SOLVED Many apps can't open

[sawtooth]

My problem is that a number of my apps are greyed out, (14 at last count) and therefore return the "this app can't open" message. In trying to chase this down, I believe I've read that the problem is related to auto updates, and the lack of required licences? If this is the case does anyone know how to overcome the issue? I would probably rather revert to W7, but it's a number of months now since 10 was installed, so I believe that option is no longer available to me.

 

[Trouble]

Depending on which Universal Apps you're having issues with, perhaps.....
Removing them and then reinstalling them might help.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/canitpro...windows-10-universal-apps-via-powershell.aspx
I just did that with one or the more innocuous Apps called CandyCrushSodaSaga and it seemed to work fine, although PowerShell seemed to take issue with the "- Confirm" switch so I just left it off.
If we're talking about some of the more integral Universal Apps like Calendar / Mail / People, which seemed to be joined at the hip....
I haven't tested it yet.
Maybe later when I fireup my testbed computer.

 

[Saltgrass]

After some upgrades I have seen individual apps which need to be refreshed, as Trouble mentions. But they usually have some message stating such. You are getting nothing in addition to the won't open message?

You are signed into at least the Microsoft Store?

If you aren't getting updates, are you getting any messages about that?

 

[sawtooth]

After some upgrades I have seen individual apps which need to be refreshed, as Trouble mentions. But they usually have some message stating such. You are getting nothing in addition to the won't open message?

You are signed into at least the Microsoft Store?

If you aren't getting updates, are you getting any messages about that?

Trouble, these are built in apps, like photos, calendar, mail, Twitter, etc. I checked your Canitpro link, and I'm not too confident about that step; will get to it if I have to, but it does appear that process will remove, but I'd need then to reinstall, and Saltgrass, I've checked my update history; the most recent Jan 26, and the problem goes back much further. Although Store is not greyed out, it clicks but doesn't open. I assume I'd at least need Store working to reinstall these basic apps?

 

[Trouble]

I assume I'd at least need Store working to reinstall these basic apps?

Yes you would.
Would you mind testing another user account?
Create a new local user as a member of the local administrators group (not a standard user).
Log off as you and log on as the new user and test to see if the store app or any of the other apps work with a new profile to determine if the problem is profile specific or more global across the Operating System.

 

[sawtooth]

Yes, happy to do that. Would I do it in Accounts>Family and other users>Add someone else to this PC?

 

[Trouble]

Sure that's one way of doing it. Personally, I just do it from an admin command prompt.
Go to
C:\Windows\System32
Find
Cmd.exe
Right click it and choose run as administrator
At the admin command prompt type
net user JohnSmith /add
hit enter
then type
net localgroup administrators JohnSmith /add
hit enter
type
exit
hit enter
Restart and log in as JohnSmith
NOTE: You don't have to actually use JohnSmith you can make the user anything you want. Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally, Margaret, etc., etc.,

 

[sawtooth]

Thank you. Visitors have arrived, so I'll need to come back to this.

 

[clayto]

There is a strong chance you are another victim of the November update bug about which Microsoft has still done nothing. It has trashed many Microsoft apps, including crucially the Store , plus others. To check this out go to All Apps in Start, head to the bottom. where if you are infected by the bug you will find the category 'Other' and many of your missing apps with strange titles starting with @. I regret they cannot be launched.

If you do find this, report back and I will tell yo were a fix can be found --- it is quite demanding but well documented.

 

[sawtooth]

Sure that's one way of doing it. Personally, I just do it from an admin command prompt.
Go to
C:\Windows\System32
Find
Cmd.exe
Right click it and choose run as administrator
At the admin command prompt type
net user JohnSmith /add
hit enter
then type
net localgroup administrators JohnSmith /add
hit enter
type
exit
hit enter
Restart and log in as JohnSmith
NOTE: You don't have to actually use JohnSmith you can make the user anything you want. Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally, Margaret, etc., etc.,

I managed to do as you suggested; logged in as my alternate user. Although the apps weren't greyed out,
they still returned the same "app can't open" message and failed to open.

 

[sawtooth]

There is a strong chance you are another victim of the November update bug about which Microsoft has still done nothing. It has trashed many Microsoft apps, including crucially the Store , plus others. To check this out go to All Apps in Start, head to the bottom. where if you are infected by the bug you will find the category 'Other' and many of your missing apps with strange titles starting with @. I regret they cannot be launched.

If you do find this, report back and I will tell yo were a fix can be found --- it is quite demanding but well documented.

I slid down in "All apps", but didn't find the "Other" category. You are meaning alphabetically at the bottom, ie after X box?

 

[clayto]

If you have not got something like this at the end of All Apps either you do not have the November bug or you have a different version of it to many people. You can see familiar names of apps in the list but as I said, you cannot launch them. The cause of this is now documented which makes it more annoying MS has not produced a fix. If it is not your issue perhaps you should be 'greateful for small mercies' but I am afraid I am unable to help so good luck!

 

[Trouble]

still returned the same "app can't open" message and failed to open.

Does the error also include reference to the "built in administrator account"?
IF so then you have your UAC set too low.
Go back to Control Panel -> User Accounts ->Click the link that says "Change User Account Control settings"
Slide the slider back up to the second one from the top -> Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer (default)

 

[sawtooth]

View attachment 2327 If you have not got something like this at the end of All Apps either you do not have the November bug or you have a different version of it to many people. You can see familiar names of apps in the list but as I said, you cannot launch them. The cause of this is now documented which makes it more annoying MS has not produced a fix. If it is not your issue perhaps you should be 'greateful for small mercies' but I am afraid I am unable to help so good luck!

No, I have nothing that looks like that. My All Apps menu looks normal. Thank you for trying!

 

[sawtooth]

No, it doesn't include those words, and the slider was already set as you describe. This is the message I get:

 

[sawtooth]

Does the error also include reference to the "built in administrator account"?
IF so then you have your UAC set too low.
Go back to Control Panel -> User Accounts ->Click the link that says "Change User Account Control settings"
Slide the slider back up to the second one from the top -> Notify me only when apps try to make changes to my computer (default)

Trouble, I'm trying to uninstall and reinstall one or two programs, as a test. Starting with Twitter, after downloading, I get a message saying the link needs to be opened with an application. Can you suggest what type of app. that would be please?

 

[Trouble]

Honestly, I'm not too sure, what you've got going.
If you've used PowerShell to remove the Twitter "App".
Typically, you just go back to the Store app, search for Twitter and reinstall it from there.
The only other thing that I noticed when I used PowerShell to remove a universal app, the store didn't realize that it had been uninstalled until after I rebooted the machine. Then it offered it for installation.

 

[sawtooth]

Honestly, I'm not too sure, what you've got going.
If you've used PowerShell to remove the Twitter "App".
Typically, you just go back to the Store app, search for Twitter and reinstall it from there.
The only other thing that I noticed when I used PowerShell to remove a universal app, the store didn't realize that it had been uninstalled until after I rebooted the machine. Then it offered it for installation.

I uninstalled Twitter simply by right clicking on it's tile in the start menu; an option which probably isn't available for Windows apps, such as Mail, and Store, both of which are inactive on my machine. I think now that the app. referred to when I try to reinstall Twitter, is Store, which of course doesn't work for me. It seems I'm just going to have to find a way to get back to good old W7. By the way, I don't know what PowerShell is.