Windows 10, Microsoft's current operating system, has many little-known or lesser-known features, some of which are incredibly useful. For example, are you having problems with the Windows Start menu? Does the Start menu suddenly no longer open? Or does the Windows 10 Start menu no longer respond? Does the search in the Start menu suddenly find nothing? Do you have other problems with Windows 10? For example, can you no longer install new software? And no desire to reinstall everything?
Then the Windows 10 Powershell can help you. Powershell is an extension of the normal command line in Windows. PowerShell was specifically designed for system administration and automation. If CMD means something to you, then you know what it is. If you have never worked with the command line in Windows and don't know what it is - that's not a problem either. We will help you with the following instructions.
Run as administrator
It is important that you start Powershell as an administrator. This is always a good idea for other programs under Windows 10, by the way, if problems with software occur. In Windows, you have to right-click on the respective program icon. There you will find the option "Run as administrator". If you right-click on an icon in the Windows Start menu, you must first click on the subfolder "More".
Attention: It is not enough to be logged in as an administrator under Windows! Only by using the "Run as administrator" option can you make system- or security-relevant changes!
Open Powershell as Administrator
To open the required Powershell as administrator, you have several options. For example:
On the taskbar to the right of the Start button, there is a search box. Enter the search term PowerShell there. Right-click on the search result and then select "Run as administrator".
However, if the Windows 10 Start menu no longer works, this will not help you. Alternatively, you can start the Task Manager. Then use the key combination:
CTRL + SHIFT + ESC
The Task Manager will open immediately. In the Task Manager, click on "File" and "Run new task" at the top left. Then enter the command "powershell" there. Important: Activate the "Create this task with administrative privileges" field! Then just click on "OK".
Repair important corrupted system files
For whatever reason, Windows system files, and of course Windows 10 system files, are quite susceptible to problems. However, these can always be repaired with Windows' built-in tools. If you have started Powershell as an administrator (which is clearly displayed at the top of the Powershell taskbar), please enter the following command:
sfc /scannow
After confirming the command by pressing the "Enter" key, all system files will be checked and, if necessary, repaired. Please note that this can take some time! If an error occurs during the process and a system file cannot be repaired, it is not a big deal. Simply enter the following command:
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
With this method, missing or corrupted system files are re-downloaded and then replaced.
Another helpful tip can be to remove all Modern Apps and reinstall them. Sometimes it also helps to simply restart the computer. 😊 And so it helps some users to reinstall all apps. To do this, please copy the following command into Powershell:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
The following applies to all actions: In principle, nothing can happen to your computer with the above commands and no data should be lost. The emphasis here is on "in principle". However, no one can give you a 100% guarantee. Therefore, it is generally safer to make a backup beforehand. For example, with our software SecuPerts Rescue Stick.
