Start 11 V2 bug

Which version of Start11 are you using?

After testing, it was found that the black background is related to adding or removing input methods.

Since installation of 2.06, most of my icons (using win 10 style menu on Windows 11) have black backgrounds. They were transparent in previous SD builds.

MMCC123 can you elaborate on what you mean by "adding or removing input methods"? Only change on my PC is the SD upgrade

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. If every icons with black background. Need more information on your system.

1. Windows 11 full version number. Use Winver.exe.
2. Screenshot of this issue.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Quoting rw00dsd, reply 7

End of rw00dsd's quote

Please try this, uninstall Start11, reboot immediately after uninstall finished. Download Start11v2.06 again. Install it, reboot immediately after the installation done. Retest and report back.

Also, please try rebuild Icon cache: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/rebuild-icon-cache-in-windows-11.2049/

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Hi Basj,

Neither the reinstall nor the icon cache suggestion changed anything.

other ideas?

thanks

Roger

Do you have any other application installed that changed your start menu or Explorer in some way?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Nope!

Please try Cleanboot: https://forums.stardock.com/505872/start11-support-faq#cleanboot

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

This could be related to the driver for your GPU. Try checking for an update, and none available try reinstalling the current driver.

Hi Basj - that didn't do it either.

Pelaird - possibly, but since that driver hasn't been updated and Start 11 was, I vote for the issue coming from the changed variable.

There is a new Start11v2.07 (Beta) release recently have you try that version?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Are the shortcuts on your Start11 menu with the black backgrounds .ico or .png files? If they are .png files, there appears to be an issue with transparency. That is why I suggested the GPU driver.

Try the 2.07 update as Basj suggested and see if it fixes your issue.

Hi Basj and pelaird,

Where do I find the beta? I'll be happy to try it but can't find it on the website. I am not sure of the icon format, as most seem to be embedded in their respective .exe files.

Login to your account and select Downloads.

https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products

What happens if you unpin an app icon with a black background and then right click the app in the All Apps section of the Start11 menu and select "Pin to Start11?"

tried the 2.07 beta and no change. ALso tried "refresh icons" after the reboot.

Tried the unpin/repin path too. no change there, and also the icons in the All Apps section also have the black background, fwiw.

cheers

I just noticed - one icon is better: when you pointed out the png vs ico potential cause, I extracted the icon from WinSCP.exe and saved it as an ICO file, then pointed the start menu shortcut to that ICO file. It is now transparent as expected.

Even more: for other programs where I can edit the link (e.g. there's a shortcut in start C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\ ) if I open the properties of the shortcut and "change icon" (even if just opening the dialog and saving the same one) it refreshes something that allows Start11 to display transparent again.

Sounds like you’re on the right path to fixing your issue. Hope you are able to get them all fixed.  

Not trying to be snarky, but it seems like as an end user I shouldn't need to do this. Should I keep going or will the png vs ico issue be resolved in 2.07 final build?

That very much sounds like an icon cache issue.  Start11 asks the OS for the icon which comes from the OS cache and for whatever reason it seems like it has bad data saved in it.

I agree with Neil. I believe your icon cache is the underlying issue. Rebuilding the icon cache could help, but it's not a guarantee. You're probably better off fixing the icons with issues. Opening the Properties dialog and updating the icon, even if it's the same one, should help.

So, on your Start11 menu, right click an icon with the black background and select More>Open file location. Once there, right click the shortcut and select Properties. Click Change Icon and then Okay if the icon looks good.

For the few icons you have with black backgrounds, this will be much easier and faster than rebuilding the icon cache.