The "Start" button in Windows is used to access the main menu of the system. As a result of erroneous user manipulations with desktop elements or an operating system crash, this button may simply disappear along with the taskbar.
Instructions
Step 1
Press the WIN button on your keyboard. If the Start button menu opens, it will mean that you are in luck - the reason is simply the wrong positioning of the taskbar, and with it the Start button. If you cannot see the button itself even with the main menu open, then find a narrow strip at one of the edges of the screen. This will be the taskbar reduced to a height of a few pixels. Use the cursor and the left mouse button to stretch it to the desired size. If, when you press the WIN key, the Start button appears along with the main menu, right-click it and select the Properties line in the context menu. In the settings window that opens, uncheck the "Automatically hide the taskbar" checkbox and click "OK". If pressing WIN does not bring up the main menu and, moreover, there is no shortcut on the desktop, then this is a more serious problem. It appears that Windows Explorer, which ensures the normal functioning of the system's graphical interface, is not working. In this case, go to the second step.
Step 2
Press CTRL + alt="Image" + Delete to open Task Manager. It is needed to launch Windows Explorer.
Step 3
Click the New Task button on the Applications tab of Task Manager to open the Create New Task dialog.
Step 4
Type explorer in the input field and click OK. This command launches Windows Explorer. He must restore the functioning of the taskbar along with the "Start" button located on it.
Step 5
Make sure the Start button is working properly. If it is not, reopen the Task Manager (CTRL + alt="Image" + Delete), go to the "Processes" tab and look in the "Image Name" column for a process called Explorer. If you find it, then, perhaps, the Explorer is "frozen" and it should be closed forcibly - click this line with the mouse and click the "End Process" button. Then return to the Applications tab and repeat steps 3 and 4.
Step 6
Make sure that the taskbar and Start button are working properly again. If this did not happen, then, apparently, the explorer.exe executable file is corrupted or replaced as a result of a virus attack on your computer. If the anti-virus protection could not cope with it on its own, then it is better to contact the support service of its manufacturer or to specialized web resources. You can help identify and eliminate the virus and the consequences of its activities, for example, in a specially created section of the forum
