This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
to fix it.
I leave my computer on all week downloading stuff, so could this be
malware?

Peter Jason wrote:

> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
> to fix it.

launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
top/right of task manager ...

On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Peter Jason wrote:
>
>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>> to fix it.
>
>launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>top/right of task manager ...
>
>
Thanks, I'll try next time this happens.

On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:30:09 +1000, Peter Jason <pj@jostle.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>wrote:
>
>>Peter Jason wrote:
>>
>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>>> to fix it.
>>
>>launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>>it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>>you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>>top/right of task manager ...
>>
>>
>Thanks, I'll try next time this happens.

It's done it again overnight. I cannot find
"startmenuexperiencehost.exe"
I'll just leave the Filer Explorer running all the time in future.
Thanks

Peter Jason wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:30:09 +1000, Peter Jason <pj@jostle.com> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Peter Jason wrote:
>>>
>>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>>>> to fix it.
>>>
>>> launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>>> it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>>> you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>>> top/right of task manager ...
>>>
>>>
>> Thanks, I'll try next time this happens.
>
> It's done it again overnight. I cannot find
> "startmenuexperiencehost.exe"
> I'll just leave the Filer Explorer running all the time in future.
> Thanks
>

Did you look in Task Manager's 'Details' tab?

--
....w¡ñ§±¤ñ

....winston <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:
> Peter Jason wrote:
> > On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:30:09 +1000, Peter Jason <pj@jostle.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Peter Jason wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
> >>>> to fix it.
> >>>
> >>> launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
> >>> it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
> >>> you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
> >>> top/right of task manager ...
> >>>
> >> Thanks, I'll try next time this happens.
> >
> > It's done it again overnight. I cannot find
> > "startmenuexperiencehost.exe"
> > I'll just leave the Filer Explorer running all the time in future.
> > Thanks
>
> Did you look in Task Manager's 'Details' tab?

That seems indeed important. On my system it is on the 'Details' tab,
but not on the regular 'Processes' tab (not in the 'Apps' part and not
in the 'Background processes' part).

And BTW, the (displayed) name is 'StartMenuExperienceHost.exe', i.e.
mixed case.

Peter Jason wrote:

> On Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:30:09 +1000, Peter Jason <pj@jostle.com> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Peter Jason wrote:
>>>
>>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>>>> to fix it.
>>>
>>>launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>>>it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>>>you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>>>top/right of task manager ...
>>>
>>>
>>Thanks, I'll try next time this happens.
>
> It's done it again overnight. I cannot find
> "startmenuexperiencehost.exe"
> I'll just leave the Filer Explorer running all the time in future.
> Thanks

Why not use Windows Key + E to open it?

--
Bob
Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England

He is not drunk who, from the floor,
Can raise his glass and ask for more.

On 22 Jun 2023 13:59:00 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> And BTW, the (displayed) name is 'StartMenuExperienceHost.exe', i.e.
> mixed case.
>

Would that matter? As far as I know, when attempting to open or run a
file, if you get the upper/lower case wrong the file is still found.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 22 Jun 2023 13:59:00 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > And BTW, the (displayed) name is 'StartMenuExperienceHost.exe', i.e.
> > mixed case.
>
> Would that matter? As far as I know, when attempting to open or run a
> file, if you get the upper/lower case wrong the file is still found.

No, it wouldn't matter when opening or running it, but one might
overlook it when - even unconciously - looking for the lowercase name,
when the displayed name is actually in mixed case. The ('Details') list
is very long, so easy to overlook things, even if it's sorted on the
name.

On 22 Jun 2023 20:05:17 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> > On 22 Jun 2023 13:59:00 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > > And BTW, the (displayed) name is 'StartMenuExperienceHost.exe', i.e.
> > > mixed case.
> >
> > Would that matter? As far as I know, when attempting to open or run a
> > file, if you get the upper/lower case wrong the file is still found.
>
> No, it wouldn't matter when opening or running it, but one might
> overlook it when - even unconciously - looking for the lowercase name,
> when the displayed name is actually in mixed case. The ('Details') list
> is very long, so easy to overlook things, even if it's sorted on the
> name.

