Sometimes it happens that programs on the Start menu stop launching. Users mistakenly believe that now they need to take the computer for repair, although the problem is not so serious - and it can be solved on your own.
Why can't programs open through Start?
Quite a common problem on computers and laptops, when, after some action from the user, the shortcuts in the start menu and on the desktop stop running. And when I try to open any program, an error message is displayed. It also happens that no matter what program is launched, the same one is always turned on (for example, notepad). Another symptom may be that all the shortcuts take on the same appearance of some one program, for example, a browser.
The reasons for all of the above may be different. Often this happens through the fault of the user himself, who could accidentally indicate that shortcuts should be opened only through certain programs. One mistake - and the programs do not start. Disruptions to the Start menu often appear as a result of a virus attack.
Fix launching programs in the Start menu
Since the cause of such a problem is difficult to determine, all possible options have to be tried. First you need to restart your computer - sometimes it helps. If the start menu does not open, you can restart your computer using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete hotkeys.
Also, after restarting, you can try to turn on the computer in safe mode. In this mode, the system starts up with a limited set of files and drivers, and all programs loaded at Windows start are not started. Safe Mode can help you identify and fix problems. For example, if the system works normally in safe mode (shortcuts in the Start menu open), then you can immediately exclude the default settings and all basic drivers.
Another option is to remove recently installed programs through Safe Startup Mode. This will help in case they blocked the correct operation of the system.
If restarting and starting in Safe Mode doesn't help, chances are there is a virus or even multiple viruses on your computer. To eliminate these malicious programs, you need to use an antivirus. It will be better if you write the antivirus on a flash drive and run a virus scan through BIOS before turning on the computer. To do this, it is enough to change the priority in the BIOS settings for booting from a flash drive or from a disk if you downloaded the antivirus to a disk. We set the priority - and started the check. The antivirus will find all viruses, remove them - and the system will work again as before.
The last option is to restore the system to its last working state. In this case, the system will rollback to the moment when everything was working. In this case, some new programs and files may or may not be deleted, but the operating system will be restored to operability.
