Windows 8 Apps Won't Open

tomh

New Member
Messages
7
Hello,

First of all, I appreciate there are many threads about this around the internet but I've tried all the solutions mentioned and none of them seem to work.

This morning I was reading that the issue of metro apps not opening could be caused by using the inbuilt administrator account and as I upgraded from Windows 7 I assumed that I could be using that. I created a new admin account, made my main account into a local account and moved my email address over to the new account. When I opened up the new account I clicked immediately onto the messenger and mail apps and both of these worked perfectly, I thought the problem was solved. After this, I tried connecting my phone using the Windows Phone app, (it's a HTC Windows 8X) and the problem occurred again and following this I decided to try the mail app again and the problem occurred there too.

Previously I've tried:

- System Refresh.
- App Troubleshooter.
- Updating Drivers.
- Running the 1024 x w.hatever resolution.
- Uninstalling and reinstalling the apps.
- Uninstalling third party anti-virus (AVG Free).

I'm all out of ideas and I'm getting increasingly frustrated at this. I just want to use Windows 8 as intended without this recurring problem. I don't want to reinstall Windows 8 because I have a lot of files and I don't like the idea of potentially loosing them.

Like I said, I understand that there are many threads with this but I can't find a solution and any help would be gratefully received.

Much appreciated,
Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I pulled my hair out on more than one occasion with the apps opening and closing immediately.. or not even opening at all.

The latest culprit was the windows IE temp folders I had moved off my main OS solid state drive onto another drive, disappeared due to a sata cable coming unplugged. Most of the W8 apps would not open. Once I plugged the drive back in, all worked fine. So make sure your IE temp folders are still there. And if you have moved them to another drive other than the main OS drive, you may wanna move them back as I've read on occasion there are issues with the move.

Also... I found this little tidbit of information that seemed to have helped alot of people out with this issue. I didn't have to try it.. but you may give it a go.

"Go to troubleshooting (press win+w >then type troubleshooting). now a window opens in desktop. click "fix problems with windows updates". now click next. windows will search for solutions, but it wont find anything. then windows will ask if u want to try in administrator mode. click yes. windows will find and solve the problem. that's it."
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    personal build.. lots of them
Thanks for the quick reply.

I've just done that and it said that it found some issues and that they're now fixed. The apps still won't open though.

Cheers,
Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hello Tom, and welcome to Eight Forums.

A few things to check:

  1. Make sure that UAC is not disabled.
  2. If you still have a 3rd party AV or Firewall program installed, be sure that the apps are added to the safe list of the AV or allowed network access by the firewall.

If that still doesn't help, then since this was an upgrade, usually refreshing Windows 8 helps.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi Brink,

again, thanks for the quick reply.

The UAC is set properly (I forgot to add that to the list of things checked in my original post), and I'm only using Windows Defender. I've repeated the process of creating a new account and then switching my email address to it and leaving my original account as local. So far, so good although it's only been three or so minutes ;) . I'm going to avoid the Windows Phone app as I've got a feeling this is causing some of the issues.

I'll let you know how it goes. I'll leave the thread open because like I said, I tried this earlier and it failed.

Much appreciated,
Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Right,

the problem has occurred again. This time I've noted it's after I've updated them from the Windows 8 Store. Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I'd hate to say it, but it may be time to consider a refresh. :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I've been considering that... however, I have done it before and it made no difference at all... apart from wiping all my program's for no good reason that is.

Thanks anyway,
Tom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Sorry Tom. I missed where you said you already tried a refresh.

May need to reset Windows 8 instead.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Oh dear,

I'll look at other alternatives first.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Man I feel your pain on the app frustrations. I've got W8 on 4 of my computers and all of them at one point in time had this problem of apps not launching correctly.

Did you indeed verify your IE temp folders are accessible? ( Launch IE 10 desktop version, go to tools, internet options, then under browsing history click settings, then look at the temporary internet files tab and make sure your temp folder is there and set to at least 50mb. If you never moved it, it will be located in C:\Users\( your name )\AppData\Local\Windows\Temporary\Internet Files\ ) The W8 apps use that folder to store information and if it's not there, most will not launch.

If you have no 3rd party AV / Firewall programs running, make sure your windows firewall is on. Apps won't launch with that disabled and no other firewall installed.

Once last thing... go to the windows store, pull out the right hand charms bar, go to settings, ap updates, and sync your licenses.

I never figured the issue out on one of my computers and did a complete reinstall of W8 and haven't had an issue since. Not refresh.. but complete reinstall. I immediately added all my 3rd party programs and verified the ap store work, then made a system image in case I had the problem again. That way I wouldn't have to go back and reload all of that stuff again.

Keep us posted....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    personal build.. lots of them
Man I feel your pain on the app frustrations. I've got W8 on 4 of my computers and all of them at one point in time had this problem of apps not launching correctly.

Did you indeed verify your IE temp folders are accessible? ( Launch IE 10 desktop version, go to tools, internet options, then under browsing history click settings, then look at the temporary internet files tab and make sure your temp folder is there and set to at least 50mb. If you never moved it, it will be located in C:\Users\( your name )\AppData\Local\Windows\Temporary\Internet Files\ ) The W8 apps use that folder to store information and if it's not there, most will not launch.

I've tried to find this and can't, any suggestions?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo C320
    CPU
    Intel G530
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
IE 10 temp folders...

The AppData folder is hidden by default within your username folder... make sure you ck the view option to show hidden folders:

C:\Users\(user-name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

But you should still be able to access and change the temporary internet files folder through through the desktop version of Internet Explorer 10 if you need to. If nothing is showing up under the current location section ( as mine did when the secondary hard drive dropped out ), then that's your problem. But if you've never moved it to begin with, this unfortunately probably isn't your issue.
 

Attachments

  • tools.JPG
    tools.JPG
    39 KB · Views: 3,755
  • settings.JPG
    settings.JPG
    43.7 KB · Views: 3,764

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W8 64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    personal build.. lots of them
Just to be sure...
Have you tried to restart the windows store service?
To do that:
Windows key + R
Write services.msc and press OK
Right click "Windows Store Service (WSService)" than click on "Start" or "Restart"
Depends if it's running or not.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Builded
    CPU
    AMD fx-8120 (OC: 4.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE 990XA-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill SNIPER 16GB (4GB X 4) (Dual CH)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtec integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG SyncMaster 2033
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB cache (ST1000DM003)
    PSU
    Seasonic SS-600ET (600W, Active PFC)
    Case
    Thermaltake V9 BlackX Edition
    Cooling
    CORSAIR Hydro H60 (+Noctua NF P12 FAN)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Keyboard 1000
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000
    Internet Speed
    30Mbps Down, 1Mbps Up
    Browser
    FireFox Nightly build
    Antivirus
    AVG Internet Sequrity
Back
Top