Microsoft Confirms Start Menu, File Explorer & Other Components Crash in Windows 11 24H2

In a new support document, KB5072911, Microsoft has acknowledged that multiple Windows 11 core features can break after provisioning a PC with the Windows 11 Version 24H2 cumulative updates released on or after July 2025 (KB5062553). The problems hit users right after the first login or every login in non-persistent environments like VDI.

Windows Shell and XAML components failing after KB5062553

According to Microsoft, the failures occur because certain XAML dependency packages are not registering in time after the update installs. These include:

• MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy
• Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe
• MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core_cw5n1h2txyewy

When these packages fail to register, Windows Shell components can crash or silently fail. That includes several critical parts of the OS:

• Explorer.exe
• ShellHost.exe / shelhost.exe
• StartMenuExperienceHost
• ImmersiveShell
• XAML island views
• Applications that initialize XAML UI

Some users may see Explorer running without a taskbar, or the Start menu refusing to launch with a critical error. Settings can silently fail too, especially Start > Settings > System. In short, nearly every part of the Windows shell that relies on XAML becomes unreliable after provisioning with these updates.

Affects both 24H2 and 25H2 systems

Microsoft also notes that the issue dates back to July 2025, meaning systems have been exposed for months. Since Windows 11 25H2 shares the same codebase as 24H2, the newest feature update is also impacted. Windows launches before its XAML packages finish registering, leading to race conditions that break dependent components.

Microsoft is working on a fix, but offers workarounds

There is no permanent fix yet, but Microsoft has detailed a set of temporary workarounds.

1. Manual registration (for persistent machines)

Users can manually re-register the missing XAML packages and then restart SIHost. Microsoft recommends running these commands:

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode 

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode 

Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode 

Restarting SIHost.exe after this allows Immersive Shell and related components to reload properly.

2. Logon script for VDI and non-persistent setups

For environments where changes don’t persist across logons, Microsoft recommends running a batch wrapper before Explorer launches:

@echo off 
REM Register MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS 

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode" 

REM Register Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS 

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.CBS_8wekyb3d8bbwe\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode" 

REM Register MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core 

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "Add-AppxPackage -Register -Path 'C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.Core_cw5n1h2txyewy\appxmanifest.xml' -DisableDevelopmentMode" 

This blocks Explorer.exe from starting until all packages register, preventing the race condition. If Microsoft comes up with any permanent fix, we’ll let you know.

via: Bleeping Computer