After Windows update no shortcuts or file associations work

Thank you for the reply! I didn't have the time to wait for it, though, as I need my computer for work, and I needed to solve these problems immediately. I manually reassociated all shortcuts and filetypes. It added half a day to my being unable to work due to the update, but I guess if I had waited for these suggestions it would have been at least two and a half days killed by the update.

I will hold onto these instructions in case future updates also kill shortcuts and associations.

Clearly a failure to update was not the problem, but I suppose you deal with all these issues with a cut and paste.

Thanks for the response. Perhaps it will be helpful in the future.

Of course, it would be better if updates did not corrupt system files or do things that result in broken associations. It's unlikely that I started with corrupt files, because other issues have required me to run sfscan and dism scan recently - suggested by MS as a way to solve a problem I was having where Windows Explorer quit a few times an hour. (The scans did not help, but turning off Windows Error reporting, at least the part that sends MS information, ended the problem.)

Hello Abby,

You may be facing the above issue due to missing system files or presence of corrupted files & folders on your PC. Missing certain system files or presence of corrupted files & folders may cause some of the performance issues on the system apps or on the PC.

Method 1: Run SFC scan and DISM scan on your computer by following the steps below and check if the issue is still the same:

SFC scanis a utility in Windows that allows users to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore corrupted files. If a Windows Resource Protection (WRP) file is missing or is corrupted, Windows may not behave as expected. For example, some Windows functions may not work, or Windows may crash.

Windows corruption errors may prevent Windows updates and service packs from installing. For example, an update might not install if a system file is damaged. The DISM scanor System Update Readiness tool may help you to fix some Windows corruption errors. 

**Step 1:**Open an Administrator command promptwindow by

1. PressWindows logo + X keys on the keyboard and select Command Prompt (Admin) option.
2. Click on Yes and continue. Provide administrator password if prompted.
3. Check if it says Administrator: Command Prompt at the top of the command prompt window.

**Step 2:**Type the following commands in the CMD Prompt:

            dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

sfc /scannow

**Step 3:**Close the command window and check if the issue is resolved.

**Method 2:**If the issue persists, I suggest you to create another administrator user account by referring to **Set up accounts** on Windows 10 article and check if similar issue persists.

The corrupted user profile does not function normally such as not launching Start menu, Cortana, Search bar, Storeand other Windows applications. In such cases creating a new profile and checking for the same will help in identifying if the is specific to corrupted user profile or the OS.

Let us know if that worked out for you.