Windows Update killed Start10

Try a purge and reinstall.

https://forums.stardock.com/486022/start10-support-faq#reinstalling

Make sure you are using the latest version from your account.

I have just checked here with the latest Windows 10 updates and Start10 seems happy so this doesn't look to be a problem caused by the update itself directly.

I would do the purge recommended by Island Dog.

Okay, purging and reinstalling seems to have done it. I am curious why this happened. I've been using Start10 since Start8 first came out and never had to purge before - not even after installing the two massive "Creators" updates for W10. Gremlins, I guess, since it seems to be just me.

My only issue is the purge wiped out the Win8Start.png start button image I had carried over from Start8, which I like much better than any of the plain 2-tone or grayscale images in the current image library. Fortunately, I had a backup so I am good to go now.

Thanks!

Every windows update I get wipes out Start 10, have to re install. How many times can you do that

So once in over 4 years on 2 different systems is pretty darn good in my book.

And FTR if any Stardock forum staff is following, I have not received any email notices of replies for this thread - and I have confirmed I am subscribed and my email address is correct.

We are following  ,  and looking into the problem

thanks for reporting 

Thanks. And just for the record, I did not get a notice of your reply either. I just decided to check in and saw your reply.

Oh rats. I just did a cold restart (shutdown, killed all power with PSU master power switch, and booted up)  and now I am back to a missing Start10 button and menu again.

Again, to explain what happens, the Start10 button appears as it should, then just as Windows finishes loading, it disappears.

Not sure if this helps but I discovered if I click on the Start10 button to open up the menu as soon as it appears, it does not disappear (at least not until I reboot, or log out again).

I have Win 10 and Start 10 with No Problems as your having ..

Make sure No more Win 10 updates are available .

Try one more time Purging Start 10 Link: https://forums.stardock.com/486022/start10-support-faq#reinstalling

Then Re-Install Start 10 from your Stardock Account : https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products

ODManager / view downloads.

This makes sure you have the latest version.

Then Report back here , Please

Just click on the Forum and your Subscriptions to easily get back to this post.

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It isn't just windows updates that do it, if I clean up windows, virus scan, cc cleaner, defrag it is gone again. In reliable product. How many times can I reinstall?

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This is a real problem, I have to install it again about twice a week, I have the latest version.

James Walker

After a reboot, and if Start10 is not present, open 'services:

Find Start10, make sure it is set to 'Automatic' and start it if it is stopped:


Start10 should start if it was stopped.  Reboot to see if fully resolved...

Yea! I got an email notice of replies! Thanks for fixing that.

But sadly, purging and installing again still has not fixed my problem. The Start10 start button appears at first when booting, then disappears a few seconds later.    But I have learned some more.

It seems Start10 is still running because if I press the left Windows key, it brings up the Start10 menu. And as before, signing out of Windows then back in brings the start button back (no need to reboot). If I quickly open the menu and keep it open until Windows (and my startup programs) fully boots, it will not disappear.

For my startup programs, nothing has changed in months - years actually (except for regular updates). I have UltraMon (a multimonitor utility program), Malwarebytes Premium, WinPatrol, Office OneNote, CoreTemp, and MailWasher Pro (my spamblocker/email handler). Windows Defender is my primary anti-malware solution. Of those startup programs, only Windows, Windows Defender and Malwarebytes have had any recent updates applied. All other programs have been running with the same version for months.

W10 Pro, 64-bit

*****

BTW, the purge instructions need to be updated. They say, "If asked to reboot, say No (Press OK to continue)". OK is not an option. Only Yes or No.

Clicking "No" brings up another prompt that says "Purge complete. Please restart your PC. Select [OK] to continue." The problem there is OK is the only choice offered.

So at this point, the user really does not know what to do. It appears Start10 has been purged. The purging instructions say don't reboot, but the purging program says to reboot.

I rebooted because I want to clear any remaining hooks. But some users may be confused at this point.

@billbright

It is looking more and more like an application conflict, meaning, something is interfering with Start10 running properly.

Prior to continuing, I'd like to make sure the issue you are encountering is not occurring as a result of an application conflict. The best way to proceed would be to try loading under a new Window's Administrator account and in a "clean boot" state.

Create a new Windows Administrator (<--important that its an Administrator) account:

Windows 10:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/create-a-local-user-account-in-windows-10

Log in under that account and see if your issue persists.

If so, and while still under that new account, please click the link below for performing a 'clean boot' under it:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/929135

After you've loaded Windows in a clean state, please download this file:

http://sd.stardock.com/Support/games/GC3/crashes/StartStart10.zip

Run the batch file in it to start the Start10 service.

See if your issue persists under those conditions.

It was not set to automatic, so I changed it, in fact it said disabled. We will see. Thanks. It did not say running either, now it is.

Sorry, sdRohan, but I was not willing to go that far on this system - just yet.

HOWEVER, with your thought process in mind I decided to go through those steps part way and individually disable startup services one-at-a-time via TM, reboot and see what happens.

And it paid off. To my surprise, it was UltraMon. As seen here, it was last updated last November and has been working fine with Start10 since then which is why I did not suspect it. Only after this last round of Windows Updates did the problem appear.

Now I'm an electronics technician, not a programmer so I am out of my element here but it seems clear to me one of the recent Windows Updates caused a conflict in the way UltraMon interacts with the W10 NVIDIA drivers multi-monitor setup with my graphics card, which I suspect, is similar to how Start10 deals with multi-monitor setups.

UltraMon did not load until late in the boot process, after Start10. I assume that is why Start10 appeared as expected, but then disappeared near the end of the boot process. 

So I have removed UltraMon from the Startup folder. I logged out and back in, rebooted, and did a full "cold" shutdown and restart and Start10 started and remained in place each time. As a final test, I just started up UltraMon manually, at least 30 minutes after the last boot. Immediately after the UltraMon System Tray icon appeared, the Start10 button vanished.

So I don't know if UltraMon is calling some routine it should not be calling, or if Start10 has some vulnerability that should not so easily be exploited. Again, I am not a programmer. But it might be something you might want to play with.

For now, I will run without UltraMon and hope that in the near future, it will be sorted out so I can run both again.

Thanks.

@witafrog - at this point it might good if you started your own thread to deal with your problem as clearly you issue is different than mine. 

How?

How? Huh? Are you asking how do you start your own thread for your own problem? 

You go here and click "New Topic".

Understand proper forum etiquette (#15) dictates that is really what you should have done from the beginning - especially since your problem is not the same as mine. Your stated problem is you have reinstall with every Windows update. I did not have that problem.

By starting your own thread for your own problem you are not "hijacking" someone else's thread for your problem potentially causing confusion for the OP, other readers, and/or the responders too. And most importantly, with your own thread, the responders can concentrate on your problem alone so you get the dedicated attention you deserve - just as the OP (original poster) should get for his or her problem.

Because my problem has been resolved, this thread can be closed - which is what I would do if the forum software on this site supported that.