Start11

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. First, please try, uninstall Start11, reboot immediately (important), download latest version available in your account product download page: https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products. Install it, reboot immediately again. Retest it and report back.

If the issue still there. Please report back with more information.

1. Windows 10 or 11? Also need its full version and OS Build number. Use Winver.exe to get these number.
2. Start11 full version number.
3. Post screenshots showing the issues.

Thank you,
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

I will try that, thanks

I finally had a chance to do the uninstall, reboot, download, install, reboot and will update you if it happens again with the other information.  Thanks! 

so it has done it again (it's sometimes been inconsistent) and I finally remembered to get a screenshot of it, and had time to reply here.  

1. Windows 11 Pro Version 24H2 OS build 26100.4652

2. Start11 version 2.53, and I just double checked that it's the latest version (according to the checker in the app)

3. The line through the icons is very thin, but is most noticeable through explorer, and you can see the behavior of the start button. 

On a side not I also tried using the default start button, and the line would still show up, but with the default start button it would line up with itself.

Please advise next steps, thanks!

--edited to add having time to reply here.

Few more things.

1. If you turn on or off Start11 enhance taskbar, does the issue goes away?
2. Do you have any other application running that change how your Taskbar/Explorer work such as DisplayFusion, StartAllBack, OpenShell, ExplorerPatcher etc.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Yes each time it does this I have to turn start 11 off and on again for it to go back to normal. 

I don't have any other programs that would alter the start menu or task bar

Instead of turning off and on again the Start11 enhance taskbar, try restarting explorer.exe does that help with the issue?

How to restart Explorer.exe: https://www.howtogeek.com/198815/use-this-secret-trick-to-close-and-restart-explorerexe-in-windows/ 

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

it does get rid of the line, but it makes the start button the default one.  Am I going to have to do that every time I start my computer?

I believe this is another conflicting issue with another application running in the background which also controlling your taskbar. Please try installing on a Windows Sandbox and see if the issue while in it. https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1416855562/Testing+Start+in+Sandbox 

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

if this is another application running in the background controlling the taskbar, then it's a windows 11 thing that's installed with the OS.  Start11 was one of the first things I installed when I set this laptop up when I got it.

where it's became an inconsistent issue that doesn't happen every single time I start my laptop, I'm unsure of how revealing installing on a Sandbox will be, as it's not guaranteed that it would've happened anyway.

Is there a Windows 11 app I can check for that could be controlling the taskbar?  

Perhaps, try clean boot. https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1334935592/Start11+Clean+Boot. Please try it with carefully going through these steps. Try it and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

well after doing that the line didn't appear that time I started it, but start11 didn't work at all, and the stock start menu persisted, even after restarting.  I had to go back in config and re enable just the start11 and then restart for start11 to work.

I went back in and took it out of clean boot by re enabling everything that was disabled and restarted and it's working correctly, which when I turned my laptop on the first time this morning it did have the line.

where it's not a consistent issue, I'm no sure how definitive that is though

You should enable one Start up at a time and see which one is causing the issue. Might need to have multiple restart to actually see it.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

If it was a consistent issue that happened every time, I can see how that would help.  The fact that once everything was re enabled it didn't happen on the next restart makes it hard for me to understand how that will work though, because by that logic, it should have done it again with everything re enabled.

Is there something I'm missing?

BTW, have you tried the latest Start11v2.55 beta? If not yet, please go to your account product download page: https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products. It should be listed there. Uninstall, reboot immediately, install the new one and reboot immediately again right after installation is done. Retest and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

I have followed your instructions to install the beta version and update you when I find out whether or not it's solved the problem.  I will probably wait until I've turned my laptop on a few times to be sure

I know as soon as I send this it'll change, but it seems so far that installing the beta version has solved my issue.  I'll reply here if anything changes though.

Thanks for your help!

well it was working right for a while, and then windows did an update and now it's doing the same thing again

It seems something isn't functioning properly in your system.

The root cause of the instability is unclear at this point. If Start11 is responsible, the issue would typically occur immediately—not sporadically or only after a Windows update.

Also, if this were a widespread problem, it should be affecting all users running Start11 v2 on the latest Windows 11 update.

As a next step, I recommend scanning your system using the following commands to check for any integrity issues:

• sfc /scannow — Learn more about System File Checker
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth — Guide to repairing a Windows image using DISM

These tools can help identify and potentially resolve system-level problems.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Open Start11 settings, go the taskbar page.  Scroll to the bottom and on Taskbar touch mode detection pick : Force non touch mode device.  For some reason Start11 is detecting you as having a touch device which alters how the taskbar works slightly and is causing this issue.

I think the taskbar setting had something to do with it, occasionally (maybe once a week at most) I use an android tablet as a second screen, which is a touch screen.  I wonder if it was caching something relating to that causing it to mess up. 

I've just turned it to disable touch screen mode, if I still have problems I will try the sfc and DISM.  Thanks!! 

just wanted to quickly update.  I've had the touchscreen setting turned off for a week and a half and that line hasn't appeared at all, so it looks like that's what was causing the problem.  Thanks for all your help!