Cannot type to search in Win 10 fullscreen Start Menu

[e-t-l]

To begin: This is not the same bug as that in #1675. This is not a bug with Windows, Windows Search, or the Search Indexer. It is a bug specific to ExplorerPatcher's implementation of the Windows 10 "Full screen Start"-style start menu. (It may be the same as #1804, but it's unclear since that issue was never resolved, and the advice provided to that author was inaccurate. May be the same as #1862, except their solution did not work for me.) This is not the same issue as #1781, because in that issue the search window still worked (albeit in a Win11-style, which would be fine), whereas my issue is that the search window does not work at all.

When ExplorerPatcher > Start Menu > Start Menu Style = "Windows 10" AND ExplorerPatcher > Start Menu > Display mode = "Default" OR "Full screen Start", then opening the start menu and typing into the keyboard does not initiate a Windows Search. On all other Start menu styles and display modes, keypresses while the start menu is open does initiate a Windows Search; this is the expected behavior, it is how the start menu behaves when ExplorerPatcher is not installed, and it is how the Windows start menu has behaved throughout Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.

When ExplorerPatcher is set to Windows 10 "Full screen Start," the only way to initiate a Windows Search from the keyboard is ⊞ Win+S to launch the Windows Search pane separately.

This bug was not always present in ExplorerPatcher, and I cannot pinpoint precisely when it first appeared. I recently upgraded Windows 11 from version 21H2 to 22H2, and EP updates itself from the Github release channel automatically, so it is unclear whether the issue is uniquely present with a specific version of EP, with Win11 22H2 regardless of EP version, or with a specific combination of EP version and Windows version.

Enabling the EP console and restarting explorer.exe produced this output (click to expand).

funchook create 1                                                               
Running on Windows 11, OS Build 10.0.22621.2134.                                
Loaded symbols                                                                  
Setup ntdll functions done                                                      
Setup user32 functions done                                                     
Setup explorer functions done                                                   
Setup uxtheme functions done                                                    
Setup twinui.pcshell functions done                                             
Setup combase functions done                                                    
Setup twinui functions done                                                     
Setup stobject functions done                                                   
Setup bthprops functions done                                                   
Setup pnidui functions done                                                     
Setup shell32 functions done                                                    
Setup explorerframe functions done                                              
Setup windows.storage functions done                                            
[IME] Context menu patch status: 1                                              
Setup inputswitch functions done                                                
Setup windowsudk.shellcommon functions done                                     
Setup peopleband functions done                                                 
Installed hooks.                                                                
Open Start on monitor thread                                                    
EP Service Window thread                                                        
Initialized taskbar centering module.                                           
Started "Open Start on current monitor" thread.                                 
Progman: 524892                                                                 
Progman hook: 15598707                                                          
[Updates] Starting daemon.                                                      
[Updates] Configured update policy on this system: "Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them".                                  
[Updates] Path to module: C:\WINDOWS\dxgi.dll                                   
[Updates] Checking against hash "22622.1992.56.3.f8433b9d1f5e09e6"              
[Updates] Update URL: https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/releases/latest/download/ep_setup.exe                                                          
[Updates] Hash of remote file is "22622.1992.56.3.f8433b9d1f5e09e6" (valid).    
[Updates] Local version obtained from hash is 22622.1992.56.3.                  
[Updates] No updates are available.                                             
0 0                                                                             
Error in sub_1800135EC on RoGetActivationFactory.                                

The configuration where I am observing the bug is as follow:

Windows 11 Home, OS build 10.0.22621.2134
ExplorerPatcher version 22621.1992.56.3
Full EP settings: ExplorerPatcher_22621.1992.56.3.txt (change file extension to ".reg" in order to run)

Here are all the possible fixes for this that I've already tried (click to expand).
‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Please do not recommend any of them again.

