Startisback - Sad Face
If none of the above works, Microsoft has likely patched the exploit StartIsBack uses. You have two options:
:: 5. Optional: Clear icon cache if sad face persists echo. set /p "CLEAR_ICON=Clear icon cache? (y/n): " if /i "%CLEAR_ICON%"=="y" ( echo Clearing icon cache... taskkill /f /im explorer.exe >nul del /f /q "%localappdata%\IconCache.db" >nul 2>&1 del /f /q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\iconcache*" >nul 2>&1 start explorer.exe ) startisback sad face
: Scroll down to the bottom of the list and locate Windows Explorer . If none of the above works, Microsoft has
Microsoft releases monthly cumulative updates. Occasionally, an update will change the way Windows Explorer handles the taskbar or Start Menu. Because StartIsBack hooks deeply into explorer.exe , a security patch can break its API calls, resulting in a sad face fallback. set /p "CLEAR_ICON=Clear icon cache
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Partial uninstalls, registry fragments, or installing a version designed for Windows 10 on Windows 11 (or vice versa) will cause the sad face. The application’s core DLL files— StartIsBack64.dll or StartIsBack32.dll —may be missing, blocked by antivirus, or unregistered.