How to fix Cortana loop in Windows 10?
July 13, 2019 7:18 PM Subscribe
There seems to be a bug that is causing Cortana/Start Menu to endlessly loop through all the apps, files, etc.
If I click the 'Search Bar', I can't type anything, not because the keyboard doesn't work but because it has already started to loop through every app and file. It has already filled the search bar with like 10 different things before I hit a single key.
I can't even turn off the computer other than through Task Manager because if I try to click the Power/Restart Button in the Start Menu, it will keep looping through to the top again.
I feel like I have tried literally everything: running msconfig and disabling Windows Error Reporting Service and Problems Reports and Solutions, uninstalling and re-installing Windows, etc.
Nothing has worked!
If I click the 'Search Bar', I can't type anything, not because the keyboard doesn't work but because it has already started to loop through every app and file. It has already filled the search bar with like 10 different things before I hit a single key.
I can't even turn off the computer other than through Task Manager because if I try to click the Power/Restart Button in the Start Menu, it will keep looping through to the top again.
I feel like I have tried literally everything: running msconfig and disabling Windows Error Reporting Service and Problems Reports and Solutions, uninstalling and re-installing Windows, etc.
Nothing has worked!
I'd try advice above first, just in case. It does sound like that could be the case, but then you should be seeing that problem in other apps as well.
To restart without using the Start Menu you can use Windows Key-X to open up a system menu, there's restart options at the bottom.
Open up Settings (Windows-I to avoid the start menu), search for troubleshooting, and run the Search and Indexing one. Might or might not fix it, but should try that first.
In Settings as well, under Search, Searching Windows, there's an Advanced Indexer Settings (same one as in Control Panel). Modify it it to uncheck all locations it's searching
From the same menu Win-X), open up Computer Management, go to Services and Apllications, then Services. Stop and disable Windows Search.That should fix it (although at the expense of not having search options on your computer).
You could also try this:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2949759/killing-cortana-how-to-disable-windows-10s-info-hungry-digital-assistant.html
I'm not sure why your problem would survive an uninstall/reinstall though, unless you kept all settings, and installed directly over it.
posted by Boobus Tuber at 1:17 PM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
To restart without using the Start Menu you can use Windows Key-X to open up a system menu, there's restart options at the bottom.
Open up Settings (Windows-I to avoid the start menu), search for troubleshooting, and run the Search and Indexing one. Might or might not fix it, but should try that first.
In Settings as well, under Search, Searching Windows, there's an Advanced Indexer Settings (same one as in Control Panel). Modify it it to uncheck all locations it's searching
From the same menu Win-X), open up Computer Management, go to Services and Apllications, then Services. Stop and disable Windows Search.That should fix it (although at the expense of not having search options on your computer).
You could also try this:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2949759/killing-cortana-how-to-disable-windows-10s-info-hungry-digital-assistant.html
I'm not sure why your problem would survive an uninstall/reinstall though, unless you kept all settings, and installed directly over it.
posted by Boobus Tuber at 1:17 PM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
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Once you've disconnected all keyboard candidates, reboot, hard if you need to, and plug the keyboard in and try again.
posted by Sunburnt at 7:25 PM on July 13, 2019 [1 favorite]