Metro vanished / disabled (Can't get it back)

BlairStent

New Member
Messages
5
I've been using Win 8 Pro for a couple of months now, but a few days ago the metro interface stopped appearing, and I've been unable to get it back. I know a lot of people want it disabled, but I've gotten used to it, and in particular the WIN+I shortcuts for the menu....

The keyboard itself is still functional. I ran a check using OSK, and it shows that the system registers the key as being pressed, so it's not a physical fault on the keyboard.


The metro screen no longer opens when the WIN key is pressed, and the system panel doesn't open when the move is moved to the far right either...


I've had to resort to installing the "Win 8 Start Button" Application to get me the functionality that I need.
Is there some kind of quick key that disables it which I might have pressed by accident?

The only changes I can think of are having plugged in two USB hard drives which had some old data and were then formatted. FYI the virus scanner didn't alert me to any potential threat.... The change that I think is more likely is one of the auto updates from either Microsoft or the antivirus program (BitDefender 2013), but I can't remember which one performed last.

Is there a way just to force the metro to start?


Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks.


 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2,8GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
Try an sfc check. Maybe something got corrupted on your disk? If it finds something, might also want to run an error check on your disk to mark bad sectors.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8
Ran the SFC in administrator mode.... reported that;
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.log blah blah blah....
I've looked at the log (Notepad file) It's massive, but towards the bottom there are a number of listed files such as actxprxy.dll, ebrima.ttf, System.Management.Automation.dll, NlsLexicons0024.dll, VhdProvider.dll and a load LOAD more...
Errors are everything from "Could not reproject corrupted file FILENAME" Sourcefile in store is also corrupted to hash mismatches....
Looks like I'll have to use the disc to refresh or whatever it's called....

Which option is best to keep all my documents, AND all my installed files / applications? Is that the refresh option on the safe mode start page?

Cheers
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2,8GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
This typically happens if you're running anti-virus or anti-malware that is not Windows 8 compatible, or if you did an upgrade while older anti-virus was installed and running.

Your best bet would be to do a system refresh.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
I saw this exact same problem somewhere on the 'net within the past couple weeks. The individual ended up creating new user id's and that resolved the problem. Somehow it was tied in with the id. Don't know if that is your issue but you might give it a shot.

-jeff
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint and Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus G75VW
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    16G
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 5400 rpm 1T and Seagate 7200 rpm 500G.
    Internet Speed
    30M down, 5M up
    Other Info
    Oracle Virtual Box
    Ubuntu 64 bit
If nothing suggested to date works, then think about what I say. From your specs, I imagine that you did an upgrade install (using disc, USB flash, or ISO). But, you might have used a full install medium based on, for example, a Technet download or using the System Builder version of 8. The alternatives listed below in Option 1 are your options (you might need to create an install disc or USB flash). I would start with Automatic Repair. If no luck, then go with your choice of refresh your PC or reset your PC. Whatever you do you should back up your files first. You may end up needing to do a clean install. Once you get things working again consider making periodic system image backups. See link in my sig.

Option 1:
Startup to installer--Install DVD (including Upgrade DVD) or Install Flash Drive;
Choose language, etc.
Hit next
Choose “Repair your computer”
Choose “Troubleshoot” for these options:
Refresh your PC
Reset your PC
Advanced Options

Choose "Advanced Options" for these additional options:
System Restore
System Image Recovery
Automatic Repair
Command Prompt

Opinon 2: If you have an ISO, you could mount the ISO and run set up. In effect, you will be able to choose to Refresh your PC or to Reset Your PC.

*********************************
Explanation of Procedures:

Refresh your PC—Attempts to solve system problems by replacing system files without affecting user files (similar to what a repair install does WRT to system files at least under earlier Win versions). User files still should be backed up. Installed programs will have to be reinstalled except those from the Windows Store. A list of uninstalled programs is provided. Settings will maintained.

Reset your PC—Removes everything and reinstalls Win8 as above.

System Restore—Attempts to restores your system to an earlier time assuming at least one restore point has been created. Files will be undisturbed, but applications and updates installed after the restore point will be uninstalled.

System Image Recovery—Attempts to recovers your hard drive or partition using a selected previously made image file.

Automatic Repair—Attempts to make repairs needed to allow Win8 to startup properly.

Command Prompt—Provides command prompt allowing additional repair options.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Regarding the antivirus possibility; BitDefender2013 is listed as compatible with Windows 8 (One of the the reasons I selected to use it) I've not installed any anti additional malware, registry, or security protection on this machine yet..
Thanks for pointing out the possibility tho...

Regarding the User account possibility - few odd errors pop up... Though it would be worth documenting them here, just in case anyone else runs into them...
Control Panel -> User Accounts -> "Make Changes to my Account in PC Settings" Clicking on this pops up an explorer.exe dialogue box saying "Class not registered"
I've spotted one of these somewhere else before, but I can't remember where it was to correctly document it. Pity...

I'll be running (or at least attempting) a system refresh later today - will post back with any further errors I run into.



