Windows 7 Start Menu problem

[sepdek]

...And suddenly...start menu is no more...
I am running W7 on a Xeon with 2G RAM, a quadro FX 5500 and a Creative SB X-Fi. I noticed the problem after installing a driver for a usb dongle (hardware key for Quest3D software). Now, when I click on the start menu button the usual start menu window does not appear at all.

I tried to roll back to a previous installation and got to a situation where I had to double-click the start menu button for the window to appear!

On the other hand, if I login using a different account start menu works just fine...

Any ideas?

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like the issue with the Start Menu in Windows 7 might be related to the user profile you are using. Since the Start Menu works fine when you log in with a different account, the problem seems to be specific to your user profile settings. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve this issue:

Troubleshooting Steps:​

1. Run SFC Scan:
   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
   • Run the command: sfc /scannow.
   • This will scan and repair any corrupted system files that may be causing the issue.
   []Create a New User Account:
   • Create a new user account and check if the Start Menu works fine in the new account.
   • If it does, you can consider migrating your data to the new account.
   []Check Startup Programs:
   • Some third-party programs or services might be conflicting with Windows functionalities.
   • Disable startup programs using Task Manager to see if any of them are causing the issue.
   []Check for Malware:
   • Perform a full system scan with your antivirus software to check for any malicious software that might be affecting the Start Menu functionality.
   []Reset Start Menu:
   • You can try resetting the Start Menu to its default settings.
   • Go to Task Manager > Processes tab > Windows Explorer > Restart.
   • If that doesn't work, open Command Prompt as admin and run: powershell -Command "Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register \"$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml\"}".
   []Update Drivers:
   • Ensure all your drivers are up to date, especially for your Quadro FX 5500 and Creative SB X-Fi.
   • Update the driver for the USB dongle that you recently installed.
   []System Restore:
   • Consider using System Restore to revert your system back to a point before you installed the driver for the USB dongle. Try these steps one by one and check if the issue with the Start Menu resolves. If the problem persists, let me know, and we can explore further solutions.