<p>We&#8217;ve encountered an issue where the Start Menu button on Windows Server 2016 has become unresponsive. Specifically, the left-click functionality is not working, where the right-click is operational and properly displays the start button context menu. This problem arises on servers with customized start menu icons defined through an XML file deployed using Group Policy.</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2933" src="https://www.wincert.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/win10-start-menu.png" alt="" width="554" height="518" /></p>
<p>The issue is present on most Windows Server 2016 machines, particularly impacting our Citrix VDA servers. Resetting the Citrix profile did not help in resolving the problem.</p>
<p>To address the issue within the current user session, execute the following Powershell command:</p>
<p><strong>Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register &#8220;$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml&#8221;}</strong></p>
<p>Note: Powershell is located at: <strong>C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Powershell.exe</strong></p>
<p>This action should restore the start menu functionality temporarily, although the problem may reoccur the next day.</p>
<p>For a permanent fix, log in as <strong>an Administrator</strong> and run the following Powershell commands:</p>
<p><strong>Remove-Item &#8220;HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\RestrictedServices\Configurable\System&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>followed by:</p>
<p><strong>New-Item &#8220;HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\RestrictedServices\Configurable\System&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>This solution should apply to all users on the server. If the issue resurfaces, consider resetting the user profile on the Citrix server or using UPM.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth saying that the problem appears to be linked to the Windows Firewall being disabled on those servers, and provided solution above should permanently fix it.</p>