Not everyone knows this tip for File Explorer, and I've just verified
that it works in Task Manager too, at least on the Processes and
Details tabs.

Just type the first few letters of the process one is looking for. I
tried sta (all lower case) in teh Details tab, and that took me right
to StartMenuExperienceHost.exe

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 22 Jun 2023 20:05:17 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> >
> > Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> > > On 22 Jun 2023 13:59:00 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > > > And BTW, the (displayed) name is 'StartMenuExperienceHost.exe', i.e.
> > > > mixed case.
> > >
> > > Would that matter? As far as I know, when attempting to open or run a
> > > file, if you get the upper/lower case wrong the file is still found.
> >
> > No, it wouldn't matter when opening or running it, but one might
> > overlook it when - even unconciously - looking for the lowercase name,
> > when the displayed name is actually in mixed case. The ('Details') list
> > is very long, so easy to overlook things, even if it's sorted on the
> > name.
>
> Not everyone knows this tip for File Explorer, and I've just verified
> that it works in Task Manager too, at least on the Processes and
> Details tabs.
>
> Just type the first few letters of the process one is looking for. I
> tried sta (all lower case) in teh Details tab, and that took me right
> to StartMenuExperienceHost.exe

Thanks for the tip. I think I've never used search in Task Manager, so
it might come in handy some time.

N.B. For the *OP*'s (Peter Jason) issue, of course Winston's (implied)
point that StartMenuExperienceHost.exe is not shown on the 'Processes'
tab, but is shown on the 'Details' tab, still stands.

On Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:14:06 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Peter Jason wrote:
>
>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>> to fix it.
>
>launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>top/right of task manager ...
>
>

Thanks, I finally got this to work (under the details tab) though I
had to kill explorer.exe too.

On 11/07/2023 21:57, Peter Jason wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Peter Jason wrote:
>>
>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>>> to fix it.
>>
>> launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>> it should auto restart, any better? If not then kill explorer.exe
>> you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>> top/right of task manager ...
>
> Thanks, I finally got this to work (under the details tab) though I
> had to kill explorer.exe too.

Now the difficult bit, find out what's upsetting it all the time

On 7/12/2023 5:07 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
> On 11/07/2023 21:57, Peter Jason wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> Peter Jason wrote:
>>>
>>>> This has just happened yet again, and I have to restart the computer
>>>> to fix it.
>>>
>>> launch task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) kill startmenuexperiencehost.exe,
>>> it should auto restart, any better?  If not then kill explorer.exe
>>> you'll need to restart that manually with the run new task icon in the
>>> top/right of task manager ...
>>
>> Thanks, I finally got this to work (under the details tab) though  I
>> had to kill explorer.exe too.
>
> Now the difficult bit, find out what's upsetting it all the time

Since he had to kill explorer.exe for this to work,
the running instance of explorer did not communicate
with the shortcut version attempt to run.

"Explorer is a single-instance application"

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20170328-00/?p=95845

Some codes, they only want one instance running.
For example, this strawman sequence...

explorer.exe
explorer.exe

The first instance starts, let us say. The second instance, when it
attempts to start, it locates that an "explorer.exe" instance is
already running, and it communicates with it, and a window opens
under the control of the first instance. The second instance (stub behavior)
exits.

Now, is this COM behavior ?

What subsystem dependencies does single-instancing have ?

If the Session ID was different, I don't know if that
would have an effect or not. Session ID is a column available in
Task Manager Details tab. Explorer.exe is in Session 1, with my UserID.

Summary: Next step is open a Terminal and type "explorer.exe"
and see what messages are delivered during the time
that the shortcut does not work on the Taskbar.

As otherwise, in a quick Google, I'm not getting any info
on needed subsystems for single instancing to work.

Paul