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Tiles? all gone.

M

Melampo_

Junior Member
Today, after installing the latest updates, I was given wellcome by a completely purple start screen (which is not even the color combination I choose) with no tiles: nothing, except the violet backgroung and the "start" logo in the corner.
All the tiles and the Metro apps are gone.
Using CTRL+ALT+CANC I'm able to get to the classic desktop, and I can even summon the charm bar, but when I try to run a metro app, even the Settings one, nothing happens.

This happened on 3 different Windows 8 machine during the day.

I'm using an original copy of Windows 8 PRO 64 bit with all the available updates installed.

Now that's all I can now see on the three computers.:
1zztmd3.jpg
 
Were all of them desktops?

What sort of storage hardware was in them?

Have you tried a complete reinstall?
 
were you using one of the 3rd party start menu apps ?

if yes, then this might have messed up system files or configuration.
 
SilentRunning said:
Did you activate, and if it was an upgrade to you do any tricks to bypass an upgrade install?
Click to expand...

Whaat?
I did activate Windows and no, I didn't do any tricks to bypass the installation of a particular update. I would not even know which updates to block!

Maybe an update caused it, microsofts half baked attempt to fix windows 8.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the issue is caused by an update. Everything was working fine before installing the latest ones.

Does Windows Restore do anything for you?
Click to expand...
Windows Restore was not activated by default on my Windows 8 installation, really don't know why. I don't have any restore point.

Were all of them desktops?

What sort of storage hardware was in them?

Have you tried a complete reinstall?
Click to expand...
Are you talking about the tiles?
There was same metro apps and same desktop apps.
They were saved in a 500GB WD hard disk, brand new.
I did not tried a complete reinstall because that's what I'm trying to avoid, if possibile.
I don't want to lose all of my data, reinstall Windows 8, download all the updates and then find myself with a unusable computer again.

were you using one of the 3rd party start menu apps ?

if yes, then this might have messed up system files or configuration.
Click to expand...
No, I wasn't using anything like that.
I actually really enjoy the new start screen and the new Windows 8 interface.

EDIT:
I just found out that I'm able to activate the guest account and log in using it. It just works, all the tiles are there and everything is ok.
Maybe deleting my main account and then log in again would help, but I can't do that since I have no admin rights in a guest account.
 
Melampo_ said:
Already tried. I uninstalled all the updates downloaded the day before the first appearance of the issue, but it didn't help.
Click to expand...

OK, well then the new profile option would be the best. Can you make a new administrator profile from your hosed profile?
 
ketchup79 said:
OK, well then the new profile option would be the best. Can you make a new administrator profile from your hosed profile?
Click to expand...

Nope, 'couse now in Windows 8 the user settings can be changed only using a metro app (the one in the charm bar), and in my main profile I can't run metro apps.
On the other hand, in the guest account I can run the settings app, but I can't modify anything, since I need admin rights. :|
I wonder if there's a way to create an admin account only using the Control Panel in the desktop mode...
 
Melampo_ said:
Nope, 'couse now in Windows 8 the user settings can be changed only using a metro app (the one in the charm bar), and in my main profile I can't run metro apps.
On the other hand, in the guest account I can run the settings app, but I can't modify anything, since I need admin rights. :|
I wonder if there's a way to create an admin account only using the Control Panel in the desktop mode...
Click to expand...

Can you get the task bar to appear?
 
Solved!
(I can't believe I'm actually writing this)

Here's what I did to get my account back and working by deleting and re-creating it



  1. Log into your profile, you'll see the usual empty Start Screen.
  2. Control-Alt-Canc > Task Manager. This will get you to the desktop
  3. In the Task Manager window, select More Details
  4. On the top left corner, click on Run and than New Task
  5. Write cmd and make sure to check the option that says Create this task with administratives privileges. Hit ok.
  6. In cmd, create a new admin account with these commands: net user /add [username] [password] (Change username and pass to whatever you want). Hit enter.
  7. Write Net localgroup administrators [username] /add (where username is the name of the account you have previously created.). Hit ok. Close cmd.
  8. Back to the empty Start Screen. On the top right corner click on your profile picture and log out
  9. You should now see the profile in the Log In screen. Log into the new account you've just created.
  10. After the Windows 8 introduction, get to the Control Panel. Click on User Accounts and Family Safety, then on Add or Remove User Accounts.
  11. Select your old profile and delete it. Make sure to save all your datas during the wizard and move them to the new account. The procedure can take up to 10 minutes.
  12. Summon the charm bar with your mouse (top right corner) and go to Settings. Click on Change PC Settings
  13. Select the option to connect your local account to a Windows Live one. Enter the mail and the pass you were using with the old profile.
  14. Windows 8 should now syncronize all your settings, apps and password, plus you still have all your files
  15. You should now have a fully working admin account, identical to the previous one.


Hope it helps
biggrin.gif

Btw, thanks ketchup79
 
Melampo_ said:
SilentRunning said:
Did you activate, and if it was an upgrade to you do any tricks to bypass an upgrade install?
Click to expand...
Whaat?
I did activate Windows and no, I didn't do any tricks to bypass the installation of a particular update. I would not even know which updates to block!
Click to expand...

Glad you got it fixed.

What I meant was did you install the uprade version of Windows 8. Some people are doing clean installs of the upgrade version of Windows using registry "tricks." I know that until activated there was limited functionality and thought maybe MS could enacted limited functionality on systems that weren't installed as intended.

As for blocking updates (which wasn't was what I was referring to) you can set Windows Update to notify you when updates are available and let you choose which to install. Either:

Download updates but let me choose whether to install them
Click to expand...
or
Check for updates but let me choose whether to dowload and install them
Click to expand...
If there is an update you don't want to install you can right click on it and "hide" that update.

When updates are available, your login screen will show in the bottom right corner:

Windows Update
Sign in and install important updates
Click to expand...
 
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