operating system, and it’s widely regarded as an extremely stable OS. However, every now and then it experiences some errors, one of which is the dreaded “Start Menu and Cortana Not Working Critical Error”.
This particular error can be incredibly frustrating as it prevents users from performing basic tasks on their PC, like launching a program or accessing settings. Fortunately, the fix for this issue is relatively simple, albeit a bit time-consuming. The following guide will give you the steps needed to get your Windows 10 running smoothly once more.
- First, ensure that your PC is up-to-date by running Windows Update. This can usually make the difference in resolving this issue.
- Once Windows Update is done, you should access the Microsoft Store app. Look for the “Check for Updates” option and select it. Installing any available updates should get rid of the critical error.
- If updating the Store app doesn’t help, you should try resetting or rebuilding the Windows 10 Start Menu. To do so, open the “Run” dialog (press Windows Key + R). Type “powershell” in the box and then press Enter. This will open the Windows PowerShell. Here, you should type “ Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register“$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml”
} ” and then press Enter. This should reset the Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana and should hopefully get rid of the critical error.
- If the steps above fail to resolve the issue, you should consider performing a system scan. To do this, open the Run dialog (press Windows Key + R) and type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter. This will start a scan of your PC and will pinpoint any corrupted or missing files and folders.
Following the four steps above should resolve the “Start Menu and Cortana Not Working Critical Error” on your Windows 10 PC. Have patience and bear in mind that there isn’t a 100% guaranteed solution for this issue, so you might need to try a few of these steps before you find success. Good luck!
How to Solve the “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Not Working Critical Error”
Are you facing the “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Not Working” critical error?
If so, this can be a massively limiting and frustrating issue, as these two features are essential in the Windows 10 experience. Fortunately, there are things you can do. Let’s take a look at how to solve this problem and get your’s PC back up and running in no time at all.
First of all, it’s important to mention that “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Not Working” is usually caused by a missing or corrupted key in the registry. To repair this, you can use the “regedit” command from within a Command Prompt window. With this tool, you can go in and correct any errors or bugs that may be causing the problem.
If this doesn’t fix your issue, the next step may be to try a system restore. This will allow you to step back in time and effectively undo any changes you may have made that are causing the problem. To use this tool, type in “restore” in the search bar and enter the creating a system restore point menu.
Lastly, it may be worth creating a new user profile and logging in with that instead. This is a common workaround and can solve the problem without you having to do any of the above two steps.
Hopefully, the above steps have solved your “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Not Working” critical error. If it still persists, then contact Microsoft Support for further advice.
Troubleshooting the “Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana Not Working Critical Error”
If you recently upgraded to Windows 10 and you’re now experiencing a ‘critical error’ or your Start Menu or Cortana won’t work, don’t worry; you’re not alone. This is a common problem for many users, and thankfully there are a few simple solutions to this issue that can potentially get your computer working correctly again.
The first step is to run a system file checker scan on your computer. This will help to detect any corrupted files that may be causing the problem. To do this, open the Command Prompt (as an administrator) and type sfc /scannow. This process may take a few minutes to complete, but once it’s finished, restart your computer and check that the problem is fixed.
If the problem persists, the next step would be to run the System Restore Tool. This tool is designed to restore your computer to an earlier point in time when it was functioning properly. To access the System Restore Tool, go to the Windows 10 Control Panel and click on Recovery, then select the option to ‘Go back to an earlier build’. You can then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the restore.
Lastly, if the above steps have not been successful in resolving the issue, you could try resetting the Windows 10 Start Menu. To do this, open the Control Panel and select the option to ‘Allow the Start Menu to be reset’; then follow the instructions to complete the reset.
Hopefully one of the steps above has resolved the Start Menu and Cortana not working critical error on your computer, but if the problem still persists, contact a technician in order to get more comprehensive troubleshooting advice.
