Windows 11 update broke my settings, start menu, and task bar

Question

Hi y'all,

I recently had a Windows 11 update pushed on me last night, nothing was unusual, updated like normal, I shut down my computer after the update was finished. Today, I boot up my PC and suddenly my start menu won't open nor my search in task bar opens, I get a small animation but no pop up.

I've since tried multiple solutions from online: (Restart PC, restart Windows explorer through task manager, system recovery) but most of them requires Settings, I can't open my settings, even if I right click the start menu. I can't access settings from display settings either, I get the error "This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the default apps settings." I highly think with this update, Windows deleted important files from the last version and never added the new files back.

My terminal/command prompt also will not open.

Thus I have no way to roll back this update. At this point I need to take it into a PC shop for help, but I want to see if anyone can help.

I despise Windows 11 (it was forced updated) so I am quite peeved that things continue to break/not work.

I would link my specs here, but unfortunately cannot access them :,)

again, if anyone can help, I'll be so thankful as I want a repair shop to be my last option.

Answer 1

Dear CNFrost,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

First off, I want to empathize with your frustration. It’s definitely frustrating when a Windows update causes such significant issues, especially when you can’t access essential features like the Start Menu, Taskbar, or Settings. I completely understand why you’d be upset, especially when updates seem to be pushed without a choice, and it feels like things break after installing them.

Before you decide to take your PC to a repair shop, let’s try a couple of steps that can help you resolve the issue without needing access to Settings or the Start Menu. Since you mentioned that you can’t access settings through usual means, you can still try these steps through Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), which doesn’t require any access to the Start Menu or Settings. This can be very helpful in your case, so let’s try that:

Enter Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE): On your lock screen (where you usually type your password), hold down the Shift key and then click Restart. Your PC will restart and bring you to the Choose an Option screen. From there, click Troubleshoot.

Uninstall the Latest Update: In the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced options.

Then, select Uninstall Updates. Here, you can choose to uninstall either the most recent quality update or feature update, depending on which one you suspect may have caused the issue. After uninstalling the update, restart your computer to see if the issue is resolved.

OR

Perform a System Restore (if you had system restore points created before the update): In the Advanced options menu, select System Restore. Follow the prompts to restore your system to a previous point when everything was working fine. This will undo any recent changes made to your system, including the update that may have caused the problem.

After following these steps, see if the issue persists. These actions should help you either remove the problematic update or revert your system to a stable state. Hopefully, you’ll be able to regain access to your Start Menu, Taskbar, and Settings without needing to visit a repair shop.

Looking forward to your feedback!

Best Regards,

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist