Start11 Taskbar mods don't load at Windows startup

from Stardock Forums

Problem: Taskbar mods don't load at Windows startup.  Opening Start11 and restarting explorer resolves this, but also gets rid of all the explorer windows that I had opened (sometimes a lot).  

 

  • Windows version \ build: Version 25H2 OS Build 26200.8655

  • Steps to recreate the issue seen.  On reboot, the Taskbar settings I created with Start11 are missing.  (ability to resize, taskbar button appearance, and reduced font size).  The taskbar looks like stock Windows 11.  I did a clean install of start11, and ran the Groupy purge BAT file (https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/groupyPurge.zip ), which appeared to fix the issue for one boot cycle, but now it is broken again.   FYI, I had installed groupy once, didn't use it, and uninstalled groupy. 

  •  I do not run explorer patcher or any of the other listed software.  I do run ClassicAltTab Switcher, and have run some registry edits to get rid of Adobe and dropbox context menu add-ons. 

Stardock Software Start Menu Products Type: Bug Report
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Next time it comes up broken, catch it in that state before you restart explorer. Open Task Manager, go to the Details tab, and look for Start11Srv and Start11_64.exe. Then right-click the taskbar and see whether Configure Start11 is on the menu.

If either one is missing at that point, the taskbar settings are not the problem, Start11 is simply not up yet. That would also explain why opening Start11 is part of what fixes it for you. The cause worth checking first is an antivirus or a PC optimiser tool disabling or deferring the Start11 service at boot, so it is worth looking at whether anything on the machine has Start11Srv on a list.

If both processes are running and the taskbar is still stock, that is a different fault, and it is the one worth writing up properly. Note the state down along with 26200.8655 and your exact Start11 version. Running-but-not-applied and not-running get fixed in different places, so which of the two it is matters more than anything else you can send.

One note on the purge you ran. groupyPurge clears Groupy and nothing else, so it left your Start11 state alone. The Start products have their own purge file:

https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/Purge_StartALL.zip

That one is a full clean slate and takes your Start11 settings with it, so it belongs after the process check rather than before. On Windows 11 you need Show more options in the right-click menu to get Run as administrator, and the batch file may restart the PC without asking first.