1. Opted out of Windows Preview Updates and uninstalled any Preview updates present.
2. Uninstalled EP, rebooted PC, confirmed all EP registry keys deleted, then reinstalled EP. Confirmed symbols downloaded.
3. Rebuilt Windows Search Index.
4. Ran Windows Search and Indexing Troubleshooter as administrator (executed msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic).
5. Restarted Explorer.exe and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe.
6. Restarted SearchUI.exe.
7. Confirmed ViveTool has all features set to defaults (executed vivetool /fullreset).
8. Reset Windows Search with "ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1" from this source.
9. Set Windows Search to use Enhanced Indexing.

[pyrates999]

Windows 11 Home, OS build 10.0.22621.1413

This version of windows 11 is from March. Please update to at least the July 11 update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/july-11-2023-kb5028185-os-build-22621-1992-605fa18f-bd49-41d8-80b1-245080e26c3d

[e-t-l]

Windows 11 Home, OS build 10.0.22621.1413

This version of windows 11 is from March. Please update to at least the July 11 update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/topic/july-11-2023-kb5028185-os-build-22621-1992-605fa18f-bd49-41d8-80b1-245080e26c3d

Thank you for commenting this, as it made me realize I had copied the wrong version string into my original post. The correct OS Build version is 10.0.22621.2134.

I have updated my original post with the correct information. Apologies for causing any confusion.

[e-t-l]

@pyrates999 is this bug reproducible when using my EP configuration? (i.e. using the reg file I provided?)

[pyrates999]

Since I don't run windows 11, I can't tell you. You'll have to wait for one of the developers to test your EP settings.

[shaheedmalik]

I just upgraded to Windows 11 today. I am on the same version as the original poster and can confirm this problem exists.

[pyrates999]

try this to rebuild the search index: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/shell-experience/windows-search-performance-issues

[e-t-l]

try this to rebuild the search index: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/shell-experience/windows-search-performance-issues

This fix was already attempted and is not relevant. As was stated in the original post under:

"Here are all the possible fixes for this that I've already tried (click to expand). Please do not recommend any of them again."

1. Opted out of Windows Preview Updates and uninstalled any Preview updates present.
2. Uninstalled EP, rebooted PC, confirmed all EP registry keys deleted, then reinstalled EP. Confirmed symbols downloaded.
3. Rebuilt Windows Search Index.
4. Ran Windows Search and Indexing Troubleshooter as administrator (executed msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic).
5. Restarted Explorer.exe and StartMenuExperienceHost.exe.
6. Restarted SearchUI.exe.
7. Confirmed ViveTool has all features set to defaults (executed vivetool /fullreset).
8. Reset Windows Search with "ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1" from this source.
9. Set Windows Search to use Enhanced Indexing.

I appreciate your responsiveness and willingness to help people with their issues on this repo, but if you don't have Windows 11 and can't install it on a 2nd machine or VM, perhaps recommending the same 3 or 4 ideas—which you haven't tested out yourself, and which no evidence suggests are actually useful for the given problem—isn't the most productive use of anyone's time here?

You have demonstrated that you have a lot of useful insight about many aspects of ExplorerPatcher! It's okay if this isn't one of them.

[Yoanndp]

Hello, I am also facing the issue on Windows 11 (10.0.22621.1702).

The configuration where I am observing the bug is as follow

Nevertheless, I launched a Windows Sandbox, installed ep_patcher, and applied your registry file. It appears to be functioning properly.

Out of curiosity, I exported my configuration file and loaded it into the same sandbox. Surprisingly, it also works without any issues. This suggests that the problem might be related to the environment.

[PandaFiredoge]

⊞ Win+ Q

[teacup418]

Was it possible to workaround like this: when user start typing in start menu, ExplorerPatcher manually hidden full start menu, and open Win + S with user input?

[pyrates999]

what do you mean?

[CarreteroIgnacio]

Hello! regarding the issue. The search kinda works, just doesn't show it.

I press "Windows" and Type "Cal" and pres Enter, will open the calculator as expected Same with paint.

It works, but the is like get infront of the search windows