A bug in Microsoft Store is preventing to use Start - I already tried all the most popular "fixes"

Question

I am really discouraged. I just bought a Dell G5 with Windows 10 to replace my old Lenovo because the operating system had become too unstable. I installed Office, Adobe Creative Cloud and Norton Antivirus and everything worked fine for a while. At one point Windows Update told me there were updates to install. I did, I rebooted the system and the ordeal began. The problem is well known, judging by how many people on the net claim to have it: the culprit is the Microsoft Store. There are three symptoms: 1. If I click on Microsoft Store, the window opens for a second and then disappears 2. if I click with the RMB on Explorer on the taskbar, taskbar’s jump list does not appear 3. if I click on Start, nothing happens Especially points 2. and 3. are a problem. So I started studying all the various solutions, but none of them worked. a. I launched "sfc /scannow": it works, there are no errors, but it does not fix the problem b. I launched "dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /RestoreHealth": it works, but it does not fix the problem c. I created another user: the problem occurred ALSO for the newly created user d. I used powershell to recreate the APPs: it reinstalled most apps, with few errors for few apps because the existing app had higher version or was in use Get-AppXPackage-AllUsers|Foreach{Add-AppxPackage-DisableDevelopmentMode-register"$($_InstallLocation.)\AppXManifest.xml"}: it does not fix the problem e. I launched "wsreset.exe": I got error ms-windows-store:PurgeCaches - app did not start I also tried several other strategies I found on Microsoft sites and forums (for example, permissions). No result. So I used the Media Creation Tool to get the latest version of Windows reinstalled from scratch. It was a mess because it gave me ONLY the option to loose all apps and files, but I did it. From a newly installed Windows 10, I started the whole process again. Now the Microsoft Store was ok, as well as Start and the taskbar’s jump list. I reinstalled the same applications than before, very standard, common and famous applications, the same I had on my old PC, but again, after a couple of restarts, I got the same problem. I am really upset. The whole architecture of Start based on Microsoft Store is obviously weak and unstable. I have no idea what to do now. I do not want to reinstall for the third time Windows 10. I need a REAL SOLUTION, once forever. Maybe troubleshooting by Event Manager, but not the usual try & hope!

Answer 1

Hi,
To better support your problem, kindly confirm following details:
1.Was start button not working only when left click on it or even right click to call out following functions?

2. If the former one, please confirm the OS version by type winver in the Run box.

3.Have you successfully installed patches that mentioned? Please run get hotfix command to verify if the latest patches have been installed for your windows 10 version.
Get-HotFix
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/get-hotfix?view=powershell-7.1

4.Please also check if any errors have been recorded in following log file:%windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log file
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/deployment/cbs-log-file-record-entries-not-repaired-run-sfc

5.When you failed to open start button, please right click task bar and open task manager, navigate to windows explorer to restart.

---

Hope this helps and please help to accept as Answer if the response is useful.

Thanks,
Jenny

Answer 2

1. Former. The Start menu does no appear, as well as FeedbackApp, the notification sidebar on right side of screen, and other apps. Version is 20H2, build 19042.746.
2. See below
3. No error in %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log, just Info
4. Restarting Explorer makes no difference

Please note that I applied a lot of technbique to fix the problem, with no success. SFC gives no error. I also reinstalled Windows from scratch and for few hours the Store button was back. Then it disappeared again.

Source Description HotFixID InstalledBy InstalledOn

---

DARIO-DELL Update KB4586876 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 13/01/2021 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Update KB4562830 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 10/12/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4570334 27/09/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4577266 09/10/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4580325 09/10/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4586864 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 10/11/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4593175 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 09/12/2020 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4598481 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 13/01/2021 00:00:00
DARIO-DELL Security Update KB4598242 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM 13/01/2021 00:00:00

Let me show you some og the typican messages I get in the Event Viewer (I show just few, but they occurs for mostly any app)

This si just an example: do not focus on the specific app

SearchApp.exe
10.0.19041.546
c404ae05
KERNELBASE.dll
10.0.19041.662
ec58f015
c0000409
000000000010bd5c
70c4
01d6ee6eb9620fe8
C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Search_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchApp.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\KERNELBASE.dll
ea48c7e6-0d52-401d-ba74-db69412db33b
Microsoft.Windows.Search_1.14.0.19041_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy
CortanaUI

or

Fault bucket 1243035655595417406, type 5
Event Name: MoBEX
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:
P1: Microsoft.Windows.Search_1.14.0.19041_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy
P2: praid:CortanaUI
P3: 10.0.19041.546
P4: c404ae05
P5: KERNELBASE.dll
P6: 10.0.19041.662
P7: ec58f015
P8: 000000000010bd5c
P9: c0000409
P10: 0000000000000007

or

Faulting application name: ShellExperienceHost.exe, version: 10.0.19041.610, time stamp: 0x5d4af3f4
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 10.0.19041.662, time stamp: 0xec58f015
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x000000000010bd5c
Faulting process id: 0x44d4
Faulting application start time: 0x01d6ee6e0690a7bb
Faulting application path: C:\WINDOWS\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\ShellExperienceHost.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: c99abf8f-e6c0-49e4-a727-e240fb961e1e
Faulting package full name: Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_10.0.19041.610_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy
Faulting package-relative application ID: App

I also tried to reinstall the Store from

Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.2.2_2.2.29512.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx
Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.2.2_2.2.28604.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx
Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00_14.0.29231.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx
Microsoft.WindowsStore_12010.1001.313.0_neutral___8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle

but I get an error trying to install any of them:

X D:\Install\System\Store\Microsoft....Appx The app didn't start.