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Windows Server 2016 Start Menu Not Showing All Items and Version Strings Inconsistent RRS feed

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    I started putting 2016 RTM through it's paces.  So far I've noticed two issues.

    1) The start menu is not populating all items.  For example, on a new install I can't search UPDATE to get to windows update or INTERNET to get IE.  Upon installation of HP software I can't search to find my array config tool.  Upon installation of SQL Server 2016 I can't search REPORT to find Reporting Services Config Manager.  Upon installation of DPM......I think you get it.  And it's not only items that are oddly missing from the Start Menu it's items that are in the menu but just wont show up while searching like Update and Internet Explorer and in this case DPM exists in the start menu it just can't be searched.  See attached image for an example of items that are not in the menu at all even through they exist in the menu path.

    2) This version inconsistency is driving my reporting tools nuts.

    Monday, October 17, 2016 10:27 PM

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    Another example, this one shows how inconsistent the start menu can be.  4 different 2016 servers have HyperV installed (with GUI management).  Start Menu, search HYPER....nothing.  Only works on one of them.


    Tuesday, October 18, 2016 12:13 AM
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    Here's from one I just recently stood up from MSDN media.

     

     

     

     


    Regards, Dave Patrick ....
    Microsoft Certified Professional
    Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management

    Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights.


    Tuesday, October 18, 2016 1:45 AM
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    Further testing has revealed the following:

    No matter what the local admin account is just out of luck.  Searching with the start menu returns very little.  However, oddly the local admin account always has access to control panel items.  It can search for "index" to find index options, "programs" to get add/remove programs, "Updates" to get updates.

    For domain users I am able to blow out the local domain admin profile AFTER having installed everything, log back in again and now the start menu has all the appropriate program items.  I can search for everything and find it EXCEPT for control panel items.  Those are always gone.  Any and all domain users that log in have no access to control panel items unless I search for control panel, go into it then search from within the actual control panel window.  So no, control panel items are not locked out by any group policies.  It's just the start menu that wont return any search results.

    This all happens whether or not Windows Search in enabled.  Having it enabled or disabled (default) makes no difference.
    Tuesday, October 18, 2016 6:12 PM
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    As I said in the other thread. I have the same problem.

    What I wonder is if it has anything to do with completely dissabling UAC.

    I did the following:

    I completey put the slider down for the UAC settings.

    Then I even executed the following in powershell:

    Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System" -Name "EnableLUA" -Value "0"

    I did this because even if I put the slider down all the way I still had to make right click => Run as administrator on everything - which annoyed the hell out of me. Also my SharePoint 2016 did not have all functionality in the central admin.....

    I have no idea if it has anything to do with it, but that's the only thing which I configured "not standard" on my server I think...

    Btw: I have the same version asx you in yor screenshot.

    • Edited by Nasicus Wednesday, October 19, 2016 5:38 AM
    Wednesday, October 19, 2016 5:37 AM
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    In my situation since we have such a small number of servers (16) I make my local admin account password match our domain admin password.  That removes a lot of the network headaches.  There's also only two of us here so, no big deal.

    In my testing up above I created more test machines, installed HyperV to test "new installs" then attached them to the domain in an OU with no linked GPs.  So, base install, HyperV then attach.  Nothing else, nothing more.

    I just took two of those test installs, changed the local admin password to something else, rebooted then turned off UAC.  I'm not noticing anything different.  Still no access to Control Panel items with searching the Start Menu.

    It's just flat out broken.  Seeing as how this was reported prior to RTM, the fact it's still broken is ridiculous.  At least I was able to get all my Start Menus working for normal applications (except the AD machines of course as you can't blow out that user account).  However I do not look forward to doing this when moving into production and certainly do not look forward to having to blow out my user accounts every single time I install something.

    Why isn't there some sort of command to rebuild the start menu?  That would certainly help!  Especially with the Win10 upgrade fiasco with users having over a certain amount of items and all their Start Menus are now borked.

    Wednesday, October 19, 2016 4:00 PM
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    I'd also provide this feedback over here.

    https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295047-general-feedback

     

     


    Regards, Dave Patrick ....
    Microsoft Certified Professional
    Microsoft MVP [Windows Server] Datacenter Management

    Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees, and confers no rights.

