Windows 11 update broke settings, start menu and the wifi/sound menu

Question

Its been a week since it started, ive tried rolling back quality updates in the recovery screen (didnt work). Idk its driving me crazy because i cant connect to wifi and ethernet is not an option.

Answer 1

No Problem.

On the Lock Screen, Press and hold the Shift key. Then, click the restart button on the lock screen located at the bottom right situated in the Power menu, to open the Windows Recovery options.

If you cannot reach the Lock screen or start your computer, restart your PC two times when the boot screen is shown. If your PC has no restart button, press and hold the Power button until the computer shuts down. Do this twice.

On the third time, windows should open Windows Recovery options automatically.

You can follow the steps from there to uninstall the update.

Answer 2

Hi Soup,

To remove the most recent update, please follow these steps to access the Windows Recovery environment:

1. Open the Settings app by pressing the Win + I keys.
2. Navigate to System > Recovery.
3. Click the ""Restart Now"" button next to Advanced Startup.
4. Choose the Troubleshoot option.
5. Select ""Uninstall Updates,"" then choose either ""Uninstall Latest Quality Update"" or ""Uninstall Latest Cumulative Update.""

Allow the process to complete.

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Answer 3

Based on similar reported cases, the system components that handle Settings, Start menu, and network/sound flyouts are likely corrupted. The most effective fixes from the provided cases are:

1. Re-register Settings and built-in apps This specifically helped a user whose Settings (especially Network) kept crashing and Wi‑Fi stopped working.

1. Press Windows key + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
2. Run these commands one at a time (copy–paste, press Enter after each) and let them complete, ignoring red errors:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name windows.immersivecontrolpanel | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose}

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

3. Restart the PC.
4. Test Start menu, Settings, and the Wi‑Fi/sound tray menus again.

2. Run built-in troubleshooters (if Settings opens) If Settings works after step 1:

1. Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
2. Run at least:
   • Windows Update
   • Any network-related troubleshooters available

This is recommended in similar corruption/instability scenarios.

3. If Windows Update and core services remain broken If Windows Update services fail to start with errors (like 1053) or updates consistently fail, the system may be too corrupted for simple repair. In that case, the recommended next steps from similar threads are:

• In-place repair upgrade (Windows 11 ISO)
  • Download the Windows 11 ISO that matches the installed language.
  • Disconnect from the internet and external devices (except mouse/keyboard).
  • Double-click the ISO in File Explorer and run Setup.exe.
  • Choose Install and ensure the option to keep files and apps is selected.
  • Let the process complete; this refreshes system files and built-in apps without removing personal data.

If even that cannot be done or the system remains unstable, a reset/clean reinstall (with backup of personal files) is the final option, as recommended in similar severe-corruption cases.

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References:

• Network settings crash settings app, wifi and Ethernet not working or appearing - Microsoft Q&A
• Plethora of issues relating to windows and possibly security. - Microsoft Q&A
• i get this code when i try to update windows 0x8007041D. - Microsoft Q&A
• Troubleshoot problems updating Windows