6. What is this ‘Critical error’ problem that appears on my PC?
QI upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and everything worked fine for a couple of days. Then, when I booted my PC I got the message: ‘Critical Error Start menu and Cortana aren’t working’. Nothing worked and I couldn’t get into the computer. Is there a fix?
Laurence Rostron
AMany Windows 10 users have reported similar errors. It could be corrupt system files or it may just be an early bug that Microsoft will need to fix via Windows Update. There are a few solutions you can try, though the lack of a Start menu makes navigation awkward. First, double-click the Recycle Bin, click ‘This PC’ on the left, then click on your C: drive. Click File, ‘Open command prompt’, then ‘Open command prompt as administrator’. At the command prompt, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This will scan for (and fix) any corrupt system files. Wait for the scan to finish, then restart.
If that hasn’t cured the problem, press Ctl+alt+del, then click the power icon (bottom right) – hold down the Shift key and click Restart, Troubleshoot, ‘Advanced options’, Start-up Settings, then Restart. The PC will boot to a screen of start-up options; press F5 for ‘Enable Safe Mode with Networking’ and log in as normal. The Start menu should work in Safe Mode, allowing you to try a few more fixes. If you use Avast Free Antivirus, for instance, try uninstalling the program and switching to Windows Defender – some users have found that this does the trick. Otherwise try creating a new local (ie, a non-microsoft) user account, and temporarily switch to using this. Click Start, Settings, Accounts, ‘Other users’, then ‘Add someone else’ and follow the steps. Restart and log in as the new user.
If none of these solutions work, you could try a full Reset (click Start, Settings, Update & Security, Recovery, ‘Get started’, then ‘Remove everything’). Be aware, though, this will completely wipe out all your personal files, settings and applications, requiring you to back up everything first. We recommend holding out for a fix from Microsoft before taking this route.