Nasty Windows 10 bug causes Start Menu to act up: What to do

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The Start Menu is the main interface in Windows 10. Without it, there is not a whole lot you can do. That's why the latest Windows 10 update bug has become a serious problem for a handful of users.

Reported by Windows Latest, September updates KB4571756 and KB4574727 cause Start Menu crashes for some users as well as a host of other problems. Those aren't trivial, either, and include sign-in issues, a user profile bug and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.

The most common problem — and this is becoming a trend — is the inability to download the update in the first place (which, if you ask me, could be a saving grace). Angered users are flooding Reddit and Microsoft's community forums to report about the problems.

Before you start saving for a MacBook, it's worth noting these issues only appear to affect a small portion of Windows 10 users — in all likelihood, you won't encounter them. Regardless, Microsoft needs to clean up its mess because it's preventing customers from using their laptops.

Microsoft hasn't revealed the cause of these problems but Windows Latest speculates the culprit could be a change in the tablet experience when 2-in-1 laptops are docked. Convertibles are fine but normal clamshell laptops are now having issues using a mouse and keyboard to access the Action Center and Start Menu.

"I’ve tried Chkdsk, Sfc, restarting Windows Explorer and disabling and reenabling Action Center. I can’t rename the Usrclass.dat file because it is in use,” one user wrote in Microsoft’s community forum.

Other reports say the Start Menu and Windows Search generates a blank box instead of search results. This sounds similar to a previous Windows 10 bug that several Laptop Mag staffers encountered back in February. It was fixed, then broke again before Microsoft finally put the issue to bed. Or so we thought.

Along with issues with the Start Menu, the latest September updates are preventing users from signing in to their devices. Once logged in, Windows 10 kicks these unlucky users right back out.

Furthermore, a profile bug forces people into using a temporary user profile. When that happens, Windows 10 loads without any personalized settings, themes or data.

What to do

I wish there were a simple solution to these problems, but an official fix probably won't arrive until Microsoft releases another update with patches for this one. Your best bet is to revert to an earlier version of Windows that you know to be stable.

To do so, open the settings menu by pressing the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner then click the Settings gear (or type "Settings" in Windows Search).

Choose "Update and Security" from the main Settings page. On the left side, ensure "Windows Update" is selected. Toward the bottom, you'll see "View Update History." Select it. Press the first option: "Uninstall update" and choose the appropriate update version to uninstall.

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.