I found myself in a jam and could not access anything by the Start menu. Clicking the Start Icon would immediately throw a large red box on the screen stating "Critical Error...
This lands on the screen and cannot be avoided. This does NOT get fixed when you log back in. The huge red box does NOT go away on your screen or get hidden unless you more it toward the edge of the screen and try to ignore it, or agree to click and sign out of my account. But as I mention, that does NOT work as it does not get fixed.... Really stinks!! With this error, the start menu, my programs, and all things on the bottom bar on were not accessible. The only thing I could do is Right Click and try to retrieve Apps and Programs through other channels, through folders and my Program Files, sifting through and trying to figure out which item in the long list of the folders was the way to launch the program, on each thing I had on my computer.... Major headache!. ... There appeared to be NO FIX for this in looking up ways to try and resolve, and testing them one by one, and was always STILL receiving this error when Iog back in. There is no consistent, helpful information that you can find to remedy, as they mostly kept talking about Start and Cortana not working. Not my issue and who the **** cares about Cortana when I cannot get into and run my Programs with any ease at all!. ... So, I tried to download the latest update to see if that works -- NOPE. I tried to do the Shift-Restart (first step in a recommended fix found while searching around "discussion boards" and various corners of the Internet) and go to that menu to try a Windows System Repair seeing if it would identify and fix -- NOPE. Tried to revert back to Windows 8 if that was available -- NOPE, not possible. Tried to revert back to any Restore point on my computer -- NOPE there wasn't one. Then selected the option to have Windows 10 reinstalled, clicking the option to have "ALL" of my files preserved for when it gets reinstalled (going from Windows 8 to Windows 10 "upgrade" all of the files and the Programs I have -- over $7000 worth of CAD Design Software, Photoshop, Office Pro, etc. -- were preserved intact exactly as they were. So, I thought that this option might be my only hope, as no other "suggested fix" out there was working... Of course, on completion, that Critical Error was finally fixed, BUT ALL of the $7000+ programs I once had on my computer are now gone! Not on there any longer! So, I have to now spend hours and hours re-downloading, getting all of the registry information and serial numbers retrieved somehow and re-entered, ALL of the supplemental downloaded add-ons and plug-ins reinstalled, Microsoft Office Pro (re-purchased MAYBE??) including my Outlook program which had about 7 years of archived emails on it, reinstalled. (Are my archived emails now all lost forever?) And, now repurchase a license on one of my CAD software where I might not be able to reinstall the older version of it. Major backfire on this and now I have days and lots of money lost due to this stupid Critical Error that would not go away. I am so frustrated and saddened by this. This error and all of the confusion and headache it brought is going to cost me lots of time and MONEY! This is an injustice.