    Wednesday, October 19, 2016 4:09 PM
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    It already is. 

    https://windowsserver.uservoice.com/forums/295047-general-feedback/suggestions/14806926-windows-2016-start-menu-search-on-gui-should-be-as

    EDIT:

    I added my own comment and voted it up.  So please everyone, go vote for it!



    • Edited by JEmlay Wednesday, October 19, 2016 11:03 PM
    Wednesday, October 19, 2016 7:14 PM
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    Hi,

    Thanks for your feedback.

    I will try to report this behavior to the product team.

    Thanks for your understanding and sorry for the inconvenience that brought to you.

    Best Regards,

    Alvin Wang

    Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.
    If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

    Thursday, October 20, 2016 2:26 AM
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    Same issues here. This makes it impossible to rollout 2016 RDS POCs, it makes no sense to do so without a working start menu. Even my managament server gives me alot of headackes finding applications that are actually installed. I just can't believe how Microsoft thinks people work? I wouldn't even know what they expect me to do? Just open an explorer view to 'C:\Program Files'? This has been an issue ever since the TP's, as well as with Windows 10 (sysprep and broken start menu's anyone?) which makes me wonder why on earth it's possible something that worked perfectly fine before is broken in the latest series of OSes. Clearly rushed out way too fast.

    Having said that, I really like the OS itself, its just still the GUI that kills it ever since 2012+ and 8+.


    Wednesday, November 2, 2016 2:01 PM
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    The “Windows Search” service is set to ‘Disabled’ by default on Windows Server 2016.  This is because indexing of the volumes can negatively impact / break server scenarios, such as Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) and running Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) with multiple simultaneous sessions.  The side effect of the Windows Search service being disabled is that using Cortana with Start Menu searches has a degraded experience.  

    Windows Server is optimized to ensure server scenarios are rock solid, which may include trade-off's over shell user experience.  If you plan to use Windows Server 2016 as your client desktop machine, you could re-enable the Windows Search service.

    Thanks!
    Elden


    Wednesday, November 2, 2016 4:32 PM
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    I've have Windows Search for three ful days now, and the startmenu is not populated. It's just broken. Also results are inconsistent as stated before. But still if your answer was true it would make no sense at all. You imply a working start menu is dependant of the search service, but it's not advices to use on a RDS host. Now there's a crux... RDS users need start menu's as well. Being able to even start your applications is one of the most basic features that should work, also on an RDS. Having said that even on plain non RDS installs the menu is not functional.

    The current Server 2016 builds are just broken.

    By the way, proposing your own reply as an answer within a few minutes? Awkward...

    Wednesday, November 2, 2016 8:21 PM
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    The “Windows Search” service is set to ‘Disabled’ by default on Windows Server 2016.  This is because indexing of the volumes can negatively impact / break server scenarios, such as Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) and running Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) with multiple simultaneous sessions.  The side effect of the Windows Search service being disabled is that using Cortana with Start Menu searches has a degraded experience.  

    Windows Server is optimized to ensure server scenarios are rock solid, which may include trade-off's over shell user experience.  If you plan to use Windows Server 2016 as your client desktop machine, you could re-enable the Windows Search service.

    Thanks!
    Elden



    "Windows Search" has absolutely nothing to do with it.  Read my previous post.  Why would you propose that reply as an answer when you answered absolutely nothing except to give invalid verbiage?

    Also, what does using a server OS as a desktop have to do with the price of tea in China?
    Thursday, November 3, 2016 9:50 PM
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    Any news on this? This still annoys the h#ll out of my customers. I'm about at the point to call Server 2016 not ready for production at all. Especially after rolling out a new Exchange 2016 DAG on it, with all kinds of problems: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/exchange/2016/11/04/update-on-windows-server-2016-and-exchange-server-2016/.

    I have fiddled around for several days with Windows Search enabled or disabled, RDS or not, GPO's or not, but it's all to no avail and especially extremely unpredictive. I've got two management machines with VMM console installed. One of them finds it when searching, one doesn't. One finds putty, the other one doesn't. Same image, same everything from installation perspective.

