None working Win11 Store and Photos

Harry Bloomfield · 20 Jan 2023

Following the upgrade from Win10 to 11, I thought this problem might have resolved itself, but I was wrong - they still do not work. Clicking does nothing.

One solution I found, supposed to fix these problems, was described here - https://www.guidingtech.com/top-ways-to-fix-default-apps-missing-on-windows-11/

It suggested running Powershell, as Administrator, with the following line...
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Note - it misses the essential '}' from the end of the line when you copy and paste from the site, but this is the result when I try to run it...
Anyone see what is going amiss please? There are many more similar lines of 'path not found', which I have not included..

PS C:\Users\harry> Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}
Add-AppxPackage : Cannot find path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbweAppXManifest.xml' because it does not
exist.
At line:1 char:28
+ ... | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.I ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Windows\Syst...ppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], ItemNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand

Add-AppxPackage : Cannot find path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewyAppXManifest.xml'
because it does not exist.
At line:1 char:28
+ ... | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.I ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Windows\Syst...ppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], ItemNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand

Add-AppxPackage : Cannot find path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewyAppXManifest.xml' because it does not
exist.
At line:1 char:28
+ ... | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.I ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Windows\Syst...ppXManifest.xml:String) [Add-AppxPackage], ItemNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.AddAppxPackageCommand

RandomGrinch · 20 Jan 2023

Harry Bloomfield said:
It suggested running Powershell, as Administrator, with the following line...
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Can you try this instead?:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Harry Bloomfield · 21 Jan 2023

RandomGrinch said:
Can you try this instead?:solitar

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsStore* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Thanks...

That appears to run, flashing up deployment, then after a reboot - Store was still listed as an app, but clicking on it does nothing at all, just as before.

Lots of other MS apps are similar - photos, calculator, solitaire, disney+ - They are listed, but clicking them, nothing happens - they appear to load, but do not show up on screen.

Xbox flashes up, then dissappears.

Clipchamp, Teams, Skype seem to run OK

I have also tried the Repair and the Reset.

RandomGrinch · 21 Jan 2023

Harry Bloomfield said:
they appear to load, but do not show up on screen.

Xbox flashes up, then dissappears.

May be a longshot, but if they are loading but not displaying (do they appear in task manager?) - can you check your graphics driver is up to date?

Harry Bloomfield · 21 Jan 2023

RandomGrinch said:
May be a longshot, but if they are loading but not displaying (do they appear in task manager?) - can you check your graphics driver is up to date?

Good point and yes Store appears in Task manager, but it is all zeros and is showing as 'suspended'. It only shows in TM for a while, then disappears from the list, run Store and it reappears in TM for a while. If I try to run MS Calculator, that does not appear at all in TM, perhaps it is dependent on Store being functional?

Films & TV is another none working one.

Teams, which does work, appears in TM all of the time.

All of my drivers are fully up to date, but as said - I had the same apps failing whilst I had Win10 installed, I expected the Win11 update to fix them.

RandomGrinch · 21 Jan 2023

A few things here to try, but you've probably already tried them:

I haven't seen the regedit change mentioned anywhere else.
I have also heard of time server issues and VPN use affecting Windows store.
You could try time.windows.com as the NTP.
Do you use a VPN?

It does seem a bit like clutching at straws, though plenty of other users seem to be having these issues. MS may have a problem.

Have you tried creating another user account on the machine, and seeing if the apps work on that?

It looks as if it is heading towards clean install time.

...although there are plenty of alternatives to MS apps!

Harry Bloomfield · 21 Jan 2023

RandomGrinch said:
I haven't seen the regedit change mentioned anywhere else. Nor I, but tried that and the DWORD was missing.
I have also heard of time server issues and VPN use affecting Windows store. Not using VPN
You could try time.windows.com as the NTP.
Do you use a VPN?

I've tried all of those things before, except the regedit and the new account..

I'm struggling with setting up a second account, it's a bit different to Win10..

RandomGrinch · 21 Jan 2023

Nor I, but tried that and the DWORD was missing

It probably won't acheive much, but did you try creating the DWORD?
(A restart would be needed afterwards)

Harry Bloomfield · 22 Jan 2023

Yes, I tried the DWORD and also now, another account too - still not working.

In addition, I thought to try a Repair install, but it wouldn't allow that, something about not being able to - The same issue it reported when I originally attempted to get it to upgrade, from 10 to 11.