Original installation was from the windows official download page. Downloaded the installer files which pulled in the required files. Mounted to a DVD and installed on a formatted drive (wiped the old windows in its entirety) Purchased the Win 8 Pro version from MS website directly.
Installed Win 8, then installed the Antivirus (Bitdefender 2013), followed by application software.
Bitdefender and windows have both been updating themselves, however (as expected) windows 8 has been doing the most...

Is it possible to roll back an antivirus update?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2,8GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
You want to uninstall what--a Bitdefender update? Why? Is your original problem solved?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
No, I wanted to roll back the antivirus update to see if it was the cause of the error. After looking at the CBS log file, I've decided that it probably wouldn't do much anyway...

Tried a REFRESH though.... Screen flashed that giant ;-( blue screen for about 1/10th of a second. It was just enough time to register what it was, but not enough to read what the error was....
Refresh was from the boot menu.

Didn't make an image that I could back up from - so it's going to have to be a new installation :( UGH!!
**Time to start backing up all my files ....... again **



Thanks for the suggestions - I'll post back once the installation is complete and close the thread (just incase something else pops up in the mean time)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2,8GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
Well I know there is a hack to disable it, because I used it myself to supress Metro!

1) Have you tried googling for how to turn it off and then doing the opposite?
Sometimes you accidentally trigger something that you didn't really mean to, and that is the easiest and most obvious explanation, unless it was the antivirus causing.

2) What happens if you disable the antivirus and uninstall it? Supposedly Windows Defender is compatible with Windows and that will suffice as antivirus for normal people.

It always irritates me a bit when people suggest very generic solutions to problems like this -- such as re-installing Windows, running Scannow etc. Obviously you want some concrete things to check, and you'll get that if you follow up on (1) from above.

3) Some of the products from Stardock completely supress Metro, have you installed any Stardock products?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    24 GB DDRAM3
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GT430 x2
    Sound Card
    Audial
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x 28" Sharp
    Screen Resolution
    1360 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung, Seagate, Toshiba, Hitachi, Western Digital
    PSU
    750 watt
    Cooling
    liquid closed
Maybe I didn't follow all of this too closely but ------

Did you set your computer back to some earlier date before all of this happened ? *( System restore ).

Did you make a set of Windows system recovery discs ?*( It takes 3 to 4 - 4.7 GB discs). *( Or flash drive/memory stick say 15 GB or a little more ).

Did you make a Windows 8 system repair disc ? *( One disc about 500 to 600 MB ).

I have had computers go haywire after a Microsoft or Windows regular update.

I have also had crashes and ordered recovery discs from the factory.

I haven't had virus/work/spyware software protection conflict with any Windows versions that I know of. Norton, and others, say they are incompatible and insist that the competitor be removed. Furthermore when trying to activate Windows Defender and Firewall it says: this/security is being managed by Norton. I'm confident that the top rated security brands don't conflict with Windows.

Sometimes when things really go from bad to worse it is easier and faster to save all files, folders, photos, libraries and wipe the disc.

I have also had to subscribe to a professional Guru aid to clean up everything. It worked. Even though I had Norton installed somehow, something broke through and infected the inner works. The nasty's were so deeply embedded that typically security software scans missed them. Only the Guru's were able to root out the problems and fix corrupted files. They took over the computer remotely and installed their own selection of specialty software. Took about 45 minutes. They whizzed around all over and made many settings changes.

I've too made the bad decision to try some of the cheap software remedies offered prolifically for sale on line. They just made things worse or impossible.

I also learned from experience that I will no longer buy downloads on line. There isn't a disc. I buy boxed versions from a store. The disc often helps correct problems.

I too have plugged in two USB external hard drives. Didn't create any problems except that sometimes it will only recognize one because both are on the same system. So I only use one now. No reason for two simultaneously.

*( If you got the message - "corrupted files then you have corrupted files". Only one way to fix that )! I would focus on that first.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
I've tried the disable and re enable - it threw a dialogue box at me with an error (as far as I can remember) - can't remember exactly what point that happened tho..
I used a Windows8 fake start button utility that was supposed to suppress the metro, and revert to only the Start button like Win 7 had, but it didn't have all the functionality, and was a pain to find the occasional link I wanted.

I'm half way through the reset now tho - so going to stick with that.
I'll create a standard user account once I've installed all the software I needed this time - perhaps it will stop this happening again (was using an administrator account)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2,8GHz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 470
No, I wanted to roll back the antivirus update to see if it was the cause of the error. After looking at the CBS log file, I've decided that it probably wouldn't do much anyway...

Tried a REFRESH though.... Screen flashed that giant ;-( blue screen for about 1/10th of a second. It was just enough time to register what it was, but not enough to read what the error was....
Refresh was from the boot menu.

Didn't make an image that I could back up from - so it's going to have to be a new installation :( UGH!!
**Time to start backing up all my files ....... again **



Thanks for the suggestions - I'll post back once the installation is complete and close the thread (just incase something else pops up in the mean time)
You are very welcome. I'm still a bit (defender) :D confused about what you said, but no matter. By the way I have no problem using the latest BitDefender 2013--all updates, etc. Good luck on your reinstall.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
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