    I even have two servers now where the start-menu button is not working at all, just like the issues we all had when sysprepping Windows 10. And yes, these are domain accounts with no roaming profiles that do NOT have a local profile already when logging in to the server. i.e. they get a fresh copy of the default profile on that server. Again, same image, same install, some work, most don't.

    What's MS going to do about all this?

    Wednesday, November 30, 2016 1:28 PM
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    I've been doing more testing on this. I've gotten to the point that I at least have a start menu. In my scenario the culprit is that I disable the horrendous (for admins that is) UAC by GPO. But Microsoft decided to integrate this stupendous AppX system in the startmenu by using the Cortana App as its search engine, which also means UAC can NOT be disabled. Especially 'User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode' canNOT be set to disabled. When disabled (ie. UAC disabled for members of the administrators group) the Cortana AppX can't be 'activated' logging alot of messages like:

    Source: Apps
    EventID: 5973
    Activation of app Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI failed with error: This app can't be activated by the Built-in Administrator. See the Microsoft-Windows-TWinUI/Operational log for additional information.



    Now ofcourse I am not running with the built-in administrator account, but when UAC is enabled AppX thinks I am. However, one some testnodes I still had issues with this. I guess the Cortana database was corrupted there (fresh template deploy being used for just 10 minutes or so...) and I could not find a way to reset its database. So I removed the Cortana AppX Package the hard way by deleting it from the profile of the user with issues (my admin user in this case). It's location:

    C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy



    Obviously it's locked when the user is logged in. So log it out, login another admin user and then delete that folder. After that, login with your user again and run from powershell: 

    Add-AppxPackage -Register "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\AppxManifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode



    to install and enable that AppX again. After a few minutes it populated my search again. On most hosts including Control Panel items, which quite some people are missing. Not on all hosts though (why would it be consistent).



    This is hideous. As an admin I shiver by the thoughts of having UAC enabled for my admin users. It's good for regular users, of course. But I am not a regular user. By far the biggest issue for us is that with UAC enabled, I can't browse any folder that I don't have explicit permissions on anymore on that same machine. Not everything can be done remotely when you host a RDS farm. Most folders have Administrators with Full Control, and we have a domain group with admins in them that are in all local machines administrators groups. But with UAC that's not enough, which results in an unworkable and extremely frustrating situation. Explorer.exe can't be started in admin mode either (heavens, why not?) so no way to access those folders anymore without getting permissions on them first. I AM in the admins group!!


    I am extremely frustrated with MS way of doing the last few years. How do they think we normal people actually work with their OS? I quote from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2526083 (yes I know it's 2008R2 based):

    [qoute]
    For a Windows-based server on which the sole reason for interactive logon is to administer the system, the goal of fewer elevation prompts is neither feasible nor desirable. System administrative tools legitimately require administrative rights. When all the administrative user's tasks require administrative rights and each task could trigger an elevation prompt, the prompts are only a hindrance to productivity. In this context, such prompts do not and cannot promote the goal of encouraging development of applications that require standard user rights. Also, such prompts do not improve the security posture. Instead, these prompts just encourage users to click through dialog boxes without reading them.
    [/quote]


    So they acknowledge UAC is a hindrance on certain machines. Now, in 2016 I am forced to use it as BASIC OS functionality (find your application to start it) just stops working.

    My company (I am actually the owner) sees increasing license cost for less and less functional software. And where is the proper documentation? Nowadays they just sh!t out a new OS and besides some generic info there is no in-depth documentation to be found. People are on their own, until someone writes a blog about it. Oh how I miss the days of VAX/VMS with proper technical documentation and logging that was actually usefull.

    Now that's out, could anyone from this thread (JEmlay?) see if this makes any sense to their setup?

    Tuesday, December 6, 2016 1:35 PM
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    Enabling Windows Search fixed my problems! I can now type in any program name in the start and it will find it.

    Thanks!!!

    Carlitos

    Monday, January 16, 2017 4